State Library of Pennsylvania

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Contact Information
Address:


 * Bureau of State Library Forum Building 607 South Street            (enter from Commonwealth Ave and Walnut St) Harrisburg, PA 17120-0600

Telephone: 717-783-5950 Fax: 717-772-8268 E-mail: Reference Request form

Hours: Open: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30-5:00; 2nd Saturday each month: 9:30-4:30                 Closed: Sunday, Monday, Friday, all except 2nd Saturday, and state holidays.

Directions, Maps, Parking, and Public Transportation:


 * Directions: See MapQuest. Enter from Commonwealth Ave and Walnut St.
 * Google map, or .pdf Map of the Capitol Complex
 * Parking: There are several free visitor spaces on South Drive near the main library entrance. Metered spaces are available on Walnut Street. See the Harrisburg Parking Authority website for parking garages within walking distance.
 * Public transportation: Any CAT bus to downtown goes within a few blocks of the Library.

Internet Sites and Databases:


 * Bureau of State Library resources, catalog, databases, journal search, ditigal collections, forms, FAQs, library news, collections, genealogy source guides.
 * Online Catalog. Search by Keyword, title, author, subject, journal title, and call number.
 * Databases at the State Library of Pennsylvania Genealogy, General Research, History, Culture and Geography, Maps and Statistics, Newspapers.
 * POWER Library. Free databases from newspapers, a major encyclopedia, plus photographs, pictures, charts, maps and reference materials.

Collection Description

 * Indexes, great genealogy surname files collection, state and county histories, atlases, land records maps, passenger arrival lists, naturalizations, church and cemetery records, federal censuses, regimental histories, ethnic and religious group records, heraldry, adoption, Harrisburg newspapers index, obituaries, military records and history, canals, railroads, mines, historical Pennsylvania city directories, Germans soldiers the the Revolutionary War and Civil War, American Indians, and genealogically oriented archives, libraries, and societies.

Tips

 * Materials on genealogy, heraldry, federal population census, and Pennsylvania regimental history cannot be borrowed or used off the premises of the library.

Guides
Pennsylvania Genealogy and History includes guides to records of: Adoption, Cemeteries and Obituaries, Census, Ethnic and Religious Ancestry, Immigration/Naturalization, Libraries, Maps and Geographical Information, Military, Pennsylvania History, Railroads and Mines, Researchers List, Societies and Archives, State Library Genealogy Files, Vital Records, General Resource Websites, Pennsylvania City Directories.

Alternate Repositories
If you cannot visit or find a source at the , a similar source may be available at one of the following.

Overlapping Collections


 * National Archives I, Washington DC, census, pre-WWI military service &amp; pensions, passenger lists, naturalizations, passports, federal bounty land, homesteads, bankruptcy, ethnic sources, prisons, and federal employees.
 * National Archives II, College Park, MD, Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, and Treasury all after 1900.
 * National Archives at Philadelphia records of federal agencies and courts for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, censuses, ships lists, naturalizations, and military records.

Similar Collections


 * Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, indexes and original sources of, such as vital records, military records, naturalization, prisoners, land records, censuses, and ships lists 1728-1808. Also, unfilmed transcripts from many historical societies and courthouses.
 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, has early Quakers, Germans, Scots-Irish and other ethinc groups in PA, NJ, DE, and states east of the Mississippi River, Balch Institute passenger arrival lists, huge manuscript collection including many indexes, and Philadelphia neighborhood records.

Neighboring Collections


 * Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records, Harrisburg, birth and death records 1906-present. Order in-person, order online through VitalChek, or order births by mail, or order deaths by mail.
 * Register of Wills and and Clerk of the Orphans' Court, Harrisburg, marriages 1887-present, births and deaths 1893-1906, wills 1785-present, guardians, adoptions.
 * Prothonotary Office, Harrisburg, divorces, and changes of names.
 * Recorder of Deeds, Harrisburg, deeds, and mortgages.
 * U.S. District Court Clerk, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, court records.
 * Camp Curtin Historical Society preserves Civil War history around Harrisburg.
 * Capital Area Genealogical Society, surname registry, cemetery database, library, lookups, queries.
 * Historical Society of Dauphin County Archives has photos, letters, diaries, deeds, certificates, maps, and newspapers. Library has church records, newspaper clippings, family folders, births and deaths 1893-1906, cemeteries, wills 1785-1827, court extracts 1785-1817, city directories 1839-1999.
 * Repositories in surrounding counties:  Cumberland, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, and York.
 * Philadelphia City Archives births 1860-1915, marriages 1860-1915, divorces 1851-1975, deaths 1803-1915, naturalizations 1800-1933 (except 1905-1913), house deeds 1683-1952, tax lists, prisoners, mayors' warrants, cemeteries, constables, streets and city directories.
 * Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, has great online indexes to books, periodicals, family folders, genealogies, and research aids for Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
 * Library Company of Philadelphia has huge German-American collection, Pennsylvanians in the Civil War, and early Philadelphia documents as if it were a second city archives.
 * Free Library of Philadelphia very large book collection, periodicals, genealogies, city directories, maps, family folders, vertical files, manuscripts, and Pennsylvania histories.
 * University of Pennsylvania Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, Philadelphia, many manuscripts, newspapers, county records, ethnic sources, denominational records, and county histories.
 * Temple University Urban Archives, Philadelphia, churches, fraternal groups, unions, guilds, clubs, businesses, and societies especially related to the growth of Philadelphia and vicinity.
 * German Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, church history, genealogy, immigrants, immigrant aid records, German newspapers, old GSP memberships, and German-American periodicals.
 * Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society (ERHS), Lancaster, Reformed Church records and genealogy resources including parish registers.
 * Franklin and Marshall College Library, Lancaster, "Hessian" (German) soldiers in the American Revolution, history, government, Pennsylvania-German culture, U.S. Civil War.
 * Haverford College Library, Haverford, Quaker Collection of diaries, photos, family papers, meeting and organizational records; 35,000 books, 2,400 linear feet of manuscripts.
 * Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia, Melrose Park, Jewish genealogy research manuals, society newsletters, regional cemeteries, and resource guide for south PA, NJ, and DE.
 * Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, card index to over 800,000 persons, genealogies, local histories, biographies, directories, passenger lists, census, deeds, obituaries, surname files.
 * Lutheran Archives Center at 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) (some in German).
 * Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, national archives of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
 * Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore, has 45,000 books, 60,000 photos, and 9,000 volumes of original Quaker meeting records, plus local history of the Mid-Atlantic states.
 * Repositories in other surrounding states: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ontario.
 * Historical Society of Delaware Library, Wilmington, colonial records, newspapers, church records, state records, Revolutionary War records, Civil War records, Delaware histories, and genealogies.
 * Handley Regional Library, Winchester, VA, records of Germans and Scots-Irish who traveled the Great Valley Road from Penn. to Virginia, including manuscripts, newspapers, biographies, and histories.