Resources for Genealogists
Welcome to the Brownwood Library's Virtual Branch, where you'll find eBooks, audiobooks, reference guides, practice tests, continuing education and so much more you can access from home.
Most of these resources require a library card. Apply for a library card here. Please contact us if you need help with your account! We want to get everyone connected!
Access these resources by logging in to the library's catalog with your library card number and phone number. Need more help? See Accessing Online Resources.
Most of these resources require a library card. Apply for a library card here. Please contact us if you need help with your account! We want to get everyone connected!
Access these resources by logging in to the library's catalog with your library card number and phone number. Need more help? See Accessing Online Resources.
Resources for Genealogists
Some databases are available only at the Genealogy Library, a branch library of the Brownwood Library, including extended genealogy research and newspapers. Be sure to visit the genealogy library at 213 S Broadway St. It is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is heavily supported by the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society, a great group of folks who can answer many of your genealogy questions. Visit the Newspapers page for help in locating specific issues of historical papers and documents.
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HeritageQuest is a comprehensive treasury of American genealogical sources—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, and finding aids. Access HeritageQuest by logging in to the library's catalog. Need more help? See Accessing Online Resources
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Sanborn Maps has large-scale maps of towns and cities, 1867-1970. Several maps of Brownwood and surrounding towns through the years. Check it out for local history or just to get an idea of what towns were like in years past.Access Sanborn Maps by logging in to the library's catalog. Need more help? See Accessing Online Resources.
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Portal to Texas History includes digital scans of collections held in other Texas libraries, museums, archives and historical societies. Has newspaper databases, city directories and photograph database that are valuable to genealogy. Has digitized Howard Payne yearbooks and newspapers.
The Brownwood Library has partnered with Portal Texas History to scan and digitize all of the Brownwood Bulletin. Search past issues for Brownwood history, but keep checking back as this is a growing project! |
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Pecan Valley Genealogy Society The mission of PVGS shall be for genealogical, literary and educational purposes, to promote and stimulate interest in history through family research; to cooperate with patriotic and heritage societies in the field of family research; to conduct educational programs and to disseminate information to the members and to the public pointing up the importance of history, tradition, family knowledge and pride. To assist financially in the establishment of a genealogical collection and/or knowledge, said collection to be comprised of local, regional, and national genealogical data; to stress research in, gather and preserve genealogical data and vital public records of Brown County and the surrounding areas.
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Brown County Appraisal District Within this site you will find general information about the District and the ad valorem property tax system in Texas, as well as information regarding specific properties within the district. Public records of property taxes and ownership are maintained online. BCAD is responsible for the fair market appraisal of properties within Brown County.
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Brown County Rootsweb and RootsWeb Texas Counties Message Boards might provide some good resources for Brown County researchers
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TTU Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
Includes many excellent Texas history resources, including maps, photographs and issues of the Brownwood Banner-Bulletin, Cross Plains Review, Santa Anna News, Rising Star Record, Callahan County Star and more. |
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Family Search
A nonprofit family history organization, provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, dedicated to connecting families across generations. The free access site is maintained by a dedicated team of employees and volunteers who work tirelessly to preserve and share the largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world. Strives to create and link the best and most valuable research resources to help people discover who they are by exploring from where they came. |
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Find a Grave
Dedicating to finding, recording and presenting final disposition information from around the world as a virtual cemetery experience. Find a Grave memorials may contain rich content including pictures, biographies and more specific information. Members can leave remembrances via 'virtual flowers' on the memorials they visit, completing the virtual cemetery experience. |
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Confederate Pensions
This interactive search form provides access to an index of names, counties of residence, and pension numbers of some 54,634 approved, rejected, and home pensions issued by the Texas government between 1899 and 1975. Pension files known to be missing are also included and are clearly identifiable by the word Missing which appears next to the application number. Please read the Introduction for information about the Confederate Pension Application documents and how to use the search tool. |
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Cornell Civil War Databases
Contains the formal reports, both Union and Confederate, of the first seizures of United States property in the Southern States, and of all military operations in the field, with the correspondence, orders, and returns relating specially thereto, and, as proposed is to be accompanied by an Atlas. In this series the reports will be arranged according to the campaigns and several theaters of operations (in the chronological order of the events), and the Union reports of any event will, as a rule, be immediately followed by the Confederate accounts. The correspondence, etc., not embraced in the "reports" proper will follow (first Union and next Confederate) in chronological order. |
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Chronicling America
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Many early Texas newspapers are available from 1836 forward |
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The USGen Web Project
Maintained by a group of volunteers working together to provide free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. Non-commercial and fully committed to free genealogy access for everyone. Organization is by county and state, and this website provides you with links to all the state genealogy websites which, in turn, provide gateways to the counties. The USGenWeb Project also sponsors important Special Projects at the national level and this website provides an entry point to all of those pages, as well. |
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Did you find this helpful?
If the library's resources helped you advance your business, get a job or further your career, please let us know! Stop by the library, give us a call, post on Facebook or send us an email! We have so many great resources for our community that you can access from home, but we don't know who's using them or if our community is benefiting! Let us know if you appreciate these services so we can continue to offer them!
