Pennsylvania Resources Abound

Pennsylvania is nicknamed the Keystone State. For many genealogists, it’s the keystone to their family history.

Genealogists and historians know that in 1682 William Penn, a Quaker from England, arrived with Royal Charter in hand to establish a colony where all immigrants would be welcomed regardless of religious beliefs. Within the next century, throngs came from Germany, Wales, France (including Huguenots and Acadians), Haiti and Ireland, as did Jews, Africans and Ulster-Scots. Most of Pennsylvania’s western settlers migrated from the eastern part of the province. No wonder so many family historians need to understand how to research in Pennsylvania.

To properly search your Pennsylvania ancestors, you must first do some self-educating.

I recommend reading the chapter on Pennsylvania in Ancestry’s Red Book and obtaining a copy of the pamphlet Research Outline for Pennsylvania from your nearby Family History Center. Or, send $1 for a copy to the Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150. In addition, Ancestors Plus at Shadle Center also carries the complete set of state research outlines.

These sources will explain the various records and compilations on Pennsylvania, what they are and where to find them.

For instance, vital records (births, death, marriages) are about the last thing to examine because keeping such records did not begin there until relatively late: 1906 marks the beginning of mandatory state registration.

However, there are census records for Pennsylvania beginning in 1790. Nearly all censuses through 1920 are indexed, and books of earlier indexes can be used in genealogy libraries.

Because Pennsylvania was founded as a place of refuge and religious freedom, many churches were established and most left records. The above-mentioned references detail which churches left records and where they may be accessed.

For centuries, Philadelphia has been a major port of entry for European immigrants, and microfilmed copies of passenger lists can be ordered into branches of Family History Centers. More than 200,000 names of early immigrants have been indexed and published. “Research Outline” explains these guides.

From 1727 to 1794, immigrant men took an oath of allegiance soon after their arrival and their names are available on microfilm. Later immigrants filed for naturalization in a variety of county, state or federal courts and these records have also been microfilmed.

City directories from all major cities are available on microfilm; the ones for Philadelphia date back to 1797, and 1861 for the city of Pittsburgh.

Land and tax records begin with the founding of the province; the state land office was established in 1681 by William Penn. Until 1792, the state obtained land from various Indian tribes through a series of treaties. After 1792, the state of Pennsylvania sold the land.

Because boundaries between the colonies had not been firmly established, Connecticut issued claims to land in the Delaware River and Wyoming valleys from 1753 to 1782. Virginia issued some certificates for land in southwestern Pennsylvania before 1784.

Pennsylvania also disagreed with New York, Maryland and Delaware over boundaries. Many microfilmed land records are available through the Family History Center. Remember to search county records in neighboring states prior to 1800 in order to find all possible references to your ancestor.

, DataTimes MEMO: Part 2 of this column on Pennsylvania will run next week.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Donna Potter Phillips The Spokesman-Review