I'm planning a trip to Bastrop to do some research on my Stephens ancestry. I believe my GG Grandfather James Warren Stephens lived in Bastrop County from around 1875 to 1891. I have found J.W. Stephens listed on the Assessment Rolls of Property in Bastrop from 1881-1891. The only other proof I have that James' family lived in Bastrop was on some of his childrens death certificates. They listed Bastrop Tx as their birth place. James Warren Stephens married Susan Andrews in 1874 in Navarro Co., TX. What he was doing in Navarro County I have now idea, for he and his family were from Caldwell and Bastrop Counties. His brothers and sisters lived there entire lives in these two counties. James and Susan had the following children: George Washington , b1875, Mary Elizabeth, b1877, Emma Tennie, b1879, Lue Ana, b1881-d1883, Waive Lona, b1883, James Frank, b1885-d1889, William Etter, b1887-d1888, Barney Burrell 1889, Armadia 1891, and Robert Lee, b1895-d1897. My GG Grandmother Susan Stephens died in 1895 (place unknown). In 1896 James remarried in Colorado Co. I'm looking for advice. Where should I start my research? County Library, County Courthouse, Austin Library? My biggest question would be where did Susan die, is there an obituary? She is truley my brick wall. What other records should I look for that might tell me about my Stephens' from Bastrop? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! John M. Robinson BR18451895@aol.com

John - Some of my best "starting place information" has come from the State Archives and Library in Austin. They have birth, marriage and death indexes listed alphabetically by year, books of marriages, cemetery listings, etc. for many of the counties, city directories, microfilmed newspapers, census films, genealogy books on various surnames, and much more. I start there and pinpoint the county or counties for the family I am researching , then move on to the various county courthouses, libraries and cemeteries. The Archives are closed on Mondays, but are open on Saturdays. Your local LDS library, assuming you have one, would also be a good starting point. Both have knowledgeable employees and volunteers to help you. Best of luck with your research. Dena --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/

Another set of microfilm in the State Library, Genealogy section, contains tax records for various counties. You can take some year that you know your Stephens was in Bastrop Co., and check the tax records. Sometimes you can get a pretty good idea of when he left that county. WPA CEMETERY LISTINGS AND INDEXES QUESTION: I believe I heard sometime back that a federal agency (WPA) did a census to cemeteries during the 1930s but I have had no luck finding where these records may be filed or if they can be accessed on line. Do you have any information? Duane Peterson duanep@astound.net ANSWER: During the Depression, the U.S. government funded the creation of cemetery listings and indexes by the Historical Records Survey division of the Work Projects Administration (WPA). Many of these were later published by others, including local genealogical and historical societies, while other results of this effort remain as card indexes, which are deposited at state and local archives and libraries. Probably the best and most comprehensive nationwide index that identifies published cemetery inscriptions is INDEX TO UNITED STATES CEMETERIES (Salt Lake City: Family History Library, 1988). While it is called an index, it does not index names of persons; rather it indexes cemeteries and identifies published transcripts that exist for them. Work on it was closed in 1985, so more recent acquisitions are not included. It is on 25 rolls of microfilm. CEMETERIES OF THE U.S.: A GUIDE TO CONTACT INFORMATION FOR U.S. CEMETERIES AND THEIR RECORDS, edited by Deborah M. Burek (Detroit: Gale Research, 1994), is arranged by state and subdivided by county, and cemeteries are listed alphabetically within each county with addresses and telephone numbers in many cases. Public libraries usually have this reference.