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Pennsylvania
Area Key to Genealogical Records
Pennsylvania became a state in 1787.
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The Published "Pennsylvania
Archives"
description by Florence Clint, Donna K. Clark
editor
The 138 volumes of the "Colonial Records" and
"Pennsylvania Archives" were published by the state to meet the demand
people made to use the official record and manuscript material housed by
the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Through provision of the state, the work commenced in
1838 and continued until the last published n 1935. There are actually 10
series, the fist one commonly referred to as "Colonial Records", the
second being published as the "Pennsylvania Archives" with no designation
as the series. (12 volumes). One is cautioned that some references,
especially in footnotes, which say "Pennsylvania Archives" may refer to
this first publication only, and not to the whole as we now know it. The
Colonial Records and the 9 series of the Pennsylvania Archives, together,
are what is referred to as 10 series of Pennsylvania Archives. |
Early to 1776
- The Colonial Records -
with 16 volumes. |
The Colonial period
extends from the time Pennsylvania began to be settled up until the
Revolutionary War. This set of 16 volumes contains minutes of provincial,
safety and executive councils and are direct manuscript copies.
Ancestry has an index to this series on their web site.
In taking a quick peek at
The Index to Colonial Records I find that it includes personal
names as well as subjects. |
1664-1790
- The First Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 12 volumes. |
|
The First series of
the Pennsylvania Archives parallel and supplement the "Colonial Records.
These first two sets are actually not used much by genealogists. The above
index to The Colonial Records also includes an
Index to The First Series of the Pennsylvania Archives. |
pub. 1874-1895
- The Second Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 19 volumes. |
The Second and Third
series are of great value and widely used in genealogy. The work of Henry Egle, considered the considered the compositor of these two series, was
essentially that of a genealogically minded person. Dr. Egle was orphaned
when he was very young and became interested in history through tales told
him by his grandmother. Some historians and archivists have berated his
"diversity" of materials in these works, but genealogists believe he was a
"God-send".
Series two and three have a wealth of material giving
the names of those on military rosters and muster rolls, lists of ships
passengers, land warrantees & taxables and marriage records. Some of these
records were additions from "unofficial" sources, since they were taken
from individual church records. (an out-cropping of the genealogist in
Egle.) Some records are of various localities and will be detailed in the
county area keys (as time permits) instead of being detailed here.
The Second series has approximately 800 pages in each
of the 19 volumes. Some of the pages from these volumes have been posted
on the internet by USGenWeb. USGenWeb posts all their transcriptions and
images for the free use of genealogy and family history
researchers. The links below are
USGenWeb links.VOLUME I - Relates
to Revolutionary War - Minutes, Papers, list of sick soldiers in
Philadelphia, etc. It is indexed.
VOLUME II -
Marriage licenses to people (1743-1790, marriage records of
several churches, persons naturalized, officers and soldiers in service
(1744-1764), Indian traders, passes, letters and ship registers
(1743-1776), papers of province before the Revolution and an index.
VOLUME III - Names of those who took oaths of Allegiance (1776-1794),
Official of the state (1774-1790), and an index.
VOLUME IV - Papers relating to the
Whiskey Insurrection,
Narrative of the journey of Co. Thomas Proctor, to the Indians of the
North-west, 1791, and
Defense of the
Frontiers (1790-1796). Index.
VOLUME V - Papers relating to the Colonies on the Delaware. Index. (The
Delaware River is the boundary line between Pennsylvania and New Jersey)
VOLUME VI - French occupation and location at Presque Isle. Index.
VOLUME VII - Provincial affairs, Maryland - Pennsylvania boundary dispute,
Indian prisoners narrative, journals, Dutch and Swedish settlements on the
Delaware River and Index.
VOLUME VIII -
Pennsylvania Marriages V1 (prior to 1810), records of numerous early churches at various localities,
marriage records.
VOLUME IX -
Pennsylvania Marriages V2 (prior to 1810), Colonial Officers, Marriage records of churches continued from above and
colonial, provincial and early county officials.
VOLUME X - Revolutionary War Muster Rolls.
VOLUME XI - Revolutionary War Muster Rolls, Pennsylvania Pensioners (1789
and 1813 lists), Index of officers in previous two volumes.
VOLUME XII - Muster Rolls (1812-1814).
VOLUME XIII - Alphabetical list of soldiers in Revolutionary War,
documents and Muster Rolls, Oaths of Allegiance, Muster Rolls, etc. in
Lancaster County.
VOLUME XIV - Muster Rolls of Revolutionary War of various counties
(1774-1782).
VOLUME XV -
A Journal of the March of a Party of Provincials from Carlisle to Boston
and from thence to Quebec (1775), several journals and diaries of Revolutionary War officers,
Military Rolls from Department of State (Washington D.C.), Miscellaneous
rolls, lists of Pennsylvania Pensioners (1820-1825, State Annuities
applicants, Journal of Assembly. Partial Index.
VOLUME XVI - Boundary dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania and Mason
and Dixon line.
VOLUME XVII - Oaths of Allegiance and Foreigners who arrived. Indexed.
VOLUME XVII -
Documents Relating to the Connecticut Settlement of Wyoming Valley.
VOLUME XIX - Land Grant, Minutes, Index.
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pub. 1894-1899
- The Third Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 30 volumes. |
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The Third series was
also compiled by Henry Egle.
VOLUME I & II - Land Grants. Both volumes
have an index.
VOLUME III - Land rights & claims, Revolutionary Soldiers.
VOLUME IV - Maps of 76 Proprietary Manors
VOLUME V - Accounts, finances and fines. Officers index.
VOLUME VI - Military Fines, Accounts of Lieutenants of several counties.
VOLUME VII - Accounts above continued, land granted to Pennsylvania
soldiers, Revolutionary War index of officers.
VOLUME VIII - Commissions, patents, etc. (1733-1752. General Index of
names.
VOLUME IX - Commissions issued by the province, releases, deeds, etc.
(1752-1766). General Index.
VOLUME X - Above continued, Constitution of Pennsylvania, minutes of
council of Censors and convention at Philadelphia. General Index.
VOLUME XI through VOLUME XXII - pub. 1897 - Tax lists for various counties
(1765-1788).
VOLUME XXIII - pub. 1898 - Revolutionary Muster Rolls, pensioners.
VOLUME XXIV through VOLUME XXVI - pub. 1897-1898 - Land Warrantees of
various counties (1733-1896).
VOLUME XXV through VOLUME XXX - pub. 1899 - Contains Indexes as follows:
XXVII - Surname indexes for Volumes I & II, officers
names in V, VI, VII, names in VIII & IX,
XXVII - Index to all names in Volumes XI-XXVI (A to
Coston).
XXVIII - Name index continued (Costs - Juvenal)
XXIX - Name index continued (Kaable-Refert)
XXX - Name index concluded (Ref. Zones)
|
pub. 1900
- The Fourth Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 12 volumes. |
|
This series was
started in 1900 under Dr. George E. Reed and bears the title "Papers of
the Governors" and contains addresses, messages, proclamations and
correspondence of the Governors. Index in each volume and combined index
in Volume 12 pages 641-963. |
pub. 1906
- The Fifth Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 8 volumes.
The fifth and sixth series of the Pennsylvania
archives, under the influence of Dr. Montgomery (another genealogically
minded person) and because of the demand from patriotic organizations for
military data from the Public Records, the Fifth and Sixth Series were
published. Both series consist primarily of lists of names. Dr.
Montgomery's work, like that of Dr. Egle, took material from many sources
other than the official Public Records. These along with those of the
Second and Third Series constitute those of the Pennsylvania Archives most
used by genealogists. They will be found in most of the larger
Genealogical Libraries and will usually appear quite used. |
VOLUME I - Officers and soldiers, ship
registers, military rolls of the Pennsylvania Navy for the French and
Indian and Revolutionary Wars.
VOLUME II through Volume VIII - Military Rolls for Revolutionary War, some
pension and other records listed by battalions, regiments, legions,
counties, etc.
VOLUME III -
Continental Line. Pennsylvania Artillery. Part I and
Continental Line. Pennsylvania Artillery. Part II. |
pub. 1906-1907
- The Sixth Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 16 volumes.
The index is the entire Seventh Series of 5 volumes |
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VOLUME I & II - Military Rolls of the Revolutionary War by counties
continued from Volume XIII of the Fifth Series.
VOLUME III - Lists males ages 18-53 years old capable of military service,
muster rolls, returns, etc. for the counties of Bedford, Berks, Bucks,
Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Philadelphia,
Washington, Westmoreland and York.
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, 1st Battalion, Philadelphia Militia,
1783-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, 2nd Battalion, Philadelphia Militia,
1783-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, 3rd Battalion, Philadelphia Militia,
1784-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, 4th Battalion, Philadelphia Militia,
1784-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, 5th Battalion, Philadelphia Militia,
1784-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, 6th-7th Battalion, Philadelphia Militia,
1784-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, Philadelphia Militia, 1784-1790
Philadelphia City Muster Rolls, Artillery, Philadelphia Militia, 1784-1790
VOLUME IV - Military abstracts of pensions, pay, lands, officers, etc.
VOLUME V - Lists of males ages 18 to 45 for possible military service,
payrolls by counties, officer elections and returns.
VOLUME VI - Baptisms of Reformed Church in Lehigh County (1734-1834, some
baptisms and marriage records of Lancaster County, Marriage Licenses of
the State of Pennsylvania (1784-1786.
VOLUME VII - VIII - Muster Rolls, pay rolls, etc. for the War of 1812.
VOLUME IX - Muster Rolls - War of 1812 above continued, Perry's Victory on
Lake Erie, pensions, expenditures of State, payrolls, etc.
VOLUME X - Expenditures of the State continued, Mexican War Soldiers
(1846-1847).
The following links go to USGenWeb. They include a
summary of the soldiers military service.
Surnames A-E: Pennsylvania Soldiers in the War with Mexico, 1846-1847
Surnames D-G: Pennsylvania Soldiers in the War with Mexico, 1846-1847
Surnames H-L: Pennsylvania Soldiers in the War with Mexico, 1846-1847
Surnames M-R: Pennsylvania Soldiers in the War with Mexico, 1846-1847
Surnames S-Z: Pennsylvania Soldiers in the War with Mexico, 1846-1847
VOLUME XI - Election returns.
VOLUME XII & XIII - Inventories, sales and forfeited estates of the
Revolutionary War.
VOLUME XIV - Revolutionary War travel notes and orderly books and
Orderly Book of General Sullivan's Expedition from June 19th, 1779 to July
30th, 1779.
VOLUME XV & XVI - Index to the Fifth Series. |
pub. 1914
- The Seventh Series of the Pennsylvania Archives -
with 5 volumes.
Complete index to the Sixth Series. |
pub.
____
- The Eighth and Ninth Series of the Pennsylvania Archives.
These two series are not of general use to
genealogists. |
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