Pennsylvania Societies and Archives

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Pennsylvania Genealogical Archives

 

It is wise to acquaint yourself with any repository which you might visit by writing to the appropriate archive or library in advance. Every repository has published materials that introduce its collections and research policy. State archives and historical agencies also have Internet sites that provide the same information. Some even have downloadable databases for some or parts of their collections.

• The Pennsylvania Archives Online
  As one of the original 13 colonies, Pennsylvania played an important part in our nation's early history. Many significant records were created and kept by Pennsylvania, as Philadelphia was both the site of the Continental Congress and the largest port of the time. Many of those early documents, and others through the 1800s, were transcribed into the published Pennsylvania Archives. These volumes should not be confused with the repository in Harrisburg where official colonial and state records are kept. The images here are pages from the 138-volume, 10-series set of the well-known collection of early government records transcribed and printed by the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Archives has been relied upon by scholars, genealogists, and historians for valuable historical information for over a century. The only online availability of virtually all of the Pennsylvania Archives is here, with free access, on Footnote.com.
• Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
  William Penn Memorial Museum and Archives Building, 3rd Avenue and Forster Street, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026
  Referred to as the Pennsylvania State Archives, the bureau holds various source materials, including vital records, censuses, maps, and tax lists 
• Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, [Order Online]
  P.O. Box 90, Health and Welfare Building, Harrisburg, PA 17108 ; Phone: 501-661-2174, EMAIL
  On January 1, 1906, birth and death records began to be officially recorded by the Commonwealth. Prior to 1906, records were not required to be maintained except in a few exceptional cases. During the years 1852-1854 , the Register of Wills for each county was required by law to keep records and indexes of births, deaths and marriages. Copies from 49 of the 64 counties existing at that time are maintained at the Archives; however, returns are not inclusive for these years. From 1893 to 1906, birth and death records were recorded and maintained by the Clerk of the Orphans court at the various county courthouses ; however, many individuals failed to comply with this law. Marriage licenses have been kept by the county Clerk of Orphans Court or the Marriage License Clerk since September 30. 1885 .

Historical & Genealogical Societies

 

Because family history research relies greatly upon records found at the county level, many local societies represent counties. Organizations also form around shared interests. Ethnic or religious origins account for many groups, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America and P.O.I.N.T. (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together). Societies also form around common locales of origin for members’ ancestors; hence, the Palatines to America and Germans from Russia societies. To locate these and other societies, consult Juliana Szucs Smith’s The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book. It lists addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and Internet addresses of thousands of organizations throughout the United States.

For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both. In addition to their own work, state-level groups sometimes help coordinate the efforts of local societies within the state. Their publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those produced by the local societies.

• State Library of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street, P.O. Box 1601, Harrisburg, PA 17105-1601
  Genealogies, local histories, maps, censuses, newspapers, periodicals, and city directories are at the state library.
• Historical Society Of Pennsylvania. 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; Phone: 215-732-6200, Fax: 215-732-2680
  Founded in 1824, the historical society has published the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography since 1877
• South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Address: PO Box 1824, York, PA 17405, Phone: 717-843-6169; email: secretary@scpgs.org Contact: Pat Gross
   This society has distinguished itself through the publication of many source records, including Bible records, tax lists, private vital records, cemetery inscriptions, and naturalizations.
• Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and
  Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh 15213
  Covering the western half of the commonwealth, the historical society has published The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine (now Pittsburgh History) since 1918, with cumulative indexes for volumes 1-43 and 44-53. The genealogical society, which has no formal office or library, publishes Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly
• Genealogical Society Of Pennsylvania
  215 S. Broad St., 7th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5325; Phone: (215) 545-0391, Fax: (215) 545-0936; EMAIL, Days and hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday
  Beginning in 1895 the society produced Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, renamed Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine in 1948. The society charges a research fee for mail inquiries.
• Directory of Pennsylvania Genealogical, Historical and Preservation Societies

Pennsylvania Genealogical Publications

See specific county page for Individual County List

The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, published by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania since 1948, tends to focus on the Philadelphia area with some coverage of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. The first issue was numbered volume 16, as it succeeded the society's Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, started in 1895. Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families, 3 vols. (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982) was reprinted from these two journals.

The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography is the publication of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It contains excellent articles on Pennsylvania subjects although mostly with a historical focus, and since 1936 without “genealogical” material. Volume 1 was published in 1877 and in 1954 the society issued a consolidated index to the first seventy-five volumes, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Index Volumes 1–75 (1877–1951) (Philadephia, Pa.: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1954), edited by Eugene E. Doll, but it does not include names from “genealogical” articles. Volumes 30–67 (1906–43) were reprinted by Johnson Reprint Corp. of New York in 1969. In 1981 Genealogical Publishing Company of Baltimore reprinted a volume of Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families from The Pennsylvania Magazine.

The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society has published the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly since 1974. It is one of the more important regional journals since it covers a large area with many fine articles and abstracts of source records.

Another journal that concerns the central and western parts of the commonwealth was Your Family Tree, produced 1948–83. Besides queries, it featured abstracts of wills, tax lists, grave marker inscriptions, and newspaper items.

Publications of the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society was issued in twenty-eight volumes from 1963–66, when it merged with the Pennsylvania German Society Proceedings, which since 1891 had produced sixty-three volumes. Many emigration and church records have been published in these periodicals.

More historical than genealogical, but still useful, is Pennsylvania History, published by the Pennsylvania Historical Association since 1934. A cumulative index for volumes 1–28 is available at the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.

Much Pennsylvania material has been published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. There are also numerous one-county, one-township, and regional publications that should not be overlooked. Statewide or regional publications include the following:

• Search The PERiodical Source Index
• The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine
  published by the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania since 1948, tends to focus on the Philadelphia area with some coverage of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. The first issue was numbered volume 16, as it succeeded the society's Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, started in 1895.
• The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
  is the publication of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It contains excellent articles on Pennsylvania subjects although mostly with a historical focus, and since 1936 without "genealogical" material.
• The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
  has published the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly since 1974. It is one of the more important regional journals since it covers a large area with many fine articles and abstracts of source records.
• Your Family Tree (1948-83)
  Another journal that concerns the central and western parts of the commonwealth. Besides queries, it featured abstracts of wills, tax lists, grave marker inscriptions, and newspaper items.
• Pennsylvania German Folklore Society
  was issued in twenty-eight volumes from 1963-66, when it merged with the Pennsylvania German Society Proceedings, which since 1891 had produced sixty-three volumes. Many emigration and church records have been published in these periodicals.
• Pennsylvania History
  published by the Pennsylvania Historical Association since 1934. A cumulative index for volumes 1-28 is available at the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
  National Genealogical Society Quarterly
• Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.

Pennsylvania Newspapers

 

In 1976 the Pennsylvania State Library (Harrisburg, 1984) published a list of Pennsylvania newspapers that included selected out-of-state papers arranged by county, locality, and title. See also Glenora Rossell, ed., Pennsylvania Newspapers: A Bibliography and Union List, 2d ed. (Pittsburgh, Pa.: Pennsylvania Library Association, 1978). This updates the earlier edition by Ruth Salisbury, but the most current information is available through Online Computer Library Center. The commonwealth sponsored a newspaper project to identify, catalog, preserve, and microfilm old newspapers. The state library, with the largest collection, makes microfilms available through interlibrary loan. Several volumes of newspaper abstracts have been published. Some representative titles are:

• Hawbaker, Gary T., ed. Runaways, Rascals, and Rogues: Missing Spouses, Servants and Slaves. Hershey, Pa.: the author, 1987.
• Hocker, Edward W. Genealogical Data Relating to the German Settlers in Pennsylvania and Adjacent Territory: From Advertisements in German Newspapers Published in Philadelphia and Germantown 1743–1800. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980.
• Scott, Kenneth. Genealogical Data from The Pennsylvania Chronicle, 1767–1774. National Genealogical Society Special Publication No. 37. Washington, D.C.: National Genealogical Society, 1980.

While records of birth, marriage, and death are the most commonly sought and the most consistently helpful records, only the genealogist’s imagination and resourcefulness limit newspapers’ usefulness in supplying clues about historical events, local history, probate court and legal notices, real estate transactions, political biographies, announcements, notices of new and terminated partnerships, business advertisements, and notices for settling debts.

Newspapers can provide at least a partial substitute for nonexistent civil records. For example, a person’s obituary may have appeared in a newspaper even when civil death records for that person do not exist. And newspapers are an important source of marriage records, particularly in those states where civil recording of marriages was essentially nonexistent until the twentieth century.

Unlike official records, newspapers are not limited to a particular geographical area. They often include reports of the weddings of local citizens (even those that occurred in a neighboring county or another state), and they sometimes report visits of geographically distant relatives or the visits of former local residents. They often published death notices of individuals who had left the area long before but who still had local family or friends as well. In each case the newspaper account can identify the date and place of an event, thus opening the possibility of turning up additional documentation in other sources.

The first step in searching a newspaper is to identify those which served the area of interest and which have survived. The three most necessary tools are bibliographies (What was published?), inventories of library and depository holdings (Where is it?), and indexes (How do I find what I want in it?).

• Find your family history In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive! Find News, Births and Deaths - Find tens of millions of historical newspaper articles, dating back to 1759. Search for newspaper articles about a deadly earthquake or one that mentions a past relative. Newspaper articles are easily accessible with online research tools.
• Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
• Search Historical Newspapers (1690 - 1980) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 125 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in more than 500,000 issues of over 2,500 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!