October is Family History Month and the Houston Public Library’s Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research is celebrating by providing several fun and diverse workshops throughout the month that will help customers learn how to discover their family’s history. 

Clayton Library is part of the Houston Public Library and considered one of the top five genealogy libraries in the country. It is located in the Museum District, 5300 Caroline. All services and programs are free and open to the public. 

Customers also are invited to visit the Clayton Library to learn the tools and techniques necessary to find stories about them. There they will discover more than just the usual birth dates, death certificates or marriage licenses. Their search will actually lead them to some stories about their ancestors that they might never have known. If customers don’t know how to begin their search, the Library has a very experienced and knowledgeable staff ready to help.

The Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research was founded in 1921 as a special collection for genealogical research at Houston Public Library. The collection was originally housed in the Julia Ideson Building in downtown Houston. In 1968, the genealogical collection was renamed the Clayton Library and relocated.

The Clayton Home is a three-story brick Georgian-style house built in 1917 and designed by renowned Houston architect Birdsall P. Briscoe. The house was the home of Houston businessman and statesman William Lockhart Clayton and his wife, Susan Vaughan Clayton, until 1958, when it was deeded to the City of Houston to be used in the future for Library purposes.  Mr. Clayton remained in the home until his death in 1966.  The Clayton Home was recorded as a Texas Historical Landmark in 1989.

For further information, visit the Houston Public Library at www.houstonlibrary.org or call 832-393-1313.