The mission of the Collection is to preserve and make available to our patrons materials which chronicle the history and development;of all aspects of the rich heritage of San Antonio, Bexar County, and Texas from prehistoric times to the present. Special focus is on the history and development of San Antonio and Bexar County as entities within the larger context of Texas, the Southwest, and Northern Mexico.
The Texana Collection is housed on the sixth floor of the Central Library. The collection acquires, preserves, and offers research materials in subject areas relating to San Antonio and Texas. While the primary focus is on history and culture of San Antonio and Texas, items also reflect the customs and crafts of various ethnic groups which make up the population.
Also in the collection are materials on politics, archaeology, ranching, plant and animal life, cooking, religion, literature, water-related issues, and much more. The collection includes not only books, but also maps, serials, microforms, and archival files.
There are items in English, Spanish, French, German, even Yiddish.
Books |
Periodicals |
Government Documents |
Maps | Newspaper clippings |
City directories |
Bexar, Laredo, Nacogdoches, Parral, Saltillo, West Florida (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama), Camargo, and New Mexico archives
San Antonio City Council minutes, 1837-
Cemetery cards from City Cemeteries 1-6, Dignowity, Knights of Pythias, and San Jose Burial Park, Confederate Cemetery
Mexican Border Crossings, ca. 1905-ca. 1955
Texas Senate, House, and Executive Journals, 1836-1874
Galveston passenger lists, 1896-1948
Records of the Texas Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
Service records of Texas units in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) and the Civil War
Cathedral Collection. Mission and San Fernando sacramental records
World War I draft registration cards for Texas
Newspapers from 19th and early 20th centuries for numerous Texas towns
San Antonio newspapers (Light, Express, News, Jewish Journal, Daily Commercial Recorder, and many others)
Microfilmed county records from Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Cameron, Dimmit, Gillespie, Gonzales, Karnes, Kendall, LaSalle, Medina, Nacogdoches, Refugio, Webb, Wilson, and Zavala counties
City directories for Amarillo, Austin, Dallas, Forth Worth, Galveston, Houston,and San Antonio
Many maps of San Antonio, Texas, and the United States
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Texas and New Mexico
Texas vital records indices (birth, death, marriage, and divorce)
Texas Death Certificates, 1903-1925
San Antonio Obituary File, 1928-1956
Confederate Pension Applications for Texas (not yet complete)
The book collection is particularly strong in history, biography, social sciences, and natural sciences. Included are
county and local histories
mug books
transcritions of Texas county records (cemetery, marriage, etc.)
books by local and Texas authors
archaeological reorts
Edwards Aquifer and regional water studies
Bexar County records microfilmed by the Church of Latter Day Saints
San Antonio City Council minutes, 1837- (film)
Bexar, Laredo and Nacogdoches Archives (film)
Texas county tax records (all counties, from date of origin to 1910)
Indices to Texas birth (1903-1976), death (1903- ), marriage (1966- ), and divorce (1968- ) records
World War I draft registration cards (most Texas counties) (film)
Mexican border crossings for Texas entry orts (film)
The Texana/Genealogy Deartment has maps of Texas and San Antonio, such as
Birds-eye view mas from 1873 and 1886 (San Antonio)
Sanborn Fire Insurance mas from ca. 1885 to the 1950s (all available for the State of Texas (film)
Texas Highway Deartment mas for Texas counties
San Antonio street mas from 1883 to the resent
United States Geological Survey mas (Texas)
Since the mid-1960s extensive cping files from San Antonio newspapers have been maintained and cover a wide range of toics: biograhical,businesses, neighborhoods, elections, etc. A general subject index to these files is maintained in the Departments office and has been added to an earlier one begun in the 1920s containing many valuable references.
San Antonio city directories are available on microfilm from 1877 through 1970. aer coies are available from 1954 to the present.
The Texana/Genealogy Deartment also has city directories for the following Texas cities on microfilm.
Amarillo. 1903, 1907-1935
Austin. 1857 (fiche), 1903-1935
Dallas. 1875-1935
Fort Worth. 1877-1881, 1902-1935/36
Galveston. 1856/57 (fiche), 1859/60 (fiche), 1866-1935
Houston. 1902-1935