Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Founded in 1748 by the Penn proprietors, Reading is the county seat of Berks County. Early tracts of land were sold to Richard Hockley, Thomas Lawrenceand Samuel Finney. The town of Reading was laid out mostly on land of Thomas Lawrence. On 16 March 1847 Reading was incorporated into a city.

Cemeteries
Prior to 1846 burials in Reading took place in church cemeteries located within the town. In 1846 Charles Evans Cemetery, located north of Reading, was established as a city cemetery. 1849 saw the layout of two additional cemeteries located on the north slope of Neversink Mountain. These cemeteries were Trinity Lutheran and Roman Catholic. In 1851 a third city cemetery was laid out, Aulenbach. Families were encouraged to use the city cemeteries and many bodies from the city church cemeteries were reinterred in the city cemeteries. The below links do not have complete lists of the burials in the cemeteries but are still useful.

After you click on the links for the USGenWeb links select Cemetery Index from the left side of the screen.


 * The Berks County Historical Society has an online cemetery index. It is not a complete listing.

Church Records
Pennsylvania vital records were kept very late in the history of Pennsylvania. Because of this church records are very important in Pennsylvania research. Church baptism and burial records replace birth and death certificates.

The Historical Society of Berks County has a great collection of church records. The records themselves are not online but the society has placed a church record index on their website which is free to use.

Below are a few of the churches within the city limits of Reading.


 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, Ancestry.com$
 * 1755-1949 First Reformed Church, Reading
 * 1860-1933 St. John's German Lutheran Church
 * 1751-1930 Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading

City Directories
Directories list not only individuals who lived in the city but also businesses, and various organizations and where they were located. In some cases city maps may be included in the directories. The Historical Society of Berks County and the Reading Public Library have a collection of the directories.

Newspapers
Currently the Reading Eagle serves the city of Reading. It has been in existence since 1868. Older issues of the paper can be found at Google News.

Probate Records

 * 1752-Current, Berks County Estate Index
 * 1752-1915,

Library

 * Reading Public Library 100 S. Fifth St. Reading, PA 19602 Phone: (610) 655-6350

Museums

 * Central Pennsylvania African American Museum Old Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church 119 North 10th Street Reading, Pennsylvania 19601 Phone: (610) 371-8713


 * Reading Public Museum 500 Museum Road Reading, Pennsylvania 19611-1425 Phone: (610) 371-5850

Societies

 * Historical Society of Berks County 940 Centre Avenue Reading, Pennsylvania 19601 Phone: (610) 375-4375


 * Berks County Genealogical Society 201 Washington St, Room 413 Reading, Pennsylvania 19601-4040 Phone: (610) 921-4970

Vital Records
Unlike the county, Reading began to record vital records at an earlier time period. Birth and death records began in 1873 and marriages in 1876. For records prior to his years, search church records.

Birth

 * 1876-1905, Reading Birth Records Index

Marriage

 * 1876-1909, Reading Marriage Records Index

Death

 * 1873-1906, Reading Death Records Index