Finding Aids

Finding Aids describe archival holdings. All Finding Aids contain four basic components:

1. Administrative Information about the repository and the records being described.
2. A Creator Sketch or Agency History.
3. A Scope and Contents note summarizing the records series and dates and highlighting records of particular interest.
4. An Inventory of the records either at the box, folder or item level depending upon the level of processing.

The holdings of the Harris County Archives are arranged into three groups:

1. County Records - records created or received by county agencies in the course of doing business. These records are arranged according to county office or agency.
2. Manuscript Collection - records received from private donors. These collections often contain records documenting Harris County government functions and are arranged according to the creator of the records, not the donor.
3. Oral History Collection - oral histories relating to county functions and obtained by the Harris County Archives staff.

Records can also be located using Pathfinders, subject inventories.

Finding Aids are not currently available for all the records housed in the archives. Please contact the archives staff for assistance.