Onsite research is always an adventure. Preparing beforehand helps, but sometimes a kind archivist who knows the records and can navigate the collections is your best chance of finding the record you want. On our recent trip to Texas, I planned a visit to the Texas State Archives and Library in Austin, Texas. My research focused on my fourth-great-grandfather, Benjamin Cox, and finding sources about his service as a Texas Ranger. In this blog post, I’ll share what I found and tips for preparing for an on-site visit.

Indexes as Finding Aids

Years ago, I saved an index card from an Ancestry collection titled “Texas, U.S., Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900.” This card stated that Benjamin Cox served as a 1st Sergeant under the commanding officer, S.G. Davidson, Lieutenant. He enlisted on 20 March 1860 and was discharged on April 14, 1860, having served 25 days. He served in a Ranger Company. ¹

As you can imagine, many men were named Benjamin Cox. This card provided a date, but not a location. How could I know whether this was my ancestor?

 

Analyze and Correlate the Sources

Going back through my sources on Benjamin Cox, I saw that the source naming Benjamin Cox a ranger was from The History of Bell County by George W. Tyler.² This wonderful history is available on Ancestry, and under a heading titled “The Independent Blues 1859,” the history states:

This company organized on March 29, 1859, under the leadership of John Henry Brown, then residing in Belton, and was composed of the following Bell County Citizens: William H. Bell . . . Benjamin Cox . . .  Samuel Green Davidson . . . . The officers of the company are not named, but a safe guess would include Major John Henry Brown, Robert M. White, Benjamin Cox, and Samuel Green Davidson.

The footnote states:

Data obtained from private journal of the late Major John Henry Brown, a copy of which was furnished to the author by his daughters, Misses Lizzie C. Brown and Marion T. Brown of Dallas, July 28, 1921. Also verbal statements to the author by Captain J. Swan Bigham, Lieutenant William S. Riggs and others.

Finding Samuel Green (S. G.) Davidson lined up with the index card, as did the location of Bell County. Benjamin Cox headed a household in 1860 with the location of Belton, Bell County – the same as John Henry Brown, leader of the ranger company. ³

Correlating the census with the history and the index card, I saw that this almost certainly was my ancestor, Benjamin Cox. Interestingly, he was 68 years old according to the census – quite old to be serving as a Texas Ranger.

The next step was to find the original muster roll naming Benjamin as a 1st Sergeant.

Repository Finding Aids

Each library, archive, and other major repository generally has a website with finding aids for on-site research. For Texas, TARO, the Texas Archival Resources Online website covers repositories across the state. While searching for Texas Ranger Muster Rolls, I found a promising collection: Texas Adjutant General’s Department Ranger Military Rolls: An Inventory of Adjutant General’s Department Ranger Military Rolls at the Texas State Archives, 1846-1861, 1874-1910, 1913-1914, undated.

I saw that the 1860 muster roll naming Benjamin Cox would be included, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) in Austin holds the originals. I also found a collection titled Texas Adjutant General’s Department Ranger Records: An Inventory of Adjutant General’s Department Ranger Records at the Texas State Archives, 1839-1975, undated, bulk 1854-1918.  Scrolling through the webpage, I found quartermaster records mentioning Capt. John Henry Brown. These might provide additional details on the ranger company.

1154-1 Ranger Quartermaster Records, 1856  RG 401 Folder 1154-15, loose paper 10, 1859, “To Independent”, Belton, Received of Capt Jno Henry Brown.

1154-1 Ranger Quartermaster Records, 1856  RG 401 Folder 1154-15, last paper, Texas state troops, 1859.

1154-1 Ranger Quartermaster Records, 1856  RG 401 Folder 1154-16, loose paper 13; Return of Sales of state property, Bell County, TX, State Troops commanded by Capt. Jhn Henry Brown, 1859.

Contacting the Repository

On the TSLAC website, I found a material request form, filled out the information I wanted to search, and attached it to an email explaining when I’d be visiting.

I received an email the next day confirming my appointment to visit the archives reading room. I was directed to pre-register as a patron on the website and bring a current photo ID. Doing this ahead of time ensured the archives would be ready for me, and I wouldn’t waste precious time waiting for materials to be pulled.

Researching at the Archives

Nicole and I arrived at the archives right on time, signed in, stored our bags in a locker, and proceeded into the reading room, excited to make discoveries. My boxes, each containing several folders, were ready, and I went to work looking for details about the Independent Blues and John Henry Brown. Each folder contained several loose papers that I browsed through. I eventually found several quartermaster’s records for Captain John Henry Brown, one mentioning the  “Independent” company. The records were an official accounting of state-owned gear and supplies sold off when the company disbanded on 1 September 1859 in Belton, Bell County, Texas. ⁴

The items mentioned were usual camp items:

Cooking and camp gear: camp kettles, ovens (Dutch ovens), frying pans, skillets, coffee pots, buckets, water kegs, tin pans
Food and supplies: flour (sold by the pound, often 70 to 100 lbs lots), bacon, coffee, oats, salt, candles
Arms and ammunition: percussion caps, lead, powder, shot. The caps show the company used percussion-cap firearms.
Tools and transport: spade and pick, rope, a wagon with harness, a horse, and a mule
Medical: a lot of medicines, a box of quinine, and a “Mustang Liniment” bottle

These records were interesting, but what I really wanted was to locate the muster roll naming Benjamin Cox. Enlisting the aid of an archivist, I showed her the index card from Ancestry, and she disappeared into the back room for a while. When she returned, she had two very large muster rolls that were exactly what I was looking for!⁵

The records show that Benjamin Cox, 1st Sgt., enlisted on 20 March 1860, and his enlistment expired on 14 April 1860. He served for 25 days and received $24.14 in pay. S.G. Davidson was indeed the Lieutenant, and the roll contained the names of thirteen additional men.

Because the roll was so large, it was difficult to get a good photograph, so I paid $10 for the archive to digitize it for me and send me the digital images – well worth the money! A few weeks later, I received the images. I now have an original source to back up the county history.

If you’re planning a research trip, these tips can help you be successful. Best of luck in all your genealogical endeavors!

1. “Texas, Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900,” Ranger Rolls – Statehood Surname C-D. for Benjamin Cox, 1860, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Apr 2019), citing Civil War Muster Rolls index Card (both Confederate and Union.) Also Texas State Rangers, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.
2. George W. Tyler, The History of Bell County, edited by Charles W. Ramsdell (San Antonio, Texas : The Naylor Company, 1936), 187; digitized book (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/28182/images/dvm_LocHist012131-00113-1 : accessed 25 October 2026), image 217 or 467.
3. 1860 U.S. Census, Bell County, Texas, population schedule, Belton, p.336, dwelling 433, family 541, Benjamin Cox household; digital image, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : 1 Apr 2019); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, Roll 1288.
4. Ranger Quartermaster Records, 1859; RG 401, 1154-14; Adjutant General Ranger Records 401-1154; Archives Division, Texas State Library, Austin.
5. Muster Roll, Benjamin Cox 1 Sgt, 20 March 1860 to 14 April 1860; RG 401, Adjutant General Texas Rangers Muster Rolls Texas Mounted Volunteers 1847-1851 Capt. Henry E. McCulloch, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.