Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries: Difference between revisions

:ELCA archives for Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Upstate New York (excluding New York City) and New England. Includes clergy and synod papers, and some parish registers (baptisms, marriages, funerals, confirmations) (many written in German).<ref>[http://ltsp.edu/lutheran-archives-philadelphia The Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia] in ''The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia'' (accessed 24 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

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:National archives of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Includes biographical files, foreign missionary index, congregation vertical file index, congregation histories,<ref>[http://www.history.pcusa.org/collections/ Collections] in ''Presbyterian Historical Society'' (accessed 24 December 2013).</ref> and records of American Presbyterian congregations.<ref>[http://www.history.pcusa.org/resources/genealogy/ Genealogy and Family History Research at the Presbyterian Historical Society] in ''Presbyterian Historical Society'' (accessed 26 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Birth and death records 1906-present. Order in-person, [http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/birth_certificates/14121/birth_records_-_by_internet/556818 order online] via VitalChek, or [http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/birth_certificates/14121/birth_records_-_by_mail/556813 order births by mail], or [http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/death_and_fetal_death_certificates/14122/death_records_-_by_mail/556827 order deaths by mail].<ref>[http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/birth_and_death_certificates/11596 Birth and Death Certificates] in ''Pennsylvania Department of Health'' (accessed 27 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:This huge collection has indexes and original sources associated with the {{FHL|221762|item|disp=''Pennsylvania Archives''}} series, such as vital, military, prison, naturalization, land records, census, ships lists, railroads, mines, and 1.5 million online records<ref name="DB97">Dollarhide and Bremer, 97.</ref> <ref>[http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/research_topics/3162 Research Topics at the Pennsylvania State Archives] in ''Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission'' (accessed 23 December 2013).</ref> including [http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/archival_research_topics/3162 online genealogy guides].<br><br>

:Indexes, genealogy surname files, state and county histories, atlases, land records maps, ship lists, church and cemetery records, federal censuses, regimental histories, ethnic and religious group records, newspapers, heraldry, adoption, obituaries, naturalizations, military, railroads and mines, historical Pennsylvania city directories.<ref>[http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/genealogy_and_local_history/8730 Genealogy and Local History] in ''Pennsylvania Department of Education'' (accessed 27 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Has early Quakers, Germans, Scots-Irish, and other settlers in William Penn's colonies of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Records which have been published are normally well-indexed. This society also has 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century manuscripts (letters, diaries, account books, deeds, minutes, and scrapbooks), passenger arrival lists and indexes, <ref name="DB95">Dollarhide and Bremer, 95.</ref> local and regional history, ethnic and immigrant studies materials, 600,000 books, 20 million manuscripts, over 300,000 graphics items, and 300 years of newspapers.<ref>[http://hsp.org/collections/about-our-collections About Our Collections] in ''Historical Society of Pennsylvania'' (accessed 27 December 2013).</ref> <br><br>

:The GSP now maintains a mostly digital collection—the old tangible GSP collection was given to the [[Historical Society of Pennsylvania]]. GSP online collections (some available to GSP members only) include indexes and transcripts to [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Baptism%20%2526%20Birth%20Indexes%20and%20Transcriptions baptisms], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Burial%20%2526%20Cemetery%20Record%20Indexes%20and%20Transcriptions burials], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Church%20Record%20Indexes%20and%20Transcriptions parish registers], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Research%20Aids research aids], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Court%20Record%20Indexes%20and%20Transcriptions court records], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Surname%20Files%20%2526%20Family%20Histories surname files], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Funeral%20Home%20Records%20and%20Indexes funeral home records], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Marriage%20Indexes%20and%20Licenses marriages], [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Miscellaneous%20Collections miscellaneous collections] (to wit: departure lists, conscientious objectors, police blotters, and bath association), [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Newspaper%20Indexes%20and%20Transcriptions newspapers], GSP [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Penn%20in%20Hand%20Quarterly%20Newsletter newsletters], and GSP [http://genpa.org/collections/browse/Pennsylvania%20Genealogical%20Magazine magazines].<ref>[http://genpa.org/gsp-collections Online Collections] in ''Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania'' (accessed 27 December 2013).</ref> <br><br>

:60,000 volumes, mostly in German. This is the largest private collection of German books in the United States outside of universities. Their purpose is to document German-American history, culture, and organizations, including biographies and publications.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Society_of_Pennsylvania German Society of Pennsylvania] in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' (accessed 26 December 2013).</ref>

=== Regional Repositories  ===

:Large book collection, newspapers, manuscripts, and county histories most of which are indexed. Also family histories, family folders, local histories and genealogies.<ref name="DB97" /><br><br>

:The Washington County, Pennsylvania area was an important staging area or gateway for travel into the Ohio River Valley and the West. As such, many records of travelers can be found here, and this library has the best biographical collection of these records.<ref name="DB97" /><br><br>

:This library has the best biographical section for migrants who traveled here via the Erie Canal before moving on to Ohio and farther west.<ref name="DB97" /> They also have an [http://www.erielibrary.org/obits/ online obituary index] for Erie County, Pennsylvania from 1822 to present, family histories, county histories, computer genealogy databases, and on microfilm Erie newspapers and censuses.<ref>[http://www.erielibrary.org/services/genealogy/ Genealogy] in ''Erie County Public Library'' (accessed 27 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Very large book collection, periodicals and indexes, genealogies, city directories, maps, family folders, local newspapers since 1719, naturalizations, vertical files, manuscripts, photos, government publications, and histories for all of Pennsylvania.<ref name="DB95" /> <ref>[http://libwww.freelibrary.org/explore/shell.cfm?topicTitle=Genealogy&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;template=genealogyhand.cfm Genealogy 101] in ''Free Library of Philadelphia (accessed 28 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:This large collection is for western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, including the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society records.<ref name="DB97" /> 700,000 photos, 40,000 books, 3,500 individual archival collections of families, organizations, businesses, and industries, 600 periodicals, and 500 maps and atlases.<ref>[http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/libraryArchives.aspx Library and Archives] in ''Senator John Heinz History Center'' (accessed 26 December 2013).</ref> <br><br>

:Center for studying the Pennsylvania Mennonites and Amish heritage. They collect historical and genealogical materials of southeast Pennsylvania, focusing most on Lancaster County, including an 800,000 person card index, 3000 genealogies, secular local histories, congregational histories, biographies, directories, passenger lists, atlases and maps, cemetery transcripts, censuses, databases, deeds, obituaries, orphans court records, periodicals, surname files, tax records, and wills.<ref>[http://www.lmhs.org/Home/Research/Genealogy/Genealogy_Resources Genealogy Resources] in ''Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society'' (accessed 26 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:This library has a very large German-American collection, and is good for documenting Civil War ancestors from Pennsylvania. Half a million rare books, manuscripts, and graphics documenting American history and culture to 1900 including African Americana, American Judaica, womens' history, and photography in Philadelphia. They also have enough early Philadelphia records to make this virtually a second city archives.<ref name="DB95" /> <ref>[http://www.librarycompany.org/collections/index.htm Collections Overview] in ''Library Company of Philadelphia'' (accessed 28 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Births 1860-1915 (a few starting 1829), marriages 1860-1915, divorces 1851-1875, deaths 1803-1915, naturalizations 1793-1930, city directories 1785-1935, county deeds 1683-1952, county mortgages 1736-1963, constables 1854-1925, and some court records. They have indexes to early Philadelphia materials, such as tax records, prisoners, commissioners reports, mayors warrants and appointments, as well as cemeteries, board of health records, and streets.<ref name="DB95" /> <ref>[http://www.phila.gov/phils/Docs/Inventor/genealgy.htm Genealogical Resources at the Philadelphia City Archives] in ''City of Philadelphia Department of Records'' (accessed 26 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Church records, fraternal groups, ethnic groups, unions, guilds, and people-oriented collection of organizations, clubs, businesses, and societies related to the growth of the Philadelphia area since the 1800s.<ref name="DB95" /> 4 million images, 7 million news clippings, city directories, Philadelphia atlases, and Sanborn fire insurance maps.<ref>[http://library.temple.edu/collections/scrc/urban-archives Urban Archives] in ''Temple University Libraries'' (accessed 28 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Very large manuscript collection, newspapers, county records and histories, biographical sources, ethnic resources, church records, and government records.<ref name="DB95" /> Subject specialties include Africana, Asian Americans, Chinese, French, Germans, history, immigration, Italians, Japanese, Judaic studies, Koreans, Latin Americans, Philadelphia studies, religions, Russians and East Europeans, South Asians, and Spaniards.<ref>[http://www.library.upenn.edu/common/browsesubj.html Subjects and Collections] in ''Penn Libraries'' (accessed 28 December 2013).</ref><br><br>

:Use this library for its outstanding genealogical guides and indexes. They are part of the world's largest library including 50,000 genealogies, 100,000 local histories, and collections of manuscripts, microfilms, maps, newspapers, photographs, and published material, strong in North American, British Isles, and German sources. The "Local History and Genealogy Reading Room" has moved to the main reading room, but services are unchanged.<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/lhgcoll.html The Collections] in ''Local History and Genealogy Reference Services'' in ''Library of Congress'' (accessed 2 February 2014).</ref> <ref name="DB29">Dollarhide and Bremer, 29.</ref><br><br>

:This is one of the largest research libraries in the world including excellent genealogical resources for Pennsylvania. The library has city and telephone directories, vital records indexes, local histories, genealogies, federal and state censuses, passenger lists, genealogical collections (including DAR transcripts), and church records.<ref name="DB81">Dollarhide and Bremer, 81.</ref> For maps, write to the Map Division at the same address.<br><br>

:Very large collection about Germans and Scots-Irish who traveled the [[Great Valley Road]] from '''''Pennsylvania''''' to '''''Virginia''''', including manuscripts, newspapers, biographies, and histories,<ref name="DB97" /> and people of the Lower Shenandoah Valley since 1732, emphasizing Winchester and Frederick County in 4000 books, county court abstracts, county histories, genealogies, regimental histories, battles, newspapers since 1787, censuses, 600 linear feet of manuscripts, maps, photos, and oral history tapes.<ref>[http://www.handleyregional.org/handley/services.asp?loc=5 Family and Local History] in ''Handley Regional Library'' (accessed 28 December 2013).</ref>