Resources for Local History and Genealogy
The Marion & Ed Hughes Public Library's local history collection concentrates on Nederland and the Jefferson County area and is located in the Archive Room. The library does not collect genealogical material, except for a few titles of general interest and items that tie into the Archive Collection.
Microfilm Collection
The microfilm collection includes:
- Jefferson County census reels from 1860-1930
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps that cover Beaumont, Nederland, Port Neches, and Port Arthur
- MidCounty Chronicle from April 1932 - latest year available
- MidCounty Review from June 1949 - September 1966
- Peoples Press for 1929 (only known issues)
Annuals
The library has copies of the Nederland High School yearbooks from 1927 through 2006. There are also a few copies of a school newsletter/paper called the Announcer. You can view the yearbooks online by clicking here.
City Directories
Nederland does not have a City Directory. It is included in the directories for Port Arthur and Beaumont. The library owns the following editions:
- Port Arthur -- 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1945, 1949, 1951-1953, 1956-1961, 1964, 1968-1969, 1971, 1972, 1975-1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989-1991, 1993-1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006
- Beaumont -- 1974, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1994
Online Databases
The library also provides access to several online resources that may be helpful in your research.
Texas Digital Sanborn Maps
Sanborn maps are large scale plans of a city or town drawn at a scale of 50 feet to an inch. They were created to assist fire insurance companies as they assessed the risk associated with insuring a particular property. The maps list street block and building numbers including numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers. They give a wealth of historical information, such as locations of buildings, owners names, type and purpose of structure, sometimes the date a building was built, building capacity, etc.
Internet Resources
USGenWeb Project
Designed and maintained by volunteers this project provides links to genealogical resources in all 50 states. Includes maps, categories of references sources, links to other resources in the state, and links to the county pages. Links include genealogical and historical libraries, source materials, surname exchange lists.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
Gateway site to the world of genealogy on the web with links to over 100,000 sites, mailing lists, ftp sites, etc. Includes over 150 categories of information.
Ancestors
The PBS site has been "retired." This is the companion site maintained by BYU Broadcasting. It includes basic information on beginning research, downloadable family tree charts and other genealogical forms.
Newberry Library
Site includes reference guides on such topics as Cherokee genealogy, French Canadian genealogy, Irish genealogy, as well as some state guides.
National Archives and Records Administration
Has online versions of many of its microfilm guides to census records, military records, etc. Actual original documents are limited at this time.
Geographic Names Information System
Developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names this database contains almost 2 million features. Each feature is identified by its federally recognized name, its location, type (such as church, lake, park, etc.), elevation, estimated population (if city or town), and any other name by which it may be known.