TIGR 2019 Course Description
Course 1: Texas Research Essentials
Research in early Texas has its own unique issues. The Spanish and Mexican legal systems are quite different from the British common law system found in early America; social/family customs of these early settlers differed as well. Successful genealogical research during this time period will depend on the researcher’s awareness of these differences and knowledge of both systems. Learn how to apply methodology to Texas records while looking at the distinctive aspects of researching Texas records and applying techniques necessary to maximize your results.
Following are the topics that will be covered during this course. View schedule. Register today!
Cluster Research
Ari Wilkins
Studying the people surrounding your person of interest can offer many new and interesting leads into one’s research. Learn about identifying people and utilizing resources in your ancestor’s cluster.
Early Settlements, Part 1 & Part 2
Teri Flack
The Spanish established Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718; Texas became a state in 1846. These two sessions take a deep dive into pre-statehood and early-statehood Texas developing research techniques and strategies for uncovering Texas’ earliest settlers.
Field Trip to the Texas General Land Office (limit 20)
Box lunch available for purchase with registration.
Field Trip to the Texas State Library and Archives (limit 30)
Box lunch available for purchase with registration.
General Land Office
Patrick Walsh
An overview of GLO services.
Migration & Settlement
Teri Flack
Texas has attracted settlers for centuries. This session provides an overview of the most common migration trails and settlement patterns, and strategies for tracking migrants to and through Texas.
Military, Bounty, and Donation Grants
Kelvin Meyers
Because Texas kept her public lands when joining the Union, Texas was able to make bounty and donation land grants to her veterans. You will learn who was eligible for these grants, how to access these records, and much more.
Miscellaneous Records in the County Courthouse
Patti Gillespie
The miscellaneous records are often undiscovered gems hidden away in our county courthouses. This presentation presents two moving stories that have come to life with documents found within the Miscellaneous Books with abundant examples of assorted documents.
Records of Reconstruction
Teri Flack
During the 10 years of Reconstruction, county government in Texas changed and the federal government intruded. Previously enslaved people had to make their way in unfamiliar territory; thousands of immigrants—from the South and overseas—migrated to Texas. This session identifies Reconstruction’s unique research opportunities, special laws and multiple constitutions, which led to the creation of records not found during any other time in the 19th century.
Using Maps and the GIS System
Laurel Neuman
Learn how to research your early Texas ancestors in the records of the Texas General Land Office, beyond the land grant records themselves. This presentation will include a brief overview of the records housed in the GLO archives, as well as an exploration of how to use the 45,000 historic maps and sketches in the GLO, along with the GLO Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping Viewer, to find your ancestors.
Using Timelines in Your Research
Kelvin Meyers
A timeline is a group of related events arranged in chronological order. The timeline of real life runs from birth to death and includes ALL the events in between. Learn how to use a timeline to help you better understand your ancestor and the records that may have been created by him about him.
Texas and Her Wars
Kelvin Meyers
Having been under the control of six governments, Texas has seen a lot of military conflict. Learn about the military records created at several levels, the guides to these records and how to access them. Also hear about the world’s oldest armed policing body, the Texas Rangers.
Texas County Land Records
Patti Gillespie
This presentation emphasizes land records as a source for both boundaries and family lineage. Using the indexes, becoming comfortable with deed grantors and grantees, gaining awareness of the types of deeds, and developing strategies for searching the records are essential processes to proficiently search the county land records.
Texas Court Records, Part 1
John Sellers
As with many things about Texas, its court system has some unique features. Both criminal and civil case and courts will be reviewed. Terminology will addressed and applied. Some cases will be reviewed to show genealogical value. Research techniques will be explained. County level records will be addressed.
Texas Court Records, Part 2
John Sellers
Where do you go if your court cases are appealed? This lecture overviews the Texas court system beyond the county level including how appealed cases may help you with burned counties and where to find and research records at the appeal level all the way the up to Texas Supreme Court and Criminal Court of Appeals.
Texas Geography
John Sellers
Texas is the second largest state in area and in population. The different geographical regions will be reviewed and their influence on settlement and the various crops the pioneers grew. Various ethnic and regional migrations will be reviewed. How the influence of Texas’ unique geography helped shape its history will be discussed. Texas has a dual role of both a Southern state and a Western state.
Texas History, Part 1 & Part 2
John Sellers
A state under six flags! This lecture in two parts is an overview of a state’s unique story and history. We will examine various time periods and the consequences of other countries’ influence on the Lone Star State and their consequences. In addition, we’ll discuss how Texas’ history has influenced its records and how we need to research them.
Texas Probate
Kelvin Meyers
To understand the probate laws of Texas you must understand the government that ruled when your ancestors died. The probate laws of Texas have changed several times since the day of Spanish Rule and this lecture will give guidance as to where to find the law and some of the quirks of said laws.
Texas State Library Archives, Part 1
Teri Flack
The Texas State Archives is the repository of most of the state’s documentary history. This session provides an overview of tools and techniques to use to research at the archives, including finding aids and using Texas Archival Resources Online.
Texas State Library Archives, Part 2
Teri Flack
This session provides an overview of the archival collections available at the Texas State Archives that are useful for genealogical research and strategies for finding the records and the information they contain.
Tracking the Land: Inheritance
Kelvin Meyers
Land can transfer from one person to another in many forms, one of those is through inheritance. This presentation will help you understand why you may not find a deed in the deed book and how land is passed from one generation to another.
Tracking the Land: Tax Records
Kelvin Meyers
For most genealogists, a tax list is merely a substitute for a missing census, but there are many other uses for a tax list. When faced with a burned county or other missing records, learn how to use the Texas tax records to track his land holdings, estimate when he came to a county, and when he left or died. Texas tax records are easily accessed and readily available for research.
Treasure Hunting in Texas: The Robert Bruce Blake Research Collection
Theresa Howell, MLIS
The Robert Bruce Blake collection constitutes what historian Charles A. Bacarisse called “the bed-rock for a history of East Texas.” Blake spent more than thirty years studying, classifying, and translating documents from the original source collections known as the Nacogdoches Archives and the Bexar Archives. His work is organized in seventy-five printed volumes containing thirty thousand pages of transcripts. Genealogists with early Texas ancestors should not consider their work complete if they have not consulted this collection. In this session, you’ll learn how to access the multiple forms of the collection available today and how to locate the original source documents.