History and Genealogy Indexes
       
 

TTA houses a large private collection of materials useful to those researching the people, places, and events of Texas' early railroad, stagecoach and steamboat eras. Primary sources include early newspapers and books, directories, court case files, company records, correspondence, oral histories, etc.

In addition to the pages here, we have a large collection of photographs, manuscripts and information on individuals that can be accessed only through the main Search Engine. We encourage you to check both TTA's search engine, and the material indexed below.

  
 
 
 
 
       
Texas Indexes  
       
  Historic Texas Railroad Companies  
   
Data and history on common-carrier and lumber company railroads in Texas. Bulk of material is from the period 1850s-1970s. Of special interest is the approximately 100 lumber-hauling railroad histories recorded in the "Tap Line Case" Logging Railroad Summaries (1910-1912), and period coverage of Texas and Louisiana sawmills in Lumber Journal Articles (1900-1945).
  
       
  Maps  
   
Historic topographic, soil, engineering, and highway maps for Texas and Louisiana. Bulk of material is from the period 1890-1950. Emphasis is on the railroad and lumber industries and vanished communities.
  
       
  Biographies  
   
Material on individuals involved with early transportation development and/or forestry, in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
  
       
       
Genealogy Indexes  
       
  Genealogy Resources / County Pages  
   
Texas county pages, with links to maps, photographs, directories, published articles, etc. inside the TTA. Rare material on lumber camps and vanished communites may be found here.
  
       
  City Directories, Telephone Books, and Commercial Directories  
   

Historic telephone books and city directories, covering period 1870's to 1980's.
Of special interest are the town listings abstracted from these period commercial directories:
- Texas State Gazetteer and Business Directory (1914)
- R. G. Dun's Mercantile Directory (1919)
- R. G. Dun's Mercantile Directory (1923)

  
       
  Employee Database (accessed through the TTA Search Engine)  
   
Approximately 11,000 names of railroad and sawmill employees. Information includes duties, years of service, spouse, birth and death dates, and residence during employ. Expanded and updated monthly. [Read more about this database]
  
 
 
 
 
       
Other States  
       
  Historic Louisiana Railroad Companies  
   
Data and history on Louisiana railroads and lumber company railroads. Bulk of material covers the Louisiana lumber industry is from the period 1890's-1960.
 
       
  Historic Railroad Companies - Other States  
   
Bulk of material is on Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Of special interest to Lousiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi researchers is the approximately 100 lumber-hauling railroad histories recorded in the "Tap Line Case" Logging Railroad Summaries (1910-1912).
  
       
 
 
 
 
Information and images were digitized and proofread from the original source documents by Murry Hammond, 2006. Contact Murry for all corrections, additions, and contributions of new material.