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Family History Resources
Sources to discover your family background
- Family History Resources
- San Antonio Archives & Special Collections
- 1950 Decennial Census (in progress)
- Books on Personal Names
- San Antonio Government Records
- San Antonio & U.S. City Directories
Government Documents Librarian

Rita Wilson
Contact:
UTSA Libraries -- Main Campus
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, Texas 78249
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, Texas 78249
210-458-7572
Also see these UTSA Research Guides
About the Family History Guide
While UTSA Libraries do not specifically collect to support genealogical research we do have historical, census and local resources that may be useful to historians and researchers. Listed on this guide are some of those resources.
HeritageQuest / Ancestry Library
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HeritageQuest OnlineProvides 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.
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Ancestry Library (ProQuest)On site at San Antonio Public Library and SAPL Branches only
Ancestry Library is similar to HeritageQuest.
Contains Census Population Schedules (1790-1940), Slave Schedules (1850, 1860), Federal Mortality Census Schedules, 1890 Veterans Schedules, U.S. Indian Census Rolls (1885-1940), and selected Census Non-Population Schedules (1850-1880) as well as City Directories. ProQuest Help Sheet
UTSA and Other Databases
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Access to Archival Databases (AAD)National Archives. Searches some of NARA's electronic records holdings. There are databases and indexes from more than 30 archival series, including over 350 data files totaling well over 50 million unique records; this number will continue to grow. Search by person, geographic areas, organizations, or dates.
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American WestExplore 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.
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Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970Provides 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.
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Find a GraveSearch or browse cemeteries and grave records for every-day and famous people from around the world.
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Finding Your Roots - PBSStreaming video of the PBS series where educator Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps celebrities discover their ancestral histories. Season 2 through 7.via Films on Demand (Alexander Street Press)
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HeritageQuest OnlineProvides 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.
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Historical NewspapersSearch 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 (1851-2018), Washington Post (1877-2005), Wall Street Journal (1889-2008), Christian Science Monitor (1908-2008), Los Angeles Times (1881-1997), Chicago Tribune (1849-1998), Austin American Statesman (1871-1980), the Guardian (1821-2003) and the Observer (1791-2003). Coverage begins with the first issue of each title.
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Immigration: Records of the INS - 1880-1930 (ProQuest History Vault)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.
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Nationwide Gravesite LocatorSearch for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker. Updated daily.
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NewspaperArchive: Texas CollectionSearchable 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.)
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Oxford African American Studies CenterContains major full-text reference resources on African American and African history and culture, including "Encyclopedia of African American History"; and the "African American National Biography", as well as articles from other major reference sources. Only a few people can use this database at one time.
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ProQuest CongressionalComprehensive full image coverage of U.S. Congressional publications 1789-present, including hearings, prints, reports, Serial Set maps, bills and laws, Congressional Record, Congressional Research Service Reports, and information on Congressional members and committees. Updated daily.
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San Antonio City DirectoriesUTSA Libraries guide to available City Directories.
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Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Library of CongressCollection of large-scale, building-level maps, depict the commercial, industrial and residential sections of some 12,000 cities and towns in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, 1867 - present. The Sanborn collection includes about 50,000 editions of fire insurance maps comprising an estimated 700,000 individual sheets. Also see Checklist of all print and electronic Sanborn Maps.These atlases include maps published before 1923 and more recent maps through 1963 in which the copyright was not renewed. Additional sheets will be made available as they enter the public domain.
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Texas Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970Access to Texas Digital Sanborn Maps is now provided with Digital Sanborn Maps. Refer to that entry for a detailed description.
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UTSA Digital CollectionsDigitized collections from the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) Library and the UTSA Libraries include Hemisfair '68, Contemporary Indians of Texas, San Antonio Light photographs, San Antonio River Authority, Mexican manuscripts, UTSA history and much more.
Microfilm & Microfiche at UTSA
Resources at San Antonio Public Library & Texas State Library & Archives
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Ancestry Library (ProQuest)On site at San Antonio Public Library and SAPL Branches only
Ancestry Library is similar to HeritageQuest.
Contains Census Population Schedules (1790-1940), Slave Schedules (1850, 1860), Federal Mortality Census Schedules, 1890 Veterans Schedules, U.S. Indian Census Rolls (1885-1940), and selected Census Non-Population Schedules (1850-1880) as well as City Directories. ProQuest Help Sheet -
America's Obituaries & Death NoticesAvailable remotely with a San Antonio Public Library card.
Contains more than 15 million recent death records. Consolidates content from hundreds of newspapers across the nation. -
American AncestorsOn site at San Antonio Public Library and branches only
New England Historic Genealogical Society provides online access to Massachusetts Vital Records through 1910, New York Probate Records (1787 - 1835), the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), church records, newspapers and periodicals, city and town directories, court records, census, tax, and voter lists, diaries and journals, land records, military records, and published genealogies and biographies. -
Fold3On site at San Antonio Public Library and branches only
The Fold3 collections feature documents relating to the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII, US Presidents, historical newspapers, naturalization documents, and more. Fold3 is a place where historical documents are combined with social networking. -
Texana & Genealogy Department at the San Antonio Public LibraryDocuments the history of San Antonio, Bexar County and Texas, including selected San Antonio city documents, personal papers and organizational records, rare books, and genealogy resources.
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Ancestry.com TexasAllows free access to TSLAC records that have been digitized by Ancestry.com and are made available to Texas residents. Note: This access requires the creation of a free Ancestry.com Texas account.
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Genealogy Resources at Texas State Library and Archives Commission (Austin)The Genealogy Collection at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission includes vital statistics indexes, city directories, county records, publications such as printed family and county histories, a variety of Texas government records, federal census schedules and many other resources.
Other Internet Sites and Reports
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1950 Census Official WebsiteThe 1950 census records were released by the U.S. National Archives on April 1, 2022. This website provides full free access to the 1950 census images, including population schedules, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions. Don't overlook the Resources section.
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Family SearchProvided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, offers free access to numerous historical record collections from around the world. Includes census records, Freedman's Bank records, Native American census rolls, the U.S. Social Security Death Index, and marriage, birth and baptismal records from around the world. They also have a significant collection of family history books digitized from partner libraries, including the Allen County Public Library (IN) and the Dallas Public Library. Notes: Access to FamilySearch records requires a free Family Search account.
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RootsWebSupports thousands of surname discussion lists. Features primary documents that have been transcribed or scanned by volunteers and made searchable such as obituaries, county histories, tax lists, etc.
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Using the Congressional Serial Set for Genealogical ResearchNational Archives. Congressional Serial Set is part of the database ProQuest Congressional,
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Tracing American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) AncestryU.S. Dept. of the Interior: Indian Affairs
Information about tribal services, tribal contacts, and genealogical research.