Genealogy
Family Tree Starter Kit
Sketch out your family tree with materials, resources, and programming from Plano Public Library. Plano Public Library offers everything you need to learn a new skill, develop a new hobby, and pursue a new career. This month’s Starter Kit, in honor of National Family History Month, focuses on genealogical resources that you can access to start, […]
All American: The Power of Sports
#ArchivesSports memorabilia is prevalent among the items in the Plano Public Library Archives. The collection has a baseball cap, letter patches and a 1934 Plano High School Letter Sweater with a bi-district champion patch. Notice the size of the sweater compared to librarian Tre. A Plano Senior High football player of today is unlikely to […]
New in the Genealogy Center
With books covering all 50 states and beyond, we’re constantly adding to the wealth of resources available to you and your ancestry journey. Take a look at the latest added to the Genealogy collection here on the blog. General Funeral Home and Cemetery Directory 2022 Collection Care: An illustrated handbook for the care and handling […]
#ArchivesPostcards
Postcards have been a quick, easy, and fun way to communicate with loved ones since the creation of the post office. Adorned with eye-catching images, postcards have been used to capture the people, places, and events of everyday life. Let’s explore some of Plano’s very own #ArchivesPostcard collection and the places they show! Clark Stadium […]
New in the Genealogy Center
With books covering all 50 states and beyond, we’re constantly adding to the wealth of resources available to you and your ancestry journey. Take a look at the latest added to the Genealogy collection here on the blog. General What’s in a Name? Everything you Wanted to Know new, revised, Leonard R. N. Ashley Texas […]
#ArchivesTrees
Although Plano is said to derive its name from the Spanish word for plains, trees are an important part of the city. The Arbor Day Foundation has honored Plano with the Tree City USA designation for 32 years. For National Archives’ #ArchivesHashtagParty for May, we are going to take a look at two of the […]
#ArchivesOnMyStreet
Plano has grown tremendously since it was founded in the 1800s. Starting as a small community of farmers, Plano has grown to a city of almost 300,000 people. As part of this month’s #ArchivesHashtagParty, we’re comparing photos of the same location during Plano’s past and present. Do you recognize these #ArchivesOnMyStreet locations? J.W. Shepard Mule […]
Accessing and Using 1950 Census Data
The 1950 US Census is coming soon for genealogists and family history researchers to use in finding their ancestors. However, when the files are released on April 1, 2022, they are not going to be indexed like you are used to searching online. You are going to need to do some preparation to be ready […]
#ArchivesTrailblazers & Women of Plano
The early women of Plano, Texas led the way for the women of Plano today. They were wives, sisters, mothers, daughters, brides, athletes, farmers, teachers, historians, and much more. The students in high school were athletic and intelligent. Women had to work on the farms to prepare for the harsh seasons. To celebrate International Women’s […]
From the Archives: Early Black-Owned Businesses in Plano
Black-owned businesses have always been vital to the economic success and prosperity of Plano. One of the first Black members of the Plano community was Andy Drake. After initially coming to Plano from Louisiana as an ox-driver, he was asked by Si Harrington, one of the founding families in Plano, to stay and work in 1864. After the Civil War, more Black people came to Plano but were […]