Genealogical Research in Pennsylvania

Cornelis Jacobssen was most likely the first European to reach Pennsylvania when he explored the area for Dutch Merchants in 1614. The Swedes began establishing farms in the region in 1638, and they lived in peace with the local Indians with whom they traded furs. The Dutch took control of the region when they defeated New Sweden in 1655, but surrendered the land to the British in 1664. The British conquest was partly financed by the father of William Penn for whom the state is named, and to whom the land was given.

As owner of Pennsylvania, William Penn had the power to legislate laws, levy taxes, declare war, print money, appoint officials, sell land, and administer judgment. Penn drafted Pennsylvania’s first charter, the Frame of Government in 1682, although those policies were enforced for just one year. In the same year he approved the location and layout for Philadelphia, and established a Second Frame of Government in 1683. The same year saw the settlement of Germantown begin.

Arriving in the colony in October 1682, Penn approved the location and layout of Philadelphia, met with the Leni-Lenape to acquire land and exchange vows of peace, called for elections to select an assembly, and proposed a Great Law that ranged from prescribing weights and measures to guaranteeing fundamental liberties.

With the evolvement of government came an attraction to settlers, and in addition to the German settlers at Germantown, many English, Welsh, and Scots-Irish also flocked to the Philadelphia area. By 1776, those nationalities, in addition to French Huguenots and Black Slaves made up the majority of Pennsylvania’s non-native population.

After the British victory in the French and Indian War, Pennsylvania moved rapidly toward independence. Western Pennsylvanians were outraged at the Proclamation of 1763, which prevented settlement west of the Alleghenies, and all Philadelphians were further incensed at the implementation of the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Acts of 1767, and the Tea Act in1773. In spite of this, only three Pennsylvania delegates to the Second Continental Congress voted for independence in July 1776. Nevertheless, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from Pennsylvania's State House, Independence Hall, on 4 July 1776.

As the headquarters of the new American Congress, Philadelphia was an important target for the British during the War of Independence. The British occupied the city after defeating the Americans at the Battle of Brandywine Creek in September, 1777, and moved the provisional capitol first to Lancaster and then to York. General George Washington set up his famous winter headquarters at Valley Forge after battles at Germantown and Whitemarsh, and remained there until June 1778. The British evacuated Philadelphia during the spring of 1778, fearing French naval power intervening on behalf of the Americans, and Congress reconvened there on 2 July. Philadelphia continues to serve as the US capital until 1783, and again from 1790 to 1800.

Philadelphia adopted its state constitution in 1776 following independence, and in 1780 Pennsylvania passed the first state law abolishing slavery. Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the US Constitution seven years later, and joined the Union. Industrialization began to grow in the state, and Pittsburgh's first iron furnace was built in 1792. The 1840s saw both an influx of Irish immigrants and the rise of the Native American (Know-Nothing) Party, an anti-Catholic movement.

Pennsylvania rallied to the Union cause at the outbreak of civil war, supplying some 338,000 men to the Union forces. The state was the scene of the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, a major turning point in the war for the Union cause, as the Confederate forces had to retreat to Virginia. After the Civil War Pennsylvania became the nation’s chief supplier of iron, coal, and steel, and for much of that period the main source of lumber and petroleum.

Famous Battles Fought in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia has been the scene of many Battles, fought in many wars. Many battles were fought during the American Revolution, and the French and Indian War began in Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg was the only major Civil War battle fought in the state.

These battle accounts that exist can be very effective in uncovering the military records of your ancestor. They can tell you what regiments fought in which battles, and often include the names and ranks of many officers and enlisted men.

Boundary Changes: Boundary changes are a common obstacle when researching Pennsylvania ancestors. You could be searching for an ancestor’s record in one county when in fact it is stored in a different one due to historical county boundary changes. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries can help you to overcome that problem. It provides a chronological listing of every boundary change that has occurred in the history of Pennsylvania.

Name Changes: Surname changes, variations, and misspellings can complicate genealogical research. It is important to check all spelling variations. Soundex, a program that indexes names by sound, is a useful first step, but you can't rely on it completely as some name variations result in different Soundex codes. The surnames could be different, but the first name may be different too. You can also find records filed under initials, middle names, and nicknames as well, so you will need to get creative with surname variations and spellings in order to cover all the possibilities. For help with surname variations read our instructional article on How to Use Soundex.

Genealogical resources include not only records, but the organizations that house them, or can direct you to them. These institutions include: Archives, Libraries, Genealogical Societies, Family History Centers, Universities, Churches, and Museums.

Pennsylvania Archives

Pennsylvania Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are internet based facilities that use email to distribute a single message to all who subscribe to it. When information on a particular surname, new records, or any other important genealogy information related to the mailing list topic becomes available, the subscribers are alerted to it. Joining a mailing list is an excellent way to stay up to date on Pennsylvania genealogy research topics. Rootsweb have an extensive listing of Pennsylvania Mailing Lists on a variety of topics.

Pennsylvania Message Boards

A message board is another internet based facility where people can post questions about a specific genealogy topic and have it answered by other genealogists. If you have questions about a surname, record type, or research topic, you can post your question and other researchers and genealogists will help you with the answer. Be sure to check back regularly, as the answers are not emailed to you. The message boards at the Pennsylvania Genealogy Forum are completely free to use.

Pennsylvania Newspapers and Periodicals

Many genealogy periodicals and historical newspapers contain reprinted copies of family genealogies, transcripts of family Bible records, information about local records and archives, census indexes, church records, queries, land records, obituaries, court records, cemetery records, and wills.

Historical Pennsylvania Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are an integral part of genealogical research. They help us to locate landmarks, towns, cities, parishes, states, provinces, waterways and roads and streets. They also help us to determine when and where boundary changes might have taken place, and give us a visualization of the area we’re researching in.

For locating place names, a gazetteer is the best possible resource for any genealogist. Gazetteers are also sometimes called “place name dictionaries”, and can help you to locate the area in which you need to conduct research.

Pennsylvania City Directories

City directories are similar to telephone directories in that they list the residents of a particular area. The difference though is what is important to genealogists, and that is they pre-date telephone directories. You can find an ancestor’s information such as their street address, place of employment, occupation, or the name of their spouse. A one-stop-shop for finding city directories in Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Online Historical Directories which contains a listing of every available historical directory related to Pennsylvania.

Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records – Also known as vital records, birth, death, and marriage certificates are the most basic, yet most important records attached to your ancestor. The reason for their importance is that they not only place your ancestor in a specific place at a definite time, but potentially connect the individual to other relatives. Below is a list of repositories and websites where you can find Pennsylvania vital records

Pennsylvania began recording official records of births and deaths in 1911. Marriage licenses were required starting in 1867, but not filed at state level until 1913.

Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriages prior to May 1913 were recorded in the district county courts where the marriage took place. Pennsylvania marriage licenses did not include the names of the parents unless the bride or groom was underage. Records can be found at:

Divorce records from 1861 until July 1951 were recorded in the Pennsylvania District Courts.

Copies of official divorce records after July 1951 can be ordered from the Pennsylvania Office of Vital Statistics.

Census Reports

Census records are among the most important genealogical documents for placing your ancestor in a particular place at a specific time. Like BDM records, they can also lead you to other ancestors, particularly those who were living under the authority of the head of household.

Pennsylvania Church Records

Church and synagogue records are a valuable resource, especially for baptisms, marriages, and burials that took place before 1900. You will need to at least have an idea of your ancestor’s religious denomination, and in most cases you will have to visit a brick and mortar establishment to view them.

Most church records are kept by the individual church, although in some denominations, records are placed in a regional archive or maintained at the diocesan level. Local Historical Societies are sometimes the repository for the state’s older church records.

Central Repositories for Denominational Records

Most of the records of individual denominations are kept in central repositories.

Pennsylvania Military Records

More than 40 million Americans have participated in some time of war service since America was colonized. The chance of finding your ancestor amongst those records is exceptionally high. Military records can even reveal individuals who never actually served, such as those who registered for the two World Wars but were never called to duty.

Pennsylvania Cemetery Records

As convenient as it is to search cemetery records online, keep in mind that there are a few disadvantages over visiting a cemetery in person. They are:

• Tombstone information is not always accurately transcribed
• The arrangement of the graves in a cemetery can be crucial as family members are often buried next to each other or in the same grave. This arrangement is not always preserved in the alphabetical indexes that are found online.

Pennsylvania Obituaries

Obituaries can reveal a wealth about our ancestor and other relatives. You can search our Pennsylvania Newspaper Obituaries Listings from hundreds of Pennsylvania newspapers online for free.

Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records

The documents found in a probate packet may include a complete inventory of a person’s estate, newspaper entries, witness testimony, a copy of a will, list of debtors and creditors, names of executors or trustees, names of heirs. They can not only tell you about the ancestor you’re currently researching, but lead to other ancestors.

Most of these records must be accessed at a county court or clerk’s office, but some can be found online as well. You can obtain copies of the original probate records by writing to the county clerk.

Pennsylvania probate records have been recorded by the probate division clerks of the Pennsylvania District Courts and include dockets, wills, oaths, inventories, letters, bonds, appraisements, accounts, court orders, claims, and final settlements.

Pennsylvania Immigration and Naturalization Records

The naturalization process generated many types of records, including petitions, declarations of intention, and oaths of allegiance. These records can provide family historians with information such as a person's birth date and place of birth, immigration year, marital status, spouse information, occupation, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.

Most overseas immigrants came to Pennsylvania through east coast ports such as New, and then traveled by railway to Pennsylvania. Earlier immigrants landed at New Orleans and then traveled by steamboats upriver to Pennsylvania. The U.S. National Archives has passenger lists or indexes of American ports for 1820 to 1940, as well as immigration and naturalization records for the entire United States. These records can also be accessed at the National Archives Regional Branch in Pennsylvania City

Pennsylvania Native American Records

Bibliographies

• Keeping House: Women’s Lives in Western Pennsylvania, 1790-1850, Virginia K. Bartlett (Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994)
• Women of the Trades: Pittsburgh, 1907-1908, Elisabeth Butler (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1984)
• The Homespun Textile Tradition of the Pennsylvania Germans, Ellen Gehret and Alan G. Keyser (Pennsylvania Historic Commission, 1976)
• Women and Quakerism, Hope E. Luder (Pendle Hill, 1974)
• Runaway Women: Elopements and Other Miscreant Deeds of Women, As Advertised in the Pennsylvania Gazette, Judith Ann Meyer (Closson Press, 1993)
• Mennonite Women: A Sturdy of God’s Faithfulness, 1683-1983, E.S.Rich (Kitchner Herald, 1983)

Selected Resources for Pennsylvania Women’s History

American Quilt Museum
Market and New Haven Streets
Marietta, PA 17547-0065

Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science
Pastore Library
School House Lane and Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19144

Women’s Studies Collection
Cressman Library
Cedar Crest College
Cedar Crest Boulevard
Allentown, PA 18104

Common Pennsylvania Surnames

The following surnames are among the most common in Pennsylvania and are also being currently researched by other genealogists. If you find your surname here, there is a chance that some research has already been performed on your ancestor.

ABRAHAMSON, ADAMO, ADAMS, ALEXANDER, ALVORD, AMUNDSON, ANDREWS, ARNOLD, ASH, BACKSTROM, BAISE, BALL, BANKS, BARBUTO, BARNARD, BARNEY, BECELLA, BEGER, BEGGARLY, BELEHER, BELINI, BELLOWS, BELT, BERGMAN, BERKINS, BIELAWSKI, BILLBROUGH, BISHOP, BISSETT, BLANCHARD, BLEVINS, BLIKSTAD, BODE, BOEHM, BOMAN, BORLAND, BOYD, BRADEN, BRADY, BRITTON, BROGAN, BROUCKE, BROWN, BRUNI, BRUSVEN, BRYANT, BUCHANAN, BUCHOLTZ, BUCZEK, BUNGE, BURMEISTER, CALDWELL, CAMERON, CANNON, CARCABA, CAREY, CARLSON, CARMICHAEL, CASE, CELINSKI, CHAMBERS, CHAPMAN, CHRISTOPHERSON, CHROBAK, CICHY, CLARK, CLASEN, COASTER, COLBURN, COLLINS, COLVIN, COLWELL, CONNELL, COOKMAN, COULSON, COULTON, CRAGE, CRAWFORD, CRISCI, CUTTER, DABROSKI, DABROWSKI, DANIELS, DANIELSON, DASSOW, DAVIDSON, DAVIS, DAYTON, DE NATO, DEAN, DEICH, DEMBICKI, DEPA, DERDA, DIMOCK, DOAK, DODDY, DOEHRING, DOLATA, DOLBEER, DOMBROWSKI, DOMHOLT, DORSEY, DOSTIE, DOUGLAS, DUGAN, DUNLAP, DWORNICZAK, EALY, EASPELERN, EAVENSON, EDWARDS, EHFARTH, ELIASON, ELLIOT, ELLISON, ENGH, ENGLISH, ENSLIN, ESCH, EVERS, EYLER, FARABEE, FEIST, FERALDO, FERROL, FIYZGERALD, FLETCHER, FOGLEY, FOUCHER, FRANTZ, FRESHWATER, FRY, FULLER, FURBEE, GALANTOWCZ, GARBERG, GARCIA, GARDNER, GARDULSKI, GARY, GIBSON, GIGERICH, GILLESPIE, GLOVER, GODFREY, GOETTEL, GORSLINE, GRABOWSKI, GRAHAM, GREEN, GREENE, GREENUP, GRIFKA, HALCIK, HALL, HANSON, HARPER, HATALA, HAZELETT, HEDWIG, HEEBNER, HEINCER, HEROUX, HEWITT, HICKS, HOLMES, HOOP, HOPPER, HORNER, HOWE, HUFFMAN, HUMPHREY, HUNT, HUOVINEN, IRWIN, IVISON, JACKSON, JACOBS, JAMES, JANKOWSKA, JANKOWSKI, JAWAAD, JEFFERY, JOHNSON, JOHNSTON, JONES, JUNTUNEN, KELLER, KELLY, KEMPPAINEN, KENWORTHY, KERLIN, KETCHUM, KETLAR, KETLER, KETTLAR, KETTLER, KING, KINSMAN, KLECZYNSKI, KNOPF, KNUTSON, KOCHANOWSKA, KOCHANOWSKI, KONICKA, KONICKI, KOSEK, KRAMER, KREMMER, KROTKIEWCZ, KRUIZE, KRYZOSTAN, KUBE, KUBE-MCDOWELL, KUNKEL, KYLE, KYNER, LAMBRECHT, LANDWEHR, LARSON, LAUGEN, LAW, LAWRENCE, LAZANO, LEACH, LEEPER, LEIN, LESINSKI, LEWANDOWSKI, LINDQUIST, LISIECKI, LITTLE, LLOYD, LOCKERT, LOMBARDO, LONG, LUDWIG, LUKASCZAWSKI, MADDEN, MADEJA, MALCOMB, MALINCZAK, MALLOY, MARENDA, MARKLEY, MARPLE, MARSTON, MATTHEWS, MAUER, MAYER, MAYKA, MCBRIDE, MCCALL, MCCANN, MCCLURE, MCCONAGHEY, MCCOWEN, MCCOY, MCCRACKEN, MCDOWEL, MCDOWELL, MCGILL, MCKENZIE, MCKEON, MCKIBBEN, MCKINNEY, MCMACHEN, MCMULLEN, MCNAMARA, MCQUEEN, MCQUILLIAM, MEDBURY, MEINHARDT, MELDRIM, MERCER, MEREDITH, MEYERS, MICHCZYNSKI, MIGLEO, MIJARES, MILDE, MILFORD, MILLER, MITCHELL, MOLLOY, MONKIEWICZ, MOORE, MOSLEY, MUNGER, MURREY, MUSSELMAN, MUTSCH, MYCZEK, MYERS, NASH, NEULIEB, NEUMARK, NICHCZYNSKI, NORRIS, NORWOOD, NOWADROWSKI, NOWAK, NOWODWORSKI, NUGENT, OLDS, O'NEILL, PACKARD, PARGMAN, PARKINSON, PARKS, PARYASKI, PECK, PEDRICK, PERRI, PETERS, PETERSON, PETIT, PHILLIPS, PHIPPS, PIERCE, PILZNER, PILZNINSKI, PIPER, PLANTS, PORTER, POSTULA, PRASKEY, PRICE, PROVCHY, R., RADNIECKI, RAHOCZY, REESER, REGIEC, REINHOLD, RIDDLE, RIHA, ROBBINS, ROBERTS, RODDY, ROGERS, ROSS, ROSSMAN, ROSSOW, ROVICH, RUSH, RUSSELL, RYBICKA, SANDECKI, SASTOW, SAVAGE, SAVILLE, SCARLES, SCHAEFFER, SCHOEN, SCHULTZ, SCOTT, SCZMANSKI, SHELBERG, SHUNKO, SIMMONS, SIMON, SIMPSON, SKELDON, SKERRATT, SKYSTAD, SLAWEK, SLOAN, SMAGA, SMITH, SPANGLER, SQUIRE, STANLEY, STARIN, STAWICK, STAWICKI, STEELE, STEVENS, STEWART, STOKES, STOLLAR, STORTROEN, SURITH, SYMS, SZCZENIOWSKI, TAYLOR, THOMAS, THOMPSON, THORSEN, THORSON, TOPE, TOWNSEND, TREPPA, TROELSEH, TROMPOINSKA, TURENE, TUSTIN, USKO, VALENTINE, VANNOY, VASKO, VAUSCOY, VESEY, VOSSEN, VUKMIROVICH, WALDORF, WALLS, WAMER, WARD, WARDWELL, WATSON, WAY, WEBB, WEIDENBACH, WEIDNER, WELCH, WELLEN, WELSAND, WENTZEL, WHITAKER, WILLSON, WITULSKI, WOLK, WONSIK, WRAY, WRIJEL, WYTOLA, ZAK, ZAKRZEWSKI