Materials Missing from the Texas State Archives
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Republic-era Documents | Maps | Supreme Court Case Files
Related Links
Republic-era Missing List | Supreme Court M Case Files Missing List |Evidence of Ownership Markings | Sale of Government Records
In an effort to make these lists as complete and helpful as possible, a great deal of information has been provided. Unfortunately, this also can make the listings difficult to read, so we have provided a detailed explanation. Questions and concerns are always welcome. If you determine you have, or think you may have, documents or knowledge of the documents that appear on the missing lists, please contact [email protected] or call 512-463-5455.
Republic-era Documents
In 1991 James Grizzard, a collector of Texana, provided funding for an inventory of the Republic-era holdings of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). The State Library was to review all existing accession or transfer records to create a listing of historic documents known to be in its holdings, then review its records to find out which of these Republic-era documents were missing and create a Missing List for general distribution.
During recent years the original list was revised to include more detailed information about the Republic-era items and expanded to include post-Republic documents known to be missing. This list is published to create a greater public awareness should any of these records be offered for sale. Please note: The presence of documents on this list does not mean that the items have been stolen, merely that they are missing from our holdings.
The list includes the fields outlined below. The data provided in each of the fields is based on information found in the accession record.
Date: date of creation, approximate dates are included in brackets
Place: where the record originated
Written By: name and/or title of the individual who wrote the document
Addressed To: name and/or title of individual to whom the item was addressed
Document Description: provided by the accession record, these descriptions vary in detail
Old File Number/Source: file number assigned by Secretary of State, Register of Historic Documents, or Inventory Card Series Name
Accession Number: number assigned to a body of records when it is accepted into the holdings of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission or its predecessor agencies. The number 1904/1, for example, indicates that the records in this transfer were the first accessioned for fiscal year 1904; 1905/5, the fifth group of records accessioned in FY 1905. When several series were transferred at the same time, an extension to the number is included, e.g. "1904/1.3." Where a formal accession number is missing, the name of the source of the document description is substituted, either "Inventory Card" or "Historic Register."
Accession Series: name assigned to each group of records on the Secretary of State's transmittal forms signed by the Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History
Inventory Card: name of inventory card series to which the document description card was assigned
Item descriptions were taken from a variety of accession documents including the Secretary of State transfer documents (kept for groups of records inventoried by the State Library in 1904 and 1905), the Register of Historical Documents (maintained by the Department of Insurance, Statistics and History from 1877-1921), and Calendar cards for various series of documents (created under the direction of E.W. Winkler beginning in 1903). Unless otherwise noted, the description from the original accession record is used. When the text comes from calendar cards, the notation "CARD:" precedes the information.
Accession documents list the date, the names of the writer and the recipient, in some cases a very short synopsis of the document's content, and the "Old File Box Number" imposed by the Secretary of State's Office on certain of its archives before their transfer to the Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History. This "file box" number was endorsed on the back of the document, usually in this manner:
Box: xxx
File No.: xxxx
In the "Old File Number/Source" field, if a Secretary of State file number is included in the transmittal information, it is transcribed as a regular 4-digit number. This 4-digit number is enclosed in brackets when the document has an Old File Number recorded on the calendar card created by the State Library but not on its Secretary of State transmittal form. Where a document is listed either on a transmittal form or a calendar card, but no file number is included in the listing, that is indicated by empty brackets. If the missing document is listed only in the Register of Historical Documents, the document number is followed by an "r." For example, 5112r is part of the W.D. Miller papers with accession information found only in the Register.
When a missing document is described originally on a transfer record, the number assigned to the accession itself is noted in the "Accession Number" field. The number consists of a date/sequence number.series number; for example, 1905/4 indicates the fourth accession received in 1905. Some series are assigned subgroup numbers; for example, 1904/1.2. The following list indicates the groups of correspondence that were transferred to the Commissioner of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics and History from the Secretary of State's Office in 1904 and 1905 and the accession numbers assigned:
1904/1.1 Consular
1904/1.2 Domestic & Miscellaneous
1904/1.3 English Diplomatic
1904/1.4 French Diplomatic
1904/1.5 Diplomatic Relations with Mexico
1904/1.6 Miscellaneous Diplomatic
1904/1.7 Texas Treaties
1904/1.8 United States Diplomatic
1904/2.1 Colonization
1904/2.2 Financial Affairs
1904/3.1 Proclamations
1904/3.2 Texas Army
1904/3.3 Texas Navy
1904/4 Alcalde's Court
1905/1.1 Miscellaneous French MS
1905/1.2 Land Office
1905/2 Indian Affairs
1905/3.1 Boundary
1905/3.2 Elections & Confirmations
1905/3.3 Home Letters
1905/4 Convention & General Council
1905/5 Miscellaneous Spanish, French, German, etc.
1905/6 Consultation & General Council
1905/7 Seat of Government
1905/7 Printing
1905/7 Postal
1905/7 Santa Fe
1905/7 Passports
When the missing document is described only on a calendar card, the card series is noted in quotation marks as the source; for example, "Army" or "Comptroller."
The Republic-era Missing List (PDF) may be searched using the Find feature. The list may also be downloaded as a spreadsheet in .xlsx format.
Maps
The following maps are known to be missing from the collection. For a complete description of each item, click on the corresponding map number. You may also wish to review information about the evidence of ownership markings.
Map Number 30, Map of the State of Texas from the Latest Authorities, 1858. Color copy is missing.
Map Number 35, Map of the State of Texas from the Latest Authorities, 1852. Color copy is missing.
Map Number 1100, Standford's Seat of War in America, 1861. One color copy is missing.
Map Number 1760, Map of Jefferson County, 1879. Black and white copy is missing.
Visit the Map Collection Introduction page for an overview of our extensive holdings.
Supreme Court Case Files
Texas Supreme Court case files are among the most heavily used records in the Texas State Archives. By the time the records were transferred to the Archives in 1982, floods, fires, and thefts were responsible for the disappearance of almost 3,000 circuit court-era (1843-1892) cases. Due to the distinctive numbering system applied in 1944, case files from the circuit court era are also known as "M case files."
The Supreme Court M Case Files Missing List (PDF) may be searched using the Find feature. The list may also be downloaded as a spreadsheet in .xlsx format.
If you have knowledge of records from the Supreme Court case files being offered for sale or in a private collection, please contact [email protected] or call 512-463-5455.
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