Abrams Collection Genealogy Highlights
Fall 2006
Volume 8, Number 4
A PDF version of Pennsylvania Genealogy Resources is also available.
With its central location, long history of religious and social tolerance, and status as an important immigration point, Pennsylvania is a key state for many family history researchers. First settled by Swedes in 1643, it became the colony of Pennsylvania when William Penn was awarded a charter in 1681. Founded as an area of spiritual freedom and refuge, Pennsylvania quickly became a destination for a number of religious groups, including Mennonites, Moravians, Palatines, the Pennsylvania Dutch and Quakers.
During the Revolution, Pennsylvania was a significant contributor to the American cause, offering much-needed soldiers, supplies and money. After the Revolutionary period, mining and other emerging industries soon attracted a new wave of immigrants from across Europe, including Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Poland and Russia. Many of these settlers moved into western Pennsylvania and the western interior of the United States, including the Great Lakes region. Because of this, many Michigan and Midwestern ancestors can be traced back to colonial
Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region.
This publication lists examples of notable Pennsylvania genealogy resources available at the Library of Michigan. Titles may be located by searching ANSWER, the Library's catalog, which is online at www.answercat.org. Clicking on the links in this publication will take you to the ANSWER catalog search results or the catalog record for a particular item. The easiest way to locate Pennsylvania resources in ANSWER is with a keyword search using the word pennsylvania, followed by the type of information you are looking for. Below are some additional suggestions to help maximize your search results:
Adding a more specific geographic location will allow you to narrow your search. For example, pennsylvania genealogy and lancaster county will retrieve genealogical resources that focus on Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When searching ANSWER, it is not necessary to capitalize proper nouns.
Hinshaw, William Wade. Encyclopedia of American
Quaker Genealogy. Vol. 2 of 7. Ann Arbor: Edwards Bros., 1936.
Genealogy E 184 .F89 H5
Volume 2 of the set includes Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania German Church Records of Births, Baptisms,
Marriages, Burials, Etc. 3 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983.
Genealogy F 160 .G3 P427 1983
Wright, F. Edward. Berks County Church Records of the
18th Century. 4 vols. Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1993-1994.
Genealogy F 157 .B3 W75 1993
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Crumrine, Boyd, ed. History of Washington County,
Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Company, 1882.
Genealogy F 157 .W3 C78 1882
First Tax List for the Province of Pennsylvania and the
Three Lower Counties, 1693. Bedminster, PA: Adams Apple Press, 1994.
Genealogy F 148 .A3 1994
Livengood, Candy Crocker. Genealogical Abstracts of the
Laws of Pennsylvania & the Statutes at Large. Westminster, MD: Willow Bend Books, 2001.
Genealogy F 148 .L58 2001
McElwain, Wilbur J., and Jeremiah Zeamer. Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Cemetery Records. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1994.
Genealogy F 157 .C8 M33 1994
McFarland, K.T.H. Inscriptions from Union Dale
Cemetery, Allegheny (Now Pittsburgh), Pa. 8 vols.
Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1985-1986.
Genealogy F 159 .P6 A26 1985
Nonpopulation Census Schedules for Pennsylvania,
1850-1880: Mortality. 11 reels. Washington, D.C.:
National Archives, 1996.
Microfilm HB 1355 .P4 N66 1996
Pennsylvania County and Regional Histories. 125 reels.
New Haven, CT: Research Publications, 1973.
Microfilm F 149 .P4 1973
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps: Pennsylvania. 76 reels.
Pelham, NY: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1884-1958.
Microfilm G 1261 .G475 .S36 1990
Williams, Richard T., and Mildred C. Williams, comps. Index of Wills & Administration Records, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1682-1782. Danboro, PA: R.T. Williams, 1972.
Genealogy F 158.25 .W54 1972
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Freilich, Kay Haviland. Research in Pennsylvania. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2003.
Genealogy CS 42 .N43 no. 68
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Filby, P. William, ed. Philadelphia Naturalization
Records: An Index to Records of Aliens' Declarations of
Intention... 1789-1880. Detroit: Gale, 1982.
Genealogy CS 68 .P47 1982
Indexes to Naturalization Petitions to the U.S. Circuit
and District Courts for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania, 1795-1951. 60 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1983.
Microfilm F 149 .U55 1983
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Philadelphia,
1800-1882. 108 reels. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1963.
Microfilm F 158.25 .P37 1800
Indexes are available, and the Library has the 1883-1945 manifests.
Persons Naturalized in the Province of Pennsylvania,
1740-1773. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967.
Genealogy F 152 .P33 1967
Strassburger, Ralph B. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A
Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port
of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808. 3 vols. Norristown, PA: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934.
Genealogy F 158 .G8 S753 1934
Tepper, Michael, ed. Emigrants to Pennsylvania, 1641-
1819: A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from the
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1975.
Genealogy F 148 .E5 1975
Westcott, Thompson. Names of Persons Who Took the Oath
of Allegiance to the State of Pennsylvania, Between the
Years 1777 and 1789. Philadelphia: John Campbell, 1865.
Genealogy F 153 .W52
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Pennsylvania State Archives
www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/
Index to various Pennsylvania state military records, including the Civil War, National Guard and World War I.
Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War
www.pacivilwar.com/bates.html
Links to free searchable databases of the five-volume
Civil War set by Samuel Bates.
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DenBoer, Gordon, comp. Atlas of Historical County
Boundaries: Pennsylvania. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
Genealogy G 1201 .F7 A8 1993 Pa
McCrea, Kenneth D. Pennsylvania Land Applications. 2 vols. Strasburg, PA: Pennsylvania Chapter, Palatines to America, 2002.
Genealogy F 148 .M136 2002
Munger, Donna B. Pennsylvania Land Records: A History
and Guide for Research. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly
Resources, 1991.
Genealogy F 149 .M85 1991
Philadelphia Maps, 1682-1982: Townships, Districts,
Wards. Philadelphia: Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, 1996.
Genealogy G 1264 .P5 F7 D3 1996
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Muster Rolls of the Pennsylvania Volunteers in the War of
1812-1814. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994.
Genealogy E 359.5 .P3 M8 1994
Pennsylvania. Adjutant-General's Office. Record of
Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, 1898. Harrisburg, PA: State Printer, 1900.
Genealogy E 726 .P4 P4
Pension Roll of 1835. Vol. 2 of 4. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992.
Genealogy E 255 .U53 1992
Volume 2 includes Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
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[Colonial Records of Pennsylvania]. 16 vols. Harrisburg, PA: T. Fenn, 1838-1853.
Genealogy F 146 .P42
Genealogy F 146 .P422
The precursor to the Pennsylvania Archives series.
Crawford-Oppenheimer, Christine. Lost in Pennsylvania?:
Try the Pennsylvania Archives. Genealogical Society of
Pennsylvania, 1999.
Genealogy F 149 .C83 1999
Dructor, Robert M. Guide to Genealogical Sources at
the Pennsylvania State Archives. 2nd ed. Harrisburg,
PA: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1998.
Genealogy F 148 .P39 1998
Pennsylvania Archives. 138 vols. 1852-1935.
Genealogy F 146 .P41
With emphasis on early Pennsylvania records, the set
includes early marriages, muster rolls, tax lists, land
grants and much more. Start with Crawford-Oppenheimer's Lost in Pennsylvania? before using this
invaluable and overwhelming resource.
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Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania:
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs. 3 vols. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978.
Genealogy F 148 .C722
Fisher, Charles A., comp. Early Pennsylvania Births,
1675-1875. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Co., 1996.
Genealogy F 148 .F5 1996
Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families. 3 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982.
Genealogy F 148 .G457 1982
Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births: Northampton
County, 1733-1800. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1991.
Genealogy F 157 .N7 H86 1991
To-date, series includes 14 PA counties.
Pennsylvania Vital Records. 3 vols. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1983.
Genealogy F 148 .P48 1983
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Updated 08/13/2008
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