Stirpes, Volume 20, Number 1, March 1980 Page: 4
64 p. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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MARCH 1980
STIRPES
THE FRENCH IN TEXAS, continued -
Those with French ancestry will find an abundance of materials in Texas which
will help them with their research. There are many excellent societies, some
of which publish quarterlies, throughtout the State. The Texas State
Genealogical Society, which publishes Stirpes, has members from all sections
of the State and has published many records as well as how-to articles. In
the Golden Triangle area where the Louisiana-French are concentrated, is the
Southeast Texas Genealogical Society and their fine publication, Yellowed
Pages. Each year the Everton Publishers, The Genealogical Helper, publishes
a listing of societies, libraries- and periodicals. The listing will include
other societies in the areas of early French settlements.
In getting the most from genealogy, a person must look into the background of
a locality, its peoples and their migrations. Those of us with a Texan-French
heritage will find several basic texts worth the reading. An excellent section
on Texas history is found in the Texas Almanac (Dalls Morning News, publishers)
and covers the State's various ethnic groups. The Texas State Historical Association
has also published The Handbook of Texas, A Dictionary of Essential
Information, in three volumes edited by Walter Prescott Webb. This is the best
source for a brief background on people, places and various subjects of Texas.
Another excellent source of background material is A History of Texas and the
Texans by T. R. Fehrenback (Macmillian Publishing, New York, 1968.)
Universities in Texas have amassed a wealth of material not only in books but
in manuscripts, personal letters, etc. In the Texas Collection at Baylor
University is the HAAS COLLECTION, dealing with Castroville, and mentioning
many names. In their card catalog are some 100 entries on French in Texas,
plus references to individuals and places.
The University of Texas has published an excellent guide to their archives.
(The University of Texas Archives edited by Chester V. Kielman, University of
Texas, 1967.) The listings give detailed information as to what is contained
in the Historical Manuscripts Collection. For instance, #781, French National
Archives. Records, 1697-1803; 4-1/2 inches; MSS., typescript. (description of
material included), or #782, French Refugees in Texas. Narative, 1815; 1 vol.;
typescript. (description). There are some 50 or more different listings having
to do with France/French. While all our ancestors may not have had
prominence in public affairs, it is sometimes possible that something was
written by them or about them. This listing also gives the names of people
who are mentioned in the various letters, newspaper clippings, etc.
In the Texas State Archives can be found the papers of Henri Castro. These
letters concern the French colony from June thru December, 1843 and are
originals. Other records are also available in the Archives. Taxes were
supposed to be assessed in every Texas county in 1837, but were either not
made or lost. For later years, though, alphabetized copies for the Treasury
Department of the Republic and for the State, up to 1900, are in the Archives.
There are other records of various kinds also found and readily available to
the researcher. Like the tax rolls, however, they are not specifically indexed
as to French settlers, but are important to any research on any Texas family.
The Archives has many character certificates of early settlers in its files.An excellent Guide to Genealogical Resources in the Texas Archives is available
free from Texas State Archives, P.O. Box 12927, Austin, Texas 78711.
The Texas County Records Inventory Project is a statewide survey of courthouse
records and will eventually cover all of Texas' 254 counties. The Inventory4
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Texas State Genealogical Society. Stirpes, Volume 20, Number 1, March 1980, periodical, March 1980; Lubbock, TX. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29534/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Genealogical Society.