| Sorted by Pennsylvania census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Septennial Census, 1779-1863 | 391,167 |
| U.S., Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 | 171,563 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1772-1890 | 75,474 |
| 1850 census of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania | 1,111 |
| Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790. | 69 |
| View all Pennsylvania census & voter lists (8) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970 | 25,578,722 |
| Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013 | 14,243,544 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1968 | 12,685,933 |
| U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 | 7,632,413 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1906-1914 | 6,145,038 |
| View all Pennsylvania birth, marriage & death (82) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania military | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 | 54,144,553 |
| U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 | 14,501,913 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966 | 1,193,449 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012 | 1,160,879 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Veterans Card Files, 1775-1916 | 777,440 |
| View all Pennsylvania military (28) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania immigration & emigration | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)Free | 5,810,303 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1795-1945 | 3,244,478 |
| Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775Free | 50,955 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., Immigration Records, Special Boards of Inquiry, 1893-1909Free | 45,222 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Naturalization Records from Supreme and District Courts, 1794-1908 | 19,698 |
| View all Pennsylvania immigration & emigration (18) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania pictures | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| There are no pictures collections unique to Pennsylvania | |
| View other pictures collections related to Pennsylvania (15) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013 | 14,243,544 |
| U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 | 7,632,413 |
| U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995 | 465,389 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., WPA Church Archives, 1937-1940 | 70,732 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Order Sons of Italy in America, Enrollment and Death Benefit Records, 1910-1968 | 68,726 |
| View all Pennsylvania directories & member lists (27) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993 | 4,349,739 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801 | 1,035,593 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971 | 793,349 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Septennial Census, 1779-1863 | 391,167 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798Free | 271,921 |
| View all Pennsylvania court, land, wills & financial (19) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania, Published Archives Series, 1664–1902 | 101,988 |
| U.S., Select Family History and Bible Records Index | 14,871 |
| General Index to the Colonial Record, in 16 Volumes, and to the Pennsylvania Archives in 12 Volumes | 657 |
| Lives of the governors of Pennsylvania : with the incidental history of the state, from 1609 to 1873 | 570 |
| Everyname Index to Egle's Notes and Queries Five Annuals | 485 |
| View all Pennsylvania dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference (35) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania maps, atlases & gazetteers | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| There are no maps, atlases & gazetteers collections unique to Pennsylvania | |
| View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Pennsylvania (15) |
| Sorted by Pennsylvania stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania Card Catalog, 1553-2015Free | 946,124 |
| Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775Free | 119,305 |
| Pennsylvania, U.S., Card Indexes to Genealogical Scrapbooks and Research FoldersFree | 103,196 |
| Pennsylvania, Published Archives Series, 1664–1902 | 101,988 |
| Palatine German Immigration to Ireland and U.S., Hank Z Jones collection, 1654-1878 | 76,437 |
| View all Pennsylvania stories, memories & histories (332) |
A genealogical history
Statehood: 12 December 1787
Capital: Harrisburg
Largest City: Philadelphia
Counties: 67
State motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
State nickname: Keystone State
Neighboring states: New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, c. 1875
Interesting facts
- The earliest non-native settlers in Pennsylvania were the Dutch, Swedes and Finns, who settled on the shores of the Delaware River. William Penn received a charter the area in 1681 and established Pennsylvania (named for his father) with a group of immigrants, primarily English Quakers, and some of Welsh, Scottish and Irish ancestry.
- At the roots of the Penn settlement was the promise of religious and political freedom and Penn actively recruited immigrants to join his “Holy Experiment.” Among his recruits was a group of German immigrants who settled in Germantown. As word of the success of the settlement spread, they were followed by more “Pennsylvania Dutch” settlers. The lure of religious freedom also drew Swiss Mennonite immigrants during the first part of the eighteenth century.
- The Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to establish the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The survey took nearly four years in the rugged wilderness and was completed in October 1767. Following the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the line was also used to refer to the boundary between free and slave states.
Featured Pennsylvania collections
Famous people
Help and advice
Resources
Pennsylvania Census Research
From the first federal census of 1790, the records are nearly complete for Pennsylvania with the exception of the following gaps:
- 1800 (parts of Bedford and Westmoreland counties)
- 1810 (parts of Bedford, Cumberland, and Philadelphia counties)
- 1820 (parts of Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, and Monroe counties).
Microfilm of the non-population and mortality schedules for 1850–80 are at the state library and at the National Archives-Mid-Atlantic Region.
The 1870 census includes two different census enumerations for Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania did not take any state censuses, but an enumeration of taxpayers compiled every seven years from 1779 through 1863 is commonly called the Septennial Census. The few surviving records are available at the state archives.
Pennsylvania Vital Records
Pennsylvania began statewide registration of vital records in January 1906.
- Pennsylvania Department of Health: Holds records of births and deaths from 1906. The genealogy requests page contains information on records access and ordering.
- Marriage and divorce certificates are held by the courthouse in the county where the marriage license was issued or a divorce decree was granted.
- Pennsylvania State Archives – Genealogy and Vital Statistics page: Describes vital records history in Pennsylvania and the Archives’ holdings.
Pennsylvania Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Pennsylvania history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
Statewide Research Resources
- Pennsylvania State Archives
- Pennsylvania State Library - Genealogy page
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania: See the Family History page for an overview of the Society’s extensive holdings.
- Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania GenWeb
- Pennsylvania Digital Archives: This growing collection includes digitized indexes to military records for Pennsylvania veterans who served in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Mexican American War, World War I, and other actions.
- The National Archives at Philadelphia : This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Pennsylvania, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.
Regional and Specialty Resources
- Free Library of Philadelphia – Genealogy Resources page
- Chronicling America: Online newspapers: Provides searchable online versions of selected Pennsylvania newspapers.