Early District Court Civil & Criminal Minutes

Friday, February 10th, 2023 in Announcements, collection highlights, criminal records, District Clerk, research, Uncategorized. No Comments

Travis County District Civil Courts have original jurisdiction in all divorce cases, cases involving title to land, election contest cases, and civil matters in which the amount of money or damages involved is $200 or more. Travis County Criminal District Courts preside over felony cases. Court minutes are the record of courtroom proceedings, such as the […]


Law and Lawlessness in Early Travis County

Monday, August 1st, 2022 in collection highlights, criminal records, District Clerk, exhibits, explore Travis County, history of Travis County. No Comments

The archives is proud to announce a new online exhibit, “Law and Lawlessness in Early Travis County”. This exhibit explores the environment of lawlessness in early Travis County using county criminal court records, photographs and newspaper clippings. The exhibit also looks at the response of law enforcement and the criminal justice system to the criminal […]


Travis County Naturalization Records

Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 in collection highlights, County Clerk, District Clerk, genealogy, people, Portal to Texas History, research. No Comments

Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. Prior to 1906, immigrants could file for naturalization in any court at the local, county, state or federal level. In Travis County, naturalization records can be found in the records of the District and County Courts and date from 1887-1906. In 1906, the […]


Convict Labor Records

Monday, August 31st, 2020 in collection highlights, history of Travis County, Portal to Texas History, research. No Comments

Convict leasing was a system of penal labor in which prisoner labor was leased to private parties. The practice began in Texas and other southern states shortly after the Civil War, when officials realized they had a large population of prisoners to care for and very little money.  Leasing the inmates to private individuals appeared to offer […]


Records of the Travis County Poor Farm

Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 in collection highlights, explore Travis County, history of Travis County, Portal to Texas History, research. 1 Comment

In a series of posts, we will be highlighting some of Travis County’s lesser known records and the unique information they contain. Travis County Poor Farm Record: 1890-1900 (1 volume). Ledger includes an inventory of property belonging to the Travis County Poor Farm; list of paupers; list of hands hired; list of county convicts sent […]


Herón Martínez Mendoza exhibit in the Hall of Goverment

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016 in collection highlights, exhibits. No Comments

In Hall of Government at 700 Lavaca Street is the latest exhibit from the Austin Friends of Folk Art collection at the Travis County Archives. This exhibit features the work of Herón Martínez Mendoza, a celebrated potter from Acatlán de Osorio, Puebla, Mexico. Photo by Chuck Snyder, 1982 On display are numerous pieces by Martínez, both large and small. Following […]


Property research in Austin & Travis County

Wednesday, April 20th, 2016 in collection highlights, collections, research. No Comments

Interested in researching your property in Travis County? The Austin History Center has produced a handy guide about the variety of resources available to assist in your research. http://www.austinlibrary.com/ahc/downloads/Property_Information_Sources.pdf Property records in the Travis County Archives include Tax Rolls and County Surveyor Records. Tax records provide the names of property owners and the tax assessed […]


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