Local History & Genealogy
"Libraries offer, for free, the wisdom of the ages and sages and,
simply put, there's something for everyone inside".
~~Laura Bush, Former First Lady (1946- )
Local History
Founded in 1841, Marshall has a rich and interesting history. The library has a permanent collection of books, articles, and newspaper archives about Marshall, Harrison County, and the surrounding areas available for in-house viewing. Additional historical information and resources are also available from the following:
The Handbook of Texas is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture. It comprises more than 25,000 articles on people, places, events, historical themes, institutions, and a host of other topic categories.
The Harrison County Museum owns one of the largest collections of photographs, documents, books and artifacts relating to the early settlement of Marshall, Harrison County, and Northeast Texas.
Marshall News Messenger Archives
Explore Marshall News Messenger editions dating back to 1849.
The Portal is a gateway to Texas history materials which include anything from an ancestor's picture to a rare historical map. From prehistory to the present day, unique collections from Texas libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, genealogical societies, and private family collections can be found here.
The Texas Historical Commission is the state agency for historic preservation. The staff consults with citizens and organizations to preserve Texas' architectural, archeological and cultural landmarks and is recognized nationally for its preservation programs.
(*use keyword search terms such as Marshall and Harrison County to locate area information)
Texas Digital Sanborn Maps (via TexShare Databases)
Historical maps for Marshall dating back to 1855
Genealogy
The largest online family history resource (viewable only at the library due to licensing agreements but a personal subscription is available at www.ancestry.com)
Harrison County Genealogical Society
The research collection includes historical information in the form of books, journals, maps, pictures, microfilm, microfiche, scrapbooks and much more which may be useful to researchers of Harrison County history and genealogy.
Heritage Quest Online (via TexShare Databases)
Research materials to trace family lineage