A&M-SA Research Guides: Texas History: HIST 2301: Primary Sources

Digital Primary Source Collections -Texas History

Listed below are digital collections of primary sources from archives, libraries, and museums from around the state.

Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries' Digital Projects Unit) This link opens in a new window
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This resource is a gateway to unique collections from Texas libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, genealogical societies, and private family collections. Find photographs, maps, books, newspapers and more.

Texas Digital Archive (Texas State Library & Archives Commission)
The Texas Digital Archive (TDA) manages, preserves, and facilitates access to the electronic records collections of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, including those transferred by State agencies or digitized by the State Archives.
Bexar Archives Online
The Bexar Archives are the official Spanish documents that preserve the political, military, economic, and social life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahulia y Texas. Both in their volume and breadth of subject matter, the Bexar Archives are the single most important source for the history of Hispanic Texas up to 1836.
UTSA Digitized Collections
The UTSA Libraries are proud to preserve the legacies of San Antonio and South Texas through our growing collection of rare books, personal papers, photographs, and other one-of-a-kind primary resources.

Several collections have been digitized and can be searched, viewed and downloaded from this site.
Texas Collection (Baylor University Library)
These digital collections contain materials on Texana, music, maps, and religion. The Baylor Institute of Oral History has digitized its contents as well.
East Texas Research Center Digital Archives and Collections
The East Texas Research Center collects, preserves and provides access to archival material related to eastern Texas life, culture, economy and history.
The Hispanic Heritage Center of Texas
The Hispanic Heritage Center of San Antonio's mission rests on continually provide education, research, genealogy resources and public outreach to inform our community about their unknown heritage and legacy. It was founded in 2008, and strives to share the Tejano experience and the community's impact on Texas history and culture. Digital Collections via the Portal to Texas History.
Northeast Texas Digital Collections
Northeast Texas Digital Collections is comprised of more than 40 distinct collections, which are very diverse in terms of content, size, and scope.
Rice Digital Scholarship Archive
Rice Digital Scholarship Archive (RSDA) supports the research needs of the Rice community and beyond by providing high-quality digital content of rare or unique materials held by Fondren Library.

The RDSA is home to digital files of original photographs, letters, drawings, rare publications, and other physical formats, presented in various file formats -- jpg files, pdf files, some of which are full-text searchable - all of which can be accessed on the web.
Sam Houston State Library Digital Collections
Newton Gresham Library is committed to providing primary source materials from the 19th through the 21st centuries in digital format. Whatever your interest, these collections will enlighten you about Sam Houston State University and Huntsville as you view the many treasures included in the John W. Thomason Room, University Archives, and other collections. You will receive a glimpse of letters from the Civil War era, photos from SHSU's past and present, oral histories, and artwork.
Southern Methodist University Digital Colelctions
SMU Digital Libraries includes the digital libraries and online collections from SMU’s many libraries. SMU’s Bridwell Library’s Special Collections contains dozens of digitized collections and representations of rare theological works. Central University Libraries Digital Collections represent our many special collections in the fields of World War II, SMU history, and corporate history. The Underwood Law Library has digitized the key...archives related to the desegregation of Dallas schoo
Tarlton Law Library Digital Collections
These collections contain information about Texas Supreme Court Justices, digitized copies of state constitutions, and the papers of Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark (the only Texan to serve on the bench).
TCU Digital Library
The Digital Archives comprises a collection of scanned images from TCU’s various special collections. Currently, there are more than 3000 images in this digital database, the majority of which relate to TCU and its history.

The original copies of these images are housed in the Special Collections Department in the TCU Library. This database is by no means exhaustive and represents only a small percentage of the images that are available.
Texas A&M Digital Library
The Texas A&M Digital Library provides access to digital collections and innovative scholarly services in support of research, teaching, and learning...The Digital Library provides access to collections of historical images, videos, maps, and more.
Texas Tech Southwest Collection
This digital repository contains digital materials related to the Southwest. Collections include literature and history of the Southwest, photographs, oral interviews, and Digital Collections from the Texas Tech University.
Texas Treasures
Images of artifacts and historic documents held by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission are highlighted in this online exhibition. Pieces can be seen through various eras of Texas history.
Texas Woman's University Digital Collections
These digital collections are dedicated to the role of women in Texas. It also has collections deidcated to women who served in World War II as air force pilots and aviation.
The South Texas Border, 1900-1920:Photographs from the Robert Runyon Collection
The Robert Runyon Photograph Collection of the South Texas Border Area, a collection of over 8,000 items, is a unique visual resource documenting the Lower Rio Grande Valley during the early 1900s...[Runyon's] photographs document the history and development of South Texas and the border, including the Mexican Revolution, the U.S. military presence at Fort Brown and along the border prior to and during World War I, and the growth and development of the Rio Grande Valley.
University of Houston Digital Library
The University of Houston Digital Library is a comprehensive digital library, which provides for our students, faculty, and the greater community a rich and exciting environment for the discovery of digital resources and knowledge.

The Digital Library makes available digital collections of materials documenting the University of Houston, city of Houston, and state of Texas, as well as other historically and culturally significant materials.
University of Texas-Arlington Digital Collections and Exhibitions
These collections hold within them maps, Fort Worth photography, Tejano oral histories, and works about the US-Mexican War.
UNT Digital Library
The UNT Digital Library is home to materials from the University’s research, creative and scholarly activities, and also showcases content from the UNT Libraries collections. Materials include theses, dissertations, artwork, performances, musical scores, journals, government documents, rare books, and historical posters.
West Texas Digital Archives
The West Texas Digital Archives (WTDA) is a digital repository project of the Abilene Library Consortium...The development and collection submission of the WTDA is on-going. The repository contains photographs, newspapers, yearbooks, letters, oral histories, periodicals, manuscripts, journals, documents, maps, audio files, and more. It also includes the newsletter of the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.
Texas Slavery Project
Centered on a database of slave and slaveholder populations in Texas during the Republic era (1837-45), the Texas Slavery Project offers a window into the role slavery played in the development of Texas in the years before the region became part of the United States.
Texas General Land Office Archives
The Texas GLO Archives consist of land grant records and maps dating to the 18th century that detail the passage of Texas public lands to private ownership. Their map collection includes 45,000 Land Office maps, sketches and drawings ― some dating back more than 300 years . Please note their entire collection has not been digitized.
Trinity University Special Collections and Archives
Collection Strengths:
-San Antonio history
-American Literature
-Latin American History
-Space exploration

Coates Library
1 Trinity Place
San Antonio, Texas 78212
(210) 999-7355
Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI)
TAMI’s ever-growing online collection includes home movies, amateur films, advertisements, local television, industrial and corporate productions, as well as Hollywood and internationally produced moving images of Texas. By partnering with institutions and individuals across the state, TAMI digitizes and provides web access to thousands of moving images that offer insight to Texas’ history and culture

Texas Historical Newspapers

San Antonio Express-News Historical Archive, 1867-2015 (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Access the San Antonio Express-News from 1867-2015. For 1990-present, see Access World News (NewsBank).
Dallas Morning News, 1885-1984 (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Access the Dallas Morning News from 1885-1984.
Fort Worth Star Telegram, 1902-2015 (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Access the Fort Worth Star Telegram from 1902-2015.
Houston Chronicle, 1901-2015 (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Access the Houston Chronicle from 1901-2015.
Houston Post, 1880-1995 (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Access the Houston Post from 1880-1995.
San Antonio Light, 1882-1993 (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Access the San Antonio Light from 1882-1993.

Portal to Texas History: Newspapers
A Digital gateway to historical materials from private collectors and collaborative partners including, libraries, museums, and historical archives.

Select "Newspapers" above the search field to limit your search to only Newspapers. Coverage dates will vary by publication.

For help on viewing newspapers, see this page: http://texashistory.unt.edu/help/guide/newspapers/

Access World News (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Search thousands of regional, local, national, and international newspapers, newswires, blogs, web-only content, videos, journals, magazines, and transcripts for information on issues, events, background on important topics, and more.
*Limit your search to Texas

Digital U.S. Primary Source Collections

Library of Congress
Search or browse through dozens of digital collections from the Library of Congress. The collections contain maps & photographs, letters, cartoons, diaries & newspapers, personal accounts of events, sound recordings & historic films. Most of the collections contain content that is dated prior to World War II.
National Archives
Explore our nation's history through documents, photos and records on the National Archives site.

Texas Government Resources

Texas Legislature Online (TLO)
This site keeps up-to-date the daily progress of the Texas legislature. It breaks down committees, lists representatives voting records, and even show live feeds of debates on the Capitol floor.
Legislative Reference Library of Texas
Detailed information about the Texas Legislature and its legislation, leaders, sessions, committees, statistics, and more. Use the Legislative Archive System to search for bills; digitized documentation is available for some bills.
Texas.gov
This is the official portal to state government. It allows users access to information about the three branches of government. Users can also find information from various governmental agencies. The site promotes tourism and business growth for the state of Texas.
OpenGovernment Texas
OpenGovernment is a free and non-partisan public resource for government transparency. Once can track the bills, votes, and members of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives. Also, one can follow the money trail and the issues that affects Texans and their government. Provided further is the contact information for all representatives and senators.

Congressional Publications (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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This database contains documents, reports, and other detailed information from both the House and the Senate dating back to 1789. Includes Congressional Record and US Serial Set Collections 1 and 2A-E, 1789-2011.
Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
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Use this database to search through more than 15,000 sources for U.S. and world news. Look up legal cases including U.S. Supreme Court decisions as old as 1790, find company information, state profiles, legal reviews, state legal research and more.

Texas History: HIST 2301

Primary versus Secondary

Primary Sources

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Digital Primary Source Collections -Texas History

Texas Historical Newspapers

Digital U.S. Primary Source Collections

Texas Government Resources