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United States Pennsylvania  Archives and Libraries

These archives, libraries, societies, and museums preserve sources, maintain indexes, and provide services to help genealogists document their ancestors who lived in Pennsylvania.

National
National Archives at Philadelphia 900 Market Street (entrance on Chesnut Street) Philadelphia, PA 19107-4292 Telephone: 215-606-0100 Fax: 215-606-0116 Internet: http://www.archives.gov/midatlantic/


 * Has federal agency and court records for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. All U.S. federal censuses 1790-1940, and indexes. Also have passenger arrivals in Philadelphia and Baltimore, pension and bounty land warrant applications, naturalizations, early federal history, diplomacy, military history, Chinese-Americans, World War II homefront, National Park Service, merchant marine, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, federal tax evasion and smuggling cases.

American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19145 Telephone: 215-389-1776 E-mail: [mailto:info@americanswedish.org info@americanswedish.org] Internet: http://www.americanswedish.org/


 * New Sweden colony, and Swedish heritage in the Delaware Valley (northern Delaware, southern New Jersey, and southeast Pennsylvania).

Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society (ERHS) Schaff Library 2nd floor Lancaster Theological Seminary 555 West James Street Lancaster, PA, USA 17603 Telephone: 717-290-8734 E-mail: [mailto:erhs@lancasterseminary.edu erhs@lancasterseminary.edu] Internet: http://www.erhs.info/index.html


 * By appointment only. Reformed Church parish registers and genealogy resources.

Franklin and Marshall College Library 450 College Avenue Lancaster, PA 17603 Telephone: 717-291-4216 Internet: http://library.fandm.edu/locations.php


 * "Hessian" (German) soldiers in the American Revolution, history, government, Pennsylvania-German culture, U.S. Civil War.

Haverford College Library Quaker and Special Collections James P. Magill Library 370 Lancaster Avenue Haverford, PA 19041-1392 Telephone: 610-896-1161 E-mail [mailto: hc-special@haverford.edu hc-special@haverford.edu] Internet: http://www.haverford.edu/library/special/collections/quaker/


 * Quaker Collection of diaries, photos, family papers, meeting and organizational records; 35,000 books, 2,400 linear feet of manuscripts.

Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia Brossman Learning Center (in the undercroft) 7301 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19119-1794 Telephone 215-248-6383 Fax 215-248-6327 E-mail: [mailto:mtairyarchives@ltsp.edu mtairyarchives@ltsp.edu] Internet: http://ltsp.edu/lutheran-archives-philadelphia


 * 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 in the German language).

Presbyterian Historical Society Philadelphia, PA Internet: http://www.history.pcusa.org/resources/genealogy/


 * National archives of the (Old School) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081 Telephone: (610) 328-8496 Fax: (610) 690-5728 Email: friends@swarthmore.edu Internet: Friends Historical Library


 * Documents the history of the Society of Friends (Quakers) from the 17th century to the present; 45,000 books, 60,000 photos, and 9,000 volumes of original Quaker meeting records, plus local history of the Mid-Atlantic states, and social reform movements.

State
Pennsylvania State Archives Mail:350 North Street Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026 Telephone: 717-783-3281 E-mail: ra-statearchives@state.pa.us Internet: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission


 * This huge collection indexes and original sources of the series, such as vital, military, prison, naturalization, land records, census, ships lists, and mine accidents; 1.5 million online records.

State Library of Pennsylvania 333 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17126-1745 Telephone: 717-787-4440 Fax: 717-783-8445 Internet: Pennsylvania Genealogy and History


 * A great genealogy and local history section.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 LOcust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-5699 Telephone: 215-732-6200 E-mail: Internet:


 * 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 a huge manuscript collection, passenger arrival lists and indexes.

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 1305 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 Telephone: 215-546-3181 E-mail: Internet:


 * Good indexes to Pennsylvania sources, including books, periodicals, family folders, genealogies, biographies. They have many research aides for Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

German Society of Pennsylvania 611 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 Telephone: 215-627-2332 Fax: 215-627-5297 E-mail: [mailto:librarian@germansociety.org librarian@germansociety.org] Internet: http://www.germansociety.org/


 * 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.

Regional
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 4400 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080 Phone: (412) 622-3100 Fax: (412) 621-1267 Internet site: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh


 * Large book collection, newspapers, manuscripts, and county histories most of which are indexed. Also family histories, family folders, local histories and genealogies.

Citizens Library 55 S. College Street Washington, PA 15301 Telephone: 412-222-2400 E-mail: Internet:


 * The Washington, Pennsylvania area was an important gateway 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.

Erie County Library 160 E. Front Street Erie, PA 16507 Telephone: 814-451-6900 E-mail: Internet:


 * This library has the best biographical section for migrants who traveled here via the Erie Canal before moving on to Ohio and farther west.

Free Library of Philadelphia Logan Square Philadelphia, PA 19103-1157 Telephone: 215-686-5322 E-mail: Internet:


 * Very large book collection, periodicals, genealogies, city directories, maps, family folders, vertical files, manuscripts, and histories for all of Pennsylvania.

Handley Regional Library 100 W. Piccadilly Street PO Box58 Winchester, VA 22604 Telephone: 540-662-9041 E-mail: Internet: http://luzernehistory.org/?page_id=32


 * Very large collection about Germans and Scots-Irish who traveled the Great Valley Road from Pennsylvania to Virginia, inlcuding manuscrips, newspapers, biographies, and histories.

Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania 1212 Smallman Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Telephone: 412-454-6000 E-mail: Internet:


 * This large collection is for western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, including the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society records.

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia Melrose Park, PA


 * Jewish genealogy research manuals, society newsletters, regional cemeteries, and resource guide for south PA, NJ, and DE.

Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society,

Library Company of Philadelphia 1314 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 Telephone: 215-546-3181 E-mail: Internet:


 * This library has a very large German-American collection, and is good for documenting Civil War ancestors from Pennsylvania. They also have enough early Philadelphia records to make this virtually a second city archives.

Luzerne County Historical Society Bishop Memorial Library 49 S. Franklin Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 Telephone: 717-823-6244 E-mail: Internet: http://luzernehistory.org/?page_id=32


 * This facility is important for research about New England migrants into Pennsylvania and places farther south.

Philadelphia City Archives 3101 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Telephone: 215-685-9401 Internet: http://www.phila.gov/phils/Docs/Inventor/genealgy.htm


 * Births 1860-1915 (a few from 1829), marriages 1860-1885, 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.

Temple University Urban Archives Samuel Paley Library Berks and 13th Streets Philadelphia, PA 19122 Telephone: 215-204-5750 E-mail: Internet:


 * Church records, fraternal groups, unions, guilds, and people oriented collection of organizations, clubs, businesses, and societies related to the growth of the Philadelphia area.

University of Pennsylvania Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center 3420 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206 Telephone: 215-898-7091 E-mail: Internet:


 * Very large manuscript collection, newspapers, county records and histories, ethnic resources, and church records.

Early colonial immigrants in nine southeast Pennsylvania counties:


 * Adams County Historical Society Library
 * Bucks County Historical Society Library
 * Historical Society of Berks County Library
 * Chester County Historical Society Library
 * Delaware County Historical Society Library
 * Lancaster County Historical Society Library
 * Lebanon County Historical Society Library
 * Historical Society of Montgomery County Library
 * Historical Society of York County Library

Family History Centers. Some of the collections described above are at least partially available on microfilms at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and through thousands of its branch Family History Centers. For further information see Introduction to LDS Family History Centers. To locate a center near you, see Find a Family History Center.

Museums
Museums sometime perserve genealogical sources. A is available on Wikipedia.

Outside Pennsylvania
Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave. SE Thomas Jefferson Building, LJ G4 Washington, D.C. 20540-4660 Telephone: Reading Room: 202-707-5537 Fax:  202-707-1957 E-mail:  Ask a Librarian Internet: http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/


 * The "Local History and Genealogy Reading Room" is 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.

New York Public Library U.S. History, Local History &amp; Genealogy Division Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Room 315S New York, NY 10018-2788 Telephone: 212-930-0829 E-mail: Ask a librarian Internet: http://www.nypl.org/


 * 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. For maps, write to the Map Division at the same address.

Handley Regional Library 100 W. Piccadilly Street PO Box 58 Winchester, VA 22604 Telephone: 540-662-9041 E-mail: Internet: http://luzernehistory.org/?page_id=32


 * Very large collection about Germans and Scots-Irish who traveled the Great Valley Road from Pennsylvania to Virginia, inlcuding manuscrips, newspapers, biographies, and histories.

Guides

 * County Records Survey, 1985-1986 [of Pennsylvania]. [Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]: Pennsylvania Historical &amp; Museum Commission. Division of Archives and Manuscripts, 1986. Philadelphia County is not included, but Pittsburgh city is.
 * Sylvester K. Stevens and Donald H. Kent, eds., County Government and Archives in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1947; This guide describes the records kept by the county, the information they contain, when most began, and important history of their development.
 * Irwin Richman, Historical Manuscript Depositories in Pennsylvania It provides a detailed description of the manuscripts in most libraries and archives in Pennsylvania in 1965, but dated.
 * Directory of Libraries and Information Sources in the Philadelphia Area  For eastern Pennsylvania libraries only.