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Pennsylvania
Research Outline
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Historical Geography
History
Land And Property
Law And Legislation
Maps
Military Records
Minorities
Native Races
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Societies
Taxation
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

LAW AND LEGISLATIONLook this term up in the glossary.

For examples of the kind of helpful information available see:

[Colonial records] Pennsylvania. Provincial Council. Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania from the Organization to the Termination of the Proprietary Government [1683-1790]. 16 vols. Philadelphia: Published by the state, 1851-1853 (Harrisburg: T. Fenn & co.). (FHL book 974.8 N2p; on 12 FHL films beginning with 844501; computer number 172538, 172555.) This includes the minutes of the Council of Safety, 1775-1777, and the Supreme Executive Council, 1777-1790. Additional papers relating to these minutes are in Pennsylvania Archives, series 1. The journals for the Provincial General Assembly, 1682-1776 are in Pennsylvania Archives, series 8. These records contain information on naturalizations, Native Americans, petitions, appeals, legislation, passenger lists, boundary disputes, Loyalists, etc.

An index to subjects and prominent individuals in these records is Samuel Hazard, General Index to the Colonial Records in 16 Volumes (Philadelphia: Joseph Sevens and Co., 1860; FHL book 974.8 N2p index; film 844501 item 1; computer number 172559).

For an index to every name, see Mary Dunn, Index to Pennsylvania's Colonial Records Series (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992; FHL book 974.8 N2p index no. 2; computer number 645509).

Livengood, Candy Crocker. Genealogical Abstracts of the Laws of Pennsylvania and the Statutes at Large. Westminister, Md.: Family Line Pub., 1990. (FHL book 974.8 P38L; computer number 613909.) It includes information about name changes, divorces, land disputes, pensions, etc. as found in the Laws of Pennsylvania and the Statutes at Large.


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MAPSLook this term up in the glossary.

The Pennsylvania State Library has an excellent collection of maps and county atlasesLook this term up in the glossary. for almost all counties. Most of these atlases were published from 1850 to 1880. You can write to the library to order a map for a particular town or county.

A helpful guide to the holdings at the State Archives is Martha L. Simonetti, comp., Donald H. Kent and Harry E. Whipkey, eds., Descriptive List of the Map Collection in the Pennsylvania State Archives (Harrisburg, Pa.; Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1976; FHL book 974.8 E73p; film 1321380 item 2; computer number 11556). The university libraries in Pennsylvania also have map collections.

For a listing of topographical mapsLook this term up in the glossary. see United States, Geological Survey, Pennsylvania: Index to Topographic and Other Map Coverage (Reston, Va.: The Survey, [1983?]; FHL book 974.8 A1 no. 665; computer number 496259).

The Family History Library has many maps of Pennsylvania. Atlases for the years 1790, 1810, 1823, 1838, 1857, 1862, 1878, 1884, and 1917 are on FHL film 2083; computer number 464971. Another useful atlas is H.F. Walling and O.W. Gray, Historical Topographical Atlas of the State of Pennsylvania (1872; reprint, Knightstown, Ind.: Bookmark, 1977; FHL book Q 974.8 E3w; computer number 251943).

An excellent atlas, comprehensive in detail, is Atlas of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Temple University, 1989; FHL book 974.8 E7ap; computer number 695552). The historical portion of this work is published separately as Edward K. Muller, ed., A Concise Historical Atlas of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989; FHL book Q 974.8 E7apa; computer number 705029).

Maps showing county boundaries include:

Long, John H., ed. Pennsylvania: Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, Simon and Schuster Macmillan, 1996. (FHL book 974.8 E3p; computer number 766753.)

Long, John H., ed. Historical Atlas and Chronology of County Boundaries, 1788-1980. Vol. 1, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall, 1984. (FHL 973 E7hL v. 1; fiche 6051426; computer number 304297.)

County Historical Maps. Harrisburg, Pa.: Archives Publishing of Pennsylvania, [19--]. (FHL Q book 974.8 E3ch; computer number 251887.) Includes historical annotations for 28 counties.

To locate Philadelphia wards and townships from 1711 to 1965, see John Daly and Allen Weinberg, Genealogy of Philadelphia County Subdivisions, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia, Pa.: Department of Records, 1966; FHL 974.811 E3w; fiche 6046613; computer number 174969).

City ward mapsLook this term up in the glossary. can be helpful when using census records. See Ward Maps of United States Cities: Microfilm Reproduction of 232 Maps Described in Ward Maps of United States Cities. Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress, [1975?]. (FHL film 1377700; on 320 fiche beginning with 6016554; computer number 181937.) These include:

  • Allegheny, 1867-78 (FHL fiche 6016561-66)
  • Philadelphia, 1802-98 (FHL fiche 6016721-36)
  • Pittsburgh, 1855-98 (FHL fiche 6016737-43)

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