The Special Collections room contains over 8,500 items. Subject areas include Genealogy, the Civil War, Texana, and local history (Palestine and Anderson County). Recent additions to the collection are the Confederate Pension files for every soldier in Anderson County who filed for a confederate pension.
Ancestry and other database subscriptions are available. Local newspapers dating to 1857 are available on microfilm as are several years of the late nineteenth century for the Galveston Daily News.
Volunteers who have photographed headstones and found death records and obituaries have helped move the Anderson County Cemetery database closer to being ready to post to the library’s web site. This compilation of records which includes directions, GPS coordinates, enumerations, photos, obituaries, and more will prove invaluable to researchers. There is still plenty of work to do and volunteers are always welcome.
Genealogical information using Internet resources, maps, city directories and telephone books, and genealogical-historical journals are available for browsing. Microfilm and microfiche readers (including a digital microfilm reader with Internet connectivity) are available.
Karla Lang, the Special Collections librarian, assists patrons in finding historical and genealogical material. Telephone, e-mail, and mail requests for information are welcomed. A form is provided below. The library charges a small fee for these services. If extensive research is needed, the librarian will refer patrons to a local genealogist who can provide research for a fee.
Worth a Look Websites from Library Genealogist Karla Lang
www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm
The DAR Genealogical Research System is a combination of several databases created in recent years to organize the large quantity of information that the DAR has collected since its inception in 1890.
www.eogen.com
Encyclopedia of Genealogy
www.findagrave.com
Help finding and obtaining a photo of an ancestor's grave marker.
www.gendisasters.com
Events that touched our ancestors' lives.
http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa071400a.htm
Genealogy Standards discussed.
www.geni.com
Good place to put basic family outlines online for others to view.
www.loc.gov/chroniclingamerica/
Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities present the National Digital Newspaper Program. Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington are available now, but more will be coming over the next few years.
http://pilot.familysearch.org
Texas Death Certificate images online. Free!
www.texashistory.unt.edu
Type in Palestine, or an address in the search field.
www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/service/index.php
Texas Adjutant General Service Records: 1836 - 1935
This series combines both official service record files from the Adjutant General's Office and alphabetical files created by other agencies that contain records related to an individual's service in a military unit.
Karla Lang, Special Collections
Palestine Public Library
1101 N. Cedar Street
Palestine, TX 75801-7607
Telephone: 903-729-4121
Email: klang@palestine.lib.tx.us
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