Family History Resources

Provides a collection of research materials for tracing family history and American culture. Includes full-text documents from more than 25,000 works of local and family histories, as well as the full-text documents and indexes from the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1940, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 among other resources.

Provides access to over 660,000 full-image fire insurance maps for more than 12,000 American communities in all U.S. states. These large-scale maps contain detailed data such as the outline of each building; the size, shape, and function of structures; construction materials; heights; and the location of windows and doors. The maps also list street names, street and sidewalk widths, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers. Also shown are pipelines, railroads, wells, dumps, and heavy machinery. Sanborn maps are valuable historical tools for urban studies specialists, historians, architects, geographers, genealogists, planners, and environmentalists, among others.

Access to Texas Digital Sanborn Maps is now provided with Digital Sanborn Maps. Refer to that entry for a detailed description.

Searchable full image access to many historical Texas Newspapers including the San Antonio Light (1882 -1977) and the San Antonio Express News (1865-1974). (Some years are incomplete.)

Search the full-text/full-image of seven major U.S. and two major British newspapers covering national and international events and issues in the United States and Great Britain: New York Times (1851-2016), Washington Post (1877-2003), Wall Street Journal (1889-2002), Christian Science Monitor (1908-2006), Los Angeles Times (1881-1995), Chicago Tribune (1849-1996), Austin American Statesman (1871-1980), the Guardian (1821-2003) and the Observer (1791-2003). Coverage begins with the first issue of each title.

Turn of the century files cover immigration of various groups to the United States, including Japanese and Chinese immigration, European immigration, and Mexican immigration between 1906-1930. There are also extensive files on the regulation of prostitution and white slavery and on suppression of radical aliens.

Explore westward expansion in America from the early 18th to mid-20th century through a wide range of primary source documents including books, journals, contemporary newspapers, historic maps, broadsides, travel journals, photographs, artwork and more. Documents drawn from the Everett D. Graff Collection of Western Americana at the Newberry Library, Chicago.

Provides a collection of research materials for tracing family history and American culture. Includes full-text documents from more than 25,000 works of local and family histories, as well as the full-text documents and indexes from the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1940, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 among other resources.