These subscription databases can be used remotely with an active Round Rock Public Library Card. Members of the public without library cards are welcome to use these resources on the public computers inside the library.
Genealogy
Ancestry Library Edition – Library use onlyInstant access to one of the largest collections of genealogical databases online.
Fold3In partnership with the National Archives, Fold3 contains many historic documents for genealogists, history buffs, researchers, and military historians.
HeritageQuest OnlineAccess more than 7.5 million pages of genealogical resources including the complete U.S. Federal Census from 1790-1940, the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), the Revolutionary War Pension Applications and Bounty Land Warrant Applications, and the Freedman’s Bank Records.
Historic Map Works Library EditionHistoric Map Works is one of the most extensive digital map collections available, with millions of high-resolution, full color historic maps.
New England Historic & Genealogical Society Free DatabasesBrowse hundreds of unique searchable online databases, offering more than 1.4 billion searchable records.
Newspapers.comNewspapers.com offers thousands of historical national, regional, and local newspapers. International coverage includes Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
Texas Reference CenterContains Texas magazines and journals in the fields of business, law, education, health, agriculture, natural resources, history, and many more.
History
American DecadesAmerican Decades is a cross-disciplinary source for junior and high school students and teachers, public librarians and general researchers who need a single, consistent reference to document and analyze periods of contemporary American social history.
American Decades: 2000-2009Designed for junior and high school students and teachers needing a single, consistent reference for American social history.
Salem HistorySalem History is a robust online database that includes the complete content of printed reference sets across a broad spectrum of topics as well as eras.
Sanborn Maps – TexasThese digitized maps provide detailed property and land-use records that depict the development of Texas towns and cities throughout the past one hundred plus years.
Texas Reference CenterContains Texas magazines and journals in the fields of business, law, education, health, agriculture, natural resources, history, and many more.
General Genealogy Websites
A project courtesy of The Newberry Library in Chicago, the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries presents in maps and text complete data about the creation and all subsequent changes (dated to the day) in the size, shape, and location of every county in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. It also includes non-county areas, unsuccessful authorizations for new counties, changes in county names and organization, and the temporary attachments of non-county areas and unorganized counties to fully functioning counties. The principal sources for these data are the most authoritative available: the session laws of the colonies, territories, and states that created and changed the counties.
First published in 1932, this digital edition reproduces all of the atlas’s nearly 700 maps. Many of these beautiful maps are enhanced here in ways impossible in print, animated to show change over time or made clickable to view the underlying data—remarkable maps produced eight decades ago with the functionality of the twenty-first century.
One of the most comprehensive web resources for genealogy. It provides links to 107,550 genealogy websites, categorized & cross-referenced, in over 150 categories.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ genealogical site searches records of over 35 million names in its ancestral file, and over 360 million names in the international genealogical index.
Ideas for where to find your slave ancestors.
Start your family research, browse local topics, find local events, and use genealogist tools to research you family history.
The PCL Map Collection includes more than 250,000 maps.
This should be one of the first places to start your Internet genealogy research.
Provides maps and locates enumeration districts from 1880-1940.
Provides links to the GenWeb site for every state, and a listing of the Special Projects sponsored by the USGenWeb Project.
Vital Records Websites
Provides directory of state, county, and town offices that can be contacted to obtain vital records. Also provides links to the Vitalchek site below where appropriate and in many cases provides links to actual order forms for requesting records.
Order vital records online for selected counties in most states.
Library Genealogy Websites
Provides lists of library resources available for public to use, bibliography of genealogy research, and links to web sites for getting started.
This library should not be overlooked. Take a look at the subject guides available on their website to get an idea of the treasures here. They also have an excellent collection of Texas newspapers.
One of the best libraries for genealogical research in the country is in Houston, Texas. This site provides a collection overview, FAQs, and information on how to access their collection.
A very basic page listing a brief description of the collection’s holdings, databases available, and their hours of operation.
Visit one of the top genealogy libraries in the country. Also available here is the PERSI order form to request copies of articles from genealogical periodicals. There is a fee for this. Other methods to obtain copies is to try interlibrary loan and/or write to publisher of the periodical.
Much of this genealogy collection in Independence, Missouri is available through Interlibrary Loan.
The circulating genealogy collection is housed in the St. Louis County Library in Missouri. Check the online catalog for titles of interest.
Texas Genealogy and History Websites
The Eugene C. Barker Texas History Collection includes books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, photographs, broadsides, and recorded sound and constitutes the most extensive collection of Texas-related material in existence.
This Cyndi’s list of Texas genealogy resources covers all categories: events, general sites, history & culture maps, newspapers, people & families, etc.
This online version of the multidisciplinary encyclopedia is a good source for Texas history and culture. It provides more than 23,000 articles on people, places, events, historical themes, institutions, etc. An Index of Places is available online.
Link to online version of some Texas counties’ 1850 Census, list of the Residents of Texas, 1782-1836, index to cities & towns in Texas, etc.
Hosted by Rootsweb, this site is a great starting point as it has links to many aspects of Texas life and covers many areas of the state. Some of the topics covered are: Military, Data, Geography, and Research.
These digitized maps provide detailed property and land-use records that depict the architecture of Texas towns and cities throughout the past one hundred years. Coverage of Round Rock runs from 1885-1925.
Search for land grants, surnames, maps, and collections throughout Texas history dating back to 1720. Coverage includes Williamson County.
Websites for Central Texas Counties
Bastrop County TXGenweb site
A good starting point for Bastrop County research online.
Burnet County TXGenweb site
Start here for your Burnet County research.
Milam County TXGenweb
Start here for your Milam County genealogy research.
Travis County TXGenweb
A good starting point for Travis county genealogy. Austin History Center. This should be your starting point for Austin and Travis County historical research.
The Williamson County Genealogical Society website is an excellent starting point for researching the history of Williamson County and Round Rock.
Round Rock History Websites
A good, concise historical sketch of Round Rock including mention of a few early pioneers and places. Includes bibliography.
The Historic Round Rock Collection is a project documenting Round Rock’s history. The collection features a chronological history of Round Rock and includes Old Town, the Chisholm trail, historic places and architecture, and oral histories.
The Library has a small collection of materials about Round Rock.
Watch video segments about the history and preservation of historic Round Rock.
These digitized maps provide detailed property and land-use records that depict the architecture of Texas towns and cities throughout the past one hundred years. Coverage of Round Rock runs from 1885-1925. These maps are also available through the Library of Congress Maps Division.
Find historic photos of locations in and around Round Rock.
A website dedicated to the preservation of the history of the county. Contains many photos and oral histories of the area.
Promoting the culture and heritage of Williamson County through education, preservation, acquisition and exhibition, the Williamson Museum updates exhibits on a regular basis, with new major exhibits annually. Also, monthly exhibits showcase local artists.