Pennsylvania Historical Societies

This directory lists 30 historical societies, museums, and archives in Pennsylvania, from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and the Historical Society of Dauphin County in Harrisburg to Gettysburg National Military Park. Below the listings is a guide to the state-level sources a Pennsylvania genealogist or house researcher uses most: the Pennsylvania State Archives, the Division of Vital Records, the county Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, and the statewide newspaper and historic-property databases.

Pennsylvania was chartered to William Penn in 1681 and ratified the Constitution as the second state on December 12, 1787. It is a state-land state whose 67 counties were carved progressively westward from the original three (Philadelphia, Chester, and Bucks, 1682), so an 18th-century farm in what is now Centre County will have its early records in Cumberland, Northumberland, or Mifflin. Statewide birth and death registration came late, in 1906, which makes the county and church records that preceded it unusually important here.

Featured Historical Societies

Major repositories for Pennsylvania research

The Pennsylvania State Archives, run by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), is at 1681 N. Sixth Street in Harrisburg. Its research room is open Wednesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the second Saturday of each month. It holds the records of state government, the original Land Office files, the 1906-onward birth and death certificates that have passed their restriction periods, military records back to the colonial militia, and county records on microfilm. Much of the most-used material is online through the Archives' catalog, its PA Digital Archives platform, and the Ancestry Pennsylvania partnership; the research guides page is the right entry point for each record type.

• State Library of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, part of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. It holds the largest Pennsylvania newspaper collection in the state and publishes genealogy and local history research guides.
• Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Locust Street, Philadelphia, founded 1824. One of the country's largest family-history libraries, strongest for Philadelphia and the southeastern counties, with Philadelphia newspapers from 1790 onward.
• University of Pittsburgh Library System runs Historic Pittsburgh, a free digital collection of Pittsburgh city directories, G.M. Hopkins plat maps, and photographs that is indispensable for Allegheny County house research.
• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh holds the main Pittsburgh newspaper runs; Penn State University Libraries hosts the Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive described below.

Pennsylvania vital records: the 1906 line

Pennsylvania began statewide registration of births and deaths on January 1, 1906, and compliance was general by about 1915. Before 1906 there is no statewide series. The counties recorded births, marriages, and deaths through the Clerk of Orphans' Court for a short period beginning in 1852 (the surviving 1852-1854 registers from 49 of the then 64 counties are at the State Archives), and some counties and cities kept registers again from 1893 to 1906; otherwise you are working from church registers, cemetery records, and newspapers.

• Births less than 105 years old and deaths less than 50 years old are restricted and come only from the Division of Vital Records (Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries, P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103; 724-656-3100). Copies cost $20; VitalChek is the only authorized online vendor.
• Older certificates are transferred to the State Archives. It currently holds births 1906-1920 (with indexes for every year and digitized images for 1906-1917) and deaths 1906-1975 (images online for 1906-1972). The birth records and death records guides link the year-by-year surname indexes as PDFs; images are viewable through Ancestry Pennsylvania and Ancestry.com, and uncertified copies can be requested from the Archives with its vital records request form. Note the 1920 birth index is arranged by Soundex code.
• Marriages have been licensed since September 30, 1885 by the Clerk of Orphans' Court in each county; the Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court is the office to contact, and the Archives holds an incomplete statewide Record of Marriages for 1885-1891.
• Divorces are filed with the county Prothonotary (clerk of the Court of Common Pleas).

Land Office records, warrants, and the Recorder of Deeds

Pennsylvania is a state-land state, and the Commonwealth (and before it, the Penn family) sold land through a four-step process: an application, a warrant authorizing a survey, the survey itself, and finally a patent, the deed from the proprietors or the state to the first owner. All of these are at the State Archives in Record Group 17, Records of the Land Office. The patent books begin in 1684, original warrants in 1733, and copied surveys cover 1682-1912. The Warrant Registers (1733 to about 1957) are the master index to roughly 70 percent of the land in the state, giving the warrantee, acreage, county, dates, the patentee, and the volume-and-page citations you need to pull the documents. The land records overview explains the sequence and links the digitized warrant registers, patent indexes, and copied survey books; many images are also free on FamilySearch.

The Commonwealth's records stop at the first private owner. Every later sale, mortgage, and sheriff's deed is recorded by the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the land lies, and estates pass through the Register of Wills and Orphans' Court of the same county. Because county lines moved so often, check the county formation date before you search: a deed recorded in 1790 for land now in Lycoming County will be in the Northumberland County deed books. Warrantee township maps, which plot the original warrants onto modern township outlines, are the fastest way to connect a tract name to a present-day parcel. The method for walking a chain of title back from a modern deed is in our article on tracing property deed history.

Pennsylvania newspapers and city directories

Pennsylvania has had newspapers since the American Weekly Mercury of 1719, and the state's digitization efforts run on two tracks. The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive, hosted by Penn State University Libraries, is the free statewide collection and is also delivered through POWER Library, the Commonwealth's electronic library, which any Pennsylvania resident can use with a local library card or a free POWER Library e-card. POWER Library also carries Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, a statewide digital collection of local library and historical society material. Chronicling America, the Library of Congress database, holds the Pennsylvania titles digitized under the National Digital Newspaper Program, free to all.

For titles not online, the State Library of Pennsylvania has the largest collection in the state, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania covers Philadelphia from 1790, and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh covers Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh city directories from 1815 onward are free on Historic Pittsburgh; Philadelphia directories survive from 1785 and are at HSP and the Free Library. Our guide to old city directories explains the reverse-lookup tricks that make them useful for house research.

Census, military, and statewide indexes

Pennsylvania never took a regular state population census. What it did take were the Septennial Census Returns of 1779-1863, taxpayer enumerations made every seven years for apportionment; few of the originals survive, those that do are grouped by county and year in Record Group 7 at the State Archives, and the survivors list the taxpayer's name and occupation. The census records guide lists what exists. There was also a State Farm Census in 1924 and 1927. Federal population schedules run 1790-1950, with agricultural, manufacturing, and mortality schedules for 1850-1880 and the 1890 veterans schedule.

• Birth indexes 1906-1920 and death indexes 1906-1975, PDFs by surname, from the State Archives.
• Revolutionary War pension and militia records and the published Pennsylvania Archives series (colonial and Revolutionary muster rolls, tax lists, and marriages) are among the Archives' online research tools.
• 1798 and 1815 Federal Direct Tax lists describe each taxpayer's buildings by dimensions and materials, a rare early snapshot of houses as well as owners.
• County and municipal records on microfilm at the Archives, covered by its county records guide, include tax assessments and Orphans' Court dockets for most counties.

Researching a house or building in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is a bureau of the PHMC. Its public database is PA-SHARE, which holds the statewide inventory of surveyed historic resources, National Register listings and nominations, and archaeological site data; a free account lets you look up whether a property has been surveyed or listed. PA SHPO also runs the state historical marker program, the blue-and-gold roadside markers you see across the Commonwealth.

The State Archives' historic buildings research guide points to the specific record groups that help: the 1798 and 1815 Federal Direct Tax returns with building measurements, Department of Highways photographs from about 1907-1956, aerial surveys from 1937-1942, Land Office maps, and county tax, deed, and estate records. Sanborn fire insurance maps for Pennsylvania towns are available through a ProQuest subscription at many libraries, and Historic Pittsburgh has the Hopkins plat maps for Allegheny County. Combine PA-SHARE, the Recorder of Deeds, and the warrantee township maps and you can usually carry a rural property back to its 18th-century warrant. See our articles on dating your house and researching an old building for the order to work in.

Working with Pennsylvania historical societies

Nearly every one of the 67 counties has a county historical society, and most also have a separate genealogical society; the two often share a building but keep different files, so ask which one holds the family folders and the church record transcriptions. Many county societies hold tax lists and deed abstracts that the Archives does not, and a few, such as those in Lancaster, York, and Chester counties, run full research libraries with daily hours. Township and borough societies tend to open one or two days a week; check for a research fee for non-members before you drive.

Additional Pennsylvania History Resources

• Pennsylvania State Archives - PHMC archives in Harrisburg; land, vital, military, and county records
• State Archives research guides - Guides to land, census, county, vital, and historic building records
• Pennsylvania birth records guide - Birth indexes 1906-1920 and how to request copies
• Pennsylvania death records guide - Death indexes 1906-1975 and how to request copies
• Division of Vital Records - Department of Health office for certified birth and death certificates since 1906
• Land records overview - Warrants, surveys, patents, and warrant registers at the State Archives
• PA-SHARE - PA SHPO database of surveyed historic resources and National Register listings
• POWER Library - Pennsylvania's electronic library with the Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive and Pennsylvania Photos and Documents
• State Library of Pennsylvania - State library in Harrisburg with the largest Pennsylvania newspaper collection
• Historic Pittsburgh - University of Pittsburgh digital collection of city directories, plat maps, and photographs

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find a Pennsylvania birth or death record before 1906?

There is no statewide record. Check the 1852-1854 county registers at the State Archives (49 counties survive), the 1893-1906 county and city registers where they exist, and otherwise church baptismal and burial registers, cemetery records, and newspapers. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and county societies hold many of the church register transcriptions.

Are Pennsylvania death certificates online?

Yes, for 1906-1972. The State Archives holds death certificates from 1906 to 1975, publishes surname indexes as PDFs, and the certificate images for 1906-1972 are viewable through Ancestry Pennsylvania and Ancestry.com. Deaths less than 50 years old are restricted and come only from the Division of Vital Records.

Where are Pennsylvania land warrants and patents?

At the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, Record Group 17, Records of the Land Office: patent books from 1684, original warrants from 1733, and copied surveys for 1682-1912. The Warrant Registers index them by county and surname and many images are online free. Deeds after the first owner are at the county Recorder of Deeds.

What is PA-SHARE?

PA-SHARE is the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office's online database of historic and archaeological resources. It contains the statewide survey inventory and National Register listings and nominations, and it is where you check whether a building has already been documented or listed.