Pennsylvania Descendancy Research

Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked. - For more information on census records, see Pennsylvania Census and United States Census.

Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Pennsylvania statewide beginning in 1906, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.

Births
 * 1520-1999: at FamilySearch; index & images; Also at Findmypast ($)
 * 1709-1950: at FamilySearch; index only
 * 1773-1779: Pennsylvania Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages at Ancestry; index only ($)
 * 1852-1854: Pennsylvania Births at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1905-1915: Pennsylvania State Archives Birth Index
 * 1906-1911: Pennsylvania Birth Certificates at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1941-1976: at FamilySearch; index & images
 * Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III at Ancestry; indexes and images ($)

Marriages
 * 17thc-20thc: US Marriages at Findmypast; index only ($)
 * 1512-1989: at FamilySearch; index & images; Also at Findmypast ($)
 * 1677-1950: at FamilySearch; index & images
 * 1700-1821: Pennsylvania Compiled Marriage Records at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1709-1940: at FamilySearch; index only
 * 1773-1779: Pennsylvania Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages at Ancestry; index only ($)
 * 1845-1963: Pennsylvania County Marriage Records at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1852-1854: Pennsylvania Marriages at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1885-1889: Pennsylvania Marriage Registers at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1885-1950: at FamilySearch; index & images
 * 1947-2010: Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection at FamilySearch; index & images
 * Marriage Indexes and Licenses at Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
 * Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III at Ancestry; images only ($)

Deaths 
 * 1720-1999: at FamilySearch; index & images
 * 1852-1854: Pennsylvania Deaths at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1906-1964: Pennsylvania Death Index at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1906-1967: Pennsylvania Death Certificates at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * 1906-1969: Pennsylvania Death Index at Pennsylvania State Archives
 * 1920-1980: Pennsylvania Bair Funeral Records Indexes at Ancestry; index & images($)
 * Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Deaths & Burials at Findmypast; index & images($)
 * Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III at Ancestry; images only ($)

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Pennsylvania, see How to Find Pennsylvania Birth Records, How to Find Pennsylvania Marriage Records, and How to Find Pennsylvania Death Records.

Step 3: '''Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1906. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers. - Obituaries Cemeteries
 * 1719-1995 Pennsylvania Newspaper Archives (1719 - 1995), GenealogyBank
 * 1748-1755 Abstracts from the PA Gazette, 1748-1755 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1795-2009 Pennsylvania Newspapers, 1795-2009 at MyHeritage - index & images($)
 * 1887-2013 Philadelphia Jewish Exponent Obituaries at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1947-2010 Pennsylvania. U.S., Obituary and Marriage Records, 1947-2010 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * 1947-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1977-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Pennsylvania Cemeteries at Findagrave.com
 * Billion Graves - type Pennsylvania in the search box.
 * FamilySearch Places
 * Pennsylvania Cemeteries at Hometown Locator
 * Pennsylvania Cemeteries at I Dream of Genealogy
 * Pennsylvania Cemeteries at LDSGenealogy
 * African American Cemeteries in Pennsylvania at African American Cemeteries Online
 * Jewish Cemeteries in Pennsylvania at Find-A-Grave
 * Hebrew Cemeteries in Pennsylvania at Find-A-Grave
 * Pennsylvania Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project

For more information, see Pennsylvania Obituaries and Pennsylvania Cemeteries.

Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants.
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Pennsylvania, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Pennsylvania, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records