Pennsylvania Societies

United States Pennsylvania  Societies

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
2207 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103-3010 Phone: (215) 545-0391 Fax: (215) 545-0936

A surname index of five collections of the society's manuscript archives is located online. See Pennsylvania Genealogy for a discussion of the resources of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-5699 Phone: (215) 732-6201 Fax: (215) 732-2680

An important resource for this society is Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 3rd ed. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Society, 1991;

Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
1212 Smallman Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Phone: (412) 454-6000 Fax: (412) 454-6028

Additional Societies can be located at:

 * Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries
 * Pennsylvania Church Records
 * Pennsylvania Genealogy
 * Pennsylvania Periodicals

Many counties also have local historical and genealogical societies. You can find local society addresses by using directories cited in United States Compiled Genealogies or by an internet search engine with terms such as "Pennsylvania, Genealogy, and Society." Pennsylvania has many historical and genealogical societies. Most collect historical documents of local interest, publish periodicals, and have special projects and indexes.

The Family History Library has records for a number of societies in Pennsylvania, including the following:


 * The Grand Army of the Republic (based on Union Army service during the Civil War) has produced Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania, Record of Eligibility of Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania 1883-1992 . This source helps locate records of military personnel as well as the genealogy of the applicants.
 * The Colonial Society of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, is open to individuals who have an ancestor in colonial America. See Colonial Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Applications for Membership in Alphabetical Order by Member With a Complete Genealogy Back to Original Ancestor.
 * The Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania has as it's purpose to perpetuate the memory of the Huguenots. Members of the society include descendants of Huguenot families immigrating to America before November 1787 and anyone who has made the Huguenots a subject of research papers, etc. The society was organized in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1918. They published: Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania, (series) vols. 1- 15 (Norristown, PA.: The Society, 1918-1939) and the continuation Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of Pennsylvania, v. 16-39 (Norristown, PA.: The Society, 1942-1967; Family History Library ; film for v. 1-3 and 7-9 is ). Also see:
 * Sons of the American Revolution. Pennsylvania Society. Patriots Index; Members and Ancestors, 1893-1993. Monongahela, PA: PASSAR, 1995. Family History Library.