Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Genealogy


 * This article is about a city in Pennsylvania. For the surrounding county, see Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

United States Pennsylvania  Philadelphia County  Philadelphia

History

 * Much of Philadelphia County's functions cease to exist with Act of Consolidation, 1854. Further consolidations took place in 1867, 1895, 1937, 1951, 1963 and finally 1965.

Parent County
Phildelphia

Resources
Many of the resources herein relate to the City of Philadelphia prior to the consolidation and do not include the other places within the County of Philadelphia prior to 1851.

Church Records

 * 1644-1780 - Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Philadelphia County, 1644-1780. 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Humphrey Publications, 1994-1995..


 * Records taken from: Gloria Dei, Old Swedes, or Wicaco Church (established 1642); Philadelphia Friends Monthly Meeting (est. 1682); Christ Church (est. 1695); First Presbyterian Church (est. 1698); Second Presbyterian Church (est. 1743); Pennypack Baptist Church in Lower Dublin Township (est. 1688); First Moravian Church (est. 1742); St. Michael's (est. 1728) and Zion (est. 1766) Lutheran Church, Philadelphia; First Reformed Church, Philadelphia (est. 1727); St. Michael's Lutheran Church in Germantown (est. 1738); German Reformed Church in Germantown (est. 1727); St. Joseph's Catholic Church (est. 1733); Trinity Episcopal Church in Oxford Township (est. 1698); First Baptist Church in Philadelphia (est. 1762); Friends Monthly Meeting, Pine and Orange Streets (records from 1730s); Scots Presbyterian Church (est. 1767); Personal register of Rev. Blackwell (records from 1750s); Northern District Monthly Meeting at 6th and Noble Sts. (records from 1750s); Southern District Monthly Meeting (records from 1730s); St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church (est. 1760); St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church (est. 1769).

Many of the baptisms, marriages, and deaths Rev. Rogers recorded occurred in Philadelphia:


 * Rogers, William. "A Register of Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1772-1822," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Baptisms 1772-1822, Marriages 1772-1781, Deaths 1772-1775, Dismissals 1773, Excommunications 1773: Vol. 19 (1895):96-111; Marriages 1781-1793: Vol. 19 (1895):251-261; Marriages 1794-1798: Vol. 19 (1895):507-517; Marriages 1799-1801: Vol. 20 (1896):268-275; Marriages 1802-1804: Vol. 20 (1896):412-419; Marriages 1805-1809: Vol. 20 (1896):556-567. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Baptist
First Baptist Church


 * 1761-1803 - Marriage Record of the First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, 1761-1803 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 9) at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.

Pennepack Baptist Church


 * 1689-1743 - "Records of the Lower Dublin or Pennypack Baptist Church. An Account of the Times of the Births of Children of Such as are Members of This Church," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 11 (1887):58-62. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Episcopalian
Christ Church

Registers begin in 1709.


 * 1709-1760 - Hildeburn, Charles R. "Records of Christ Church, Philadelphia. Baptisms, 1709-1760," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, A Surnames: Vol. 12 (1888):362-365; B Surnames: Vol. 13 (1889):237-241; B-C Surnames: Vol. 14 (1890):427-433; C Surnames: Vol. 15 (1891):228-234; C-D Surnames: Vol. 15 (1891):354-360; D-F Surnames: Vol. 15 (1891):486-492; F-G Surnames: Vol. 16 (1892):111-117; G-H Surnames: Vol. 16 (1892):363-370; H-K Surnames: Vol. 16 (1892):449-456; K-P Surnames: Vol. 17 (1893):99-112; P-S Surnames: Vol. 17 (1893):214-229; S-Z Surnames: Vol. 17 (1893):352-370. For free online access, see WeRelate. Also available at Ancestry ($).


 * 1709-1806 - Marriages Prior to 1810 at Christ Church, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 2) at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.


 * 1709-1760 - Hildeburn, Charles R. "Records of Christ Church, Philadelphia. Burials, 1709-1760," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, A Surnames: Vol. 1 (1877):219-221, A-B Surnames: Vol. 1 (1877):350-353, B Surnames: Vol. 1 (1877):460-464; B-C Surnames: Vol. 2 (1878):97-101, C Surnames: Vol. 2 (1878):219-222, C Surnames: Vol. 2 (1878):336-339, C-D Surnames: Vol. 2 (1878):459-462; D-E Surnames: Vol. 3 (1879):102-106, E-G Surnames: Vol. 3 (1878):224-229, G Surnames: Vol. 3 (1878):342-346, G-H Surnames: Vol. 3 (1878):458-460; H Surnames: Vol. 4 (1880):113-116, H-J Surnames: Vol. 4 (1880):383-387, J-K Surnames: Vol. 4 (1880):501-506; L-M Surnames: Vol. 5 (1881):223-227, M Surnames: Vol. 5 (1881):343-348, M-P Surnames: Vol. 5 (1881):462-467; P Surnames: Vol. 6 (1882):239-244, P-R Surnames: Vol. 6 (1882):348-354, R-S Surnames: Vol. 6 (1882):475-480; S Surnames: Vol. 7 (1883):101-105; T-W Surnames: Vol. 7 (1883):221-227, W-Z Surnames, Addenda: Vol. 7 (1883):338-345. For free online access, see WeRelate.


 * 1711-1895 - Montgomery, Thomas H. "List of Vestrymen of Christ Church, Philadelphia," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 19 (1895):518-526. For free online access, see WeRelate.

St. Paul's Church

Registers begin in 1759.


 * 1759-1806 - Marriage Record of St. Paul's Church, Philadelphia, 1759-1806 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 9, Part 1) at Ancestry ($).

St. Peter's Church  Established in 1761. For a history, read:


 * Jefferys, C.P.B. "The Provincial and Revolutionary History of St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia, 1753-1783," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Oct. 1923):328-356; Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan. 1924):39-65; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr. 1924):181-192; Vol. 48, No. 3 (Jul. 1924):251-269; Vol. 48, No. 4 (Oct. 1924):354-371. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Tombstone inscriptions, which date from 1760, have been published:


 * Bronson, William White. The Inscriptions in St. Peter's Churchyard, Philadelphia. Camden, N.J.: Sinnickson Chew, 1879..

All Saints Church, Torresdale

Established in 1772, but the earliest parish register entries are for 1799.

German Reformed

 * 1748-1802 - Marriage Record of The German Reformed Church at Philadelphia, 1748-1802 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 8) at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.

Lutheran

 * 1745-1800 - Marriage Record of St. Michael's and Zion Lutheran Church at Philadelphia, 1745-1800 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 8) at Ancestry ($).


 * 1864-1923 - Reed, Luther D. Philadelphia Seminary Biographical Record. Mt. Airy, Pa.: Philadelphia Lutheran Seminary and the Alumni Association, 1923. Digital version at USGenWeb Archives - free. Alumni and graduates.

Moravian

 * 1740s-1800s - Marriage Record of the Moravian Church, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 9, Part 1) at Ancestry ($).

Presbyterian

 * 1702-1745, 1760-1803 - Marriage Record of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, 1702-1745, 1760-1803 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 9, Part 1) at Ancestry ($).


 * 1763-1812 - Marriage Record of the Second Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, 1763-1812 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 9, Part 1) at Ancestry ($).


 * 1785-1799 - Marriage Record of the Third Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, 1785-1799 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 9, Part 1) at Ancestry ($).


 * 1906-1907 - Souvenir and Directory of the St. Paul Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia: Fiftieth Street, Baltimore Avenue and Catharine Street: Rev. J.R. Miller, D.D., Minister. Philadelphia: Ushers Association of the Church, 1906. Digitized by Ancestry ($).

Quakers
Early Quaker monthly meetings (with years established):


 * Frankford Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia, Pa. (1815). Hinshaw published the early records:.


 * Northern District Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia, Pa. (1772). Hinshaw published the early records:.


 * Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia, Pa. (1682).


 * 1682-1775 - "Early Minutes of Philadelphia Monthly Meetings," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, 1682: Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1897):251-298; 1686-1690: Vol. 2, No. 2 (May 1902):93-171; 1691-1699: Vol. 4, No. 2 (Mar. 1910):141-263; 1700-1704: Vol. 6, No. 1 (Mar. 1915):64-96; 1704-1708: Vol. 6, No. 2 (Mar. 1916):201-217; 1708-1711: Vol. 6, No. 3 (Mar. 1917):295-308; 1711-1715: Vol. 7, No. 1 (Mar. 1918):70-87; 1715-1719: Vol. 7, No. 2 (Mar. 1919):179-191; 1719-1725: Vol. 7, No. 3 (Mar. 1920):251-263; 1725-1732: Vol. 8, No. 1 (Mar. 1921):76-94; 1732-1738: Vol. 8, No. 2 (Mar. 1922):174-189; 1738-1742: Vol. 8, No. 3 (Mar. 1923):261-274; 1742-1743: Vol. 9, No. 1 (Mar. 1924):35-37; 1743-1745: Vol. 9, No. 2 (Mar. 1925):164-172; 1746-1749: Vol. 9, No. 3 (Mar. 1926):236-247; 1749-1750: Vol. 10, No. 1 (Mar. 1927):56-60; 1750-1753: Vol. 10, No. 2 (Mar. 1928):123-132; 1753-1754: Vol. 10, No. 3 (Mar. 1929):238-241; 1754-1757: Vol. 11, No. 1 (Mar. 1930):9-20; 1757-1759: Vol. 11, No. 2 (Mar. 1931):127-136; 1759-1761: Vol. 11, No. 3 (Mar. 1932):230-238; 1761-1762: Vol. 12, No. 1 (Mar. 1933):30-38; 1762-1763: Vol. 12, No. 2 (Mar. 1934):151-159; 1763-1764: Vol. 12, No. 3 (Mar. 1935):260-267; 1764-1766: Vol. 13, Nos. 1-2 (Oct. 1938):24-36; 1766-1769: Vol. 13, Nos. 2-3 (Oct. 1939):210-224; 1769-1772: Vol. 14, No. 1 (Oct. 1942):34-49; 1772-1773: Vol. 14, No. 2 (Oct. 1943):160-169; 1773-1775: Vol. 14, No. 3 (Oct. 1944):267-275; 1775: Vol. 15, No. 1 (Oct. 1945):99-102. For online access, see WeRelate (Vols. 1, 6, 7 no. 2, and 8 are free online, the other volumes are on subscription sites); the Family History Library has the complete collection:.

Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Philadelphia Archives and Historical Collections 1000 East Wynnewood Rd Overbrook, PA (215) 667-2125

Area included in diocese: The City of Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

The archives contains baptismal and marriage records created before the year 1900 for all parishes presently within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In addition to sacramental records, the archives retains a large collection of parish histories, nineteenth-century newspapers, city directories, Catholic directories, etc., all of which are open to the public. Sacramental records are private and research on them is conducted by archives staff only.


 * The History of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 1976, James F. Connelly (editor).
 * Catholicity in Philadelphia, 1909, Joseph L. J. Kirlin

Newspapers: The Catholic Standard and Times

Earlier newspapers: The Catholic Herald, est. 1833 and The Catholic Herald and Visitor, est. 1857, microfilmed, not indexed, at the Ryan Memorial Library, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary (same address as the archives.)

Swedes Church
Wicacoa Parish

Wicacoa Parish was located in what is now South Philadelphia. A 1754 membership list is preserved in Archivum Americanum at the Consistory Court of the Archbishop of Upsal in Sweden. A copy is held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Swedes Church

The Swedes Church was organized in 1700, but registers do not survive before 1750.


 * 1750-1806 - Marriage Record of the Swedes' Church (Gloria Dei), 1750-1810, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 3) at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.

Directories

 * Philadelphia City Directories 1785 - 1867 at Internet Archive - free.

Emigration and Immigration
Philadelphia has been an important port since colonial times. It has been estimated that 3000 to 4000 Irish immigrants arrived at the port in the decades before and after the Revolution.


 * 1682-1687 - "A Partial List of the Families Who Arrived at Philadelphia Between 1682 and 1687," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 8 (1884):328-340. For free online access, see WeRelate.


 * 1791-1792 - Kelker, Luther R. "Lists of Foreigners Who Arrived at Philadelphia, 1791-1792," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25 (1900):187-194; Vol. 25 (1900):334-342. For free online access, see WeRelate.


 * 1819 - "Passenger List of the Ship Elizabeth, Which Arrived at Philadelphia in 1819," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25 (1900):255-258. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Wiki articles describing online collections are found a:


 * Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Case Files of Chinese Immigrants (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)

For a history of Italian immigration into Philadelphia, read:


 * Dickinson, Joan Younger. "Aspects of Italian Immigration to Philadelphia," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 90, No. 4 (Oct. 1966):445-465. Digital version at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania website - free.

Revolutionary War
Philadelphia men also served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment,, the 3rd Pennsylania Regiment, the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Occupations
Colonial Philadelphia attracted clockmakers, brickmakers, as well as pottery, china, and glassmakers. Many ships were built in Philadelphia in the late 1600s and 1700s. Maritime trade was very important to this port town's economy.

Seybolt compiled a list of schoolmasters in eighteenth-century Philadelphia:


 * Seybolt, Robert Francis. "Schoolmasters of Colonial Philadelphia," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 52, No. 4 (Oct. 1928):361-371. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Between 1750 and 1800, many Philadelphians received training in Europe to become doctors.

Probate

 * 1705-1708 - Corbit, William F. "Abstracts of Wills Recorded in Philadelphia," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1705-1708: Vol. 15 (1877):191-204. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Taxation
The list of names of individuals who paid the 1709 poor tax has been published. The list covers individuals who paid the tax (rather than the names of poor folks):


 * 1709 - Parker, Peter J. "Rich and Poor in Philadelphia, 1709," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 99, No. 1 (Jan. 1975):3-19. Digital version at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania website - free.


 * 1754 - Savery, William. "List of the Taxables of Chestnut, Middle, and South Wards, Philadelphia, 1754," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 14 (1890):414-420. For free online access, see WeRelate.


 * 1769, 1774, 1779 - Proprietary, Supply, and State Tax Lists of the City and County of Philadelphia: For the Years 1769, 1774 and 1779. (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 14). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.


 * 1779-1781 - Proprietary, Supply, and State Tax Lists of the City and County of Philadelphia: For the Years 1779, 1780 and 1781. (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 15). Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1781-1783 - Supply, and State Tax Lists of the City and County of Philadelphia: For the Years 1781, 1782 and 1783. (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 16). Digital version at Ancestry ($).


 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).


 * 1809 - Shoemaker, Thomas H. "A List of the Inhabitants of Germantown and Chestnut Hill in 1809," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 15 (1891):449-480; Vol. 16 (1892):42-63. Shoemaker annotated these lists, further indentifying many of the individuals who paid taxes. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Vital Records
Philadelphia began keeping a burial register in 1803. By 1838, there was general compliance. Registers of births and marriages began in 1860.

1803 and 1807 burials were published in Volumes 1 and 2 of Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. For online access, see WeRelate.

Indexes to the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates 1803-1915 can be searched on FamilySearch Historical Records. The certificates are not digitized. The Family History Library has containing the certificates

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:.


 * Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Births (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Pennsylvania Philadelphia Marriage Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Vital Record Substitutes
Abstracts of marriages and deaths in the Philadelphia Repository and Weekly Register (1800-1801) have been published:


 * 1800-1802 - "A Register of Marriages and Deaths, 1800-1801," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1800-1801: Vol. 23 (1899):98-103; 1800-1801: Vol. 23 (1899):241-248; 1800-1801: Vol. 23 (1899):360-367; 1800-1801: Vol. 23 (1899):522-526; 1802: Vol. 24 (1900):101-107; 1802: Vol. 24 (1900):207-211. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Societies and Libraries
Philadelphia Historical Society

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog for the City of Philadelphia
 * Places in Time: Historical Documentation of Place in Greater Philadelphia