Brown County Gleanings: A look at the Brownwood Public Library’s History & Genealogy Branch

By Clay Riley – Many area residents are not aware of a special little building on the courthouse square. Located at 213 S. Broadway, in a building that was built before 1880, the Brownwood Public Library – Local History & Genealogy Branch, is a unique treasure unlike any in other towns in West Texas. It is a destination for out of town visitors as well as local patrons.

 

 

The image below is a close up of the old building that now houses the Brownwood Public Library – Local History & Genealogy Branch.

 

DAYS AND HOURS OPEN

The branch library is open; Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Occasional Saturdays may be open for special events or genealogy research classes.

EXPERT STAFF

The Genealogy Center is a remarkable family history destination and continues to build on its tradition of excellence in serving genealogists, historians and other interested hobbyists and scholars.

An experienced staff provides services to a full range of patrons, from children to senior citizens and from beginners to experienced researchers. The library is staffed by two part-time library employees and research volunteers from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society. To support these efforts, the Center has gathered an extensive collection of more than 5,000 printed volumes and more than 13,000 items of microfilm and microfiche.

These resources grow daily through library purchases and donations from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society(PVGS), appreciative genealogists and historians. Because of the collection’s size and continuous growth, the information in the following summary will necessarily be brief and representative in nature.

FAMILY HISTORIES

A collection in excess of 500 volumes of compiled genealogies, represents research already begun on many North American and European families. These compilations range from brief typescripts to well documented multi-volume works. Nearly 5,000 genealogies, numerous family newsletters and access to thousands of online family trees, complement these resources and can give you a head start on your own family history research.

MICROFILM RECORDS

The Local History & Genealogy Branch has a superior collection of records on microfilm, such as the Brownwood Bulletin covering the years 1894 – 2012, as well as digital access to several subscription newspaper database resources online. Access to these paid subscription resources are free for you to access while guests of the library.

ONLINE DATABASES

Valuable online genealogical sources are available when you visit and include subscriptions to Ancestry.com, HeritageQuestOnline.com, Newspaper Archives, GenealogyBank.com Newspaper Database, and FamiltSearch.org as well as government document and obituary databases.

Our own award winning PVGS website(Browncountytexasgenealogy.com) and Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/BrownCountyGenealogy), provides access to a growing number of databases for a variety of states, as well as a large collection of Texas county histories with emphasis on Brown and the adjacent counties here in Central Texas. Local residents, including vital records, obituaries, burial records, tombstone inscriptions, and church records are available.

The PVGS website has online access to all Brown County cemeteries, with photos of markers and some associated death certificates.

WHEN YOU VISIT

Preparing in advance will make your research trip much more productive and enjoyable. Visit the Brownwood Public Library’s website (brownwoodpubliclibrary.com) for access to the online catalog and genealogy branch catalog, as well as any news that may affect your research visit.

WIFI access is available at both library locations.

Librarians experienced in genealogical research are always on duty at the Genealogy Branch to answer your questions. Please notify us in advance if you plan to bring a group. Genealogy Branch phone number: (325)646-6006.

Please tell your friends and family members about this little treasure, here in your home town.

This and many other stories are available at the Brownwood Public Library – Local History & Genealogy Branch at 213 S. Broadway. Volunteers from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society are there to assist you in your family or local history research.

Clay Riley is a local historian and retired Aerospace Engineer that has been involved in the Historical and Genealogical Community of Brown County for over 20 years. 

Should you have a comment, or a question that he may be able to answer in future columns, he can be reached at; pvgsbwd@gmail.com.