Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

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Philadelphia is a county in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1682 from the following county/ies: original. The earliest land deed in Philadelphia was recorded in 1684. The earliest wills begin in 1682. One can contact the register of wills at City Hall, Rm. 180, Philadelphia 19107 (for indexes), 3101 Market St., Philadelphia 19104 (for records). For more information, contact the county at City Hall #154, Broad and Market Streets, Philadelphia 19107-3200 (for deeds from 1952; earlier at City Archives. On the attached map, Philadelphia is located at K6. The city and county of Philadelphia were combined in 1854 and city and county offices merged in 1952. The orphans' court is in Room 415 of City Hall, and the City Archives is located at 3101 Market St., Ste. 150, Philadelphia 19104 . E-mail: [email protected].

For information about the state of Pennsylvania see Pennsylvania Family History Research.

Record Repositories for Philadelphia Genealogy

Philadelphia City Archives 3101 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. (215) 685-9401 Major Genealogical Resources: l Philadelphia birth records, 1 Jul 1860 - 30 Jun 1915. l Philadelphia cemetery returns, 1803 - 30 Jun 1860. l Philadelphia death records, 1 Jul 1860 - 30 Jun 1915. l Philadelphia marriage records, 1 Jul 1860 - 30 Dec 1885. l Naturalization records for the following courts: Common Pleas, Philadelphia County District Court, Quarter Sessions Court, Mayor's Court, Recorder's Court of the Northern Liberties and Kensington, Criminal Sessions Court, and General Sessions Court. l Deeds, 1683 - 1952. l City Directories, 1785-1930, 1935. l Common Pleas Court divorce dockets, 1850 - 1874. l Tax assessment registers ca. 1769 - ca. 1820, varies by area.

Philadelphia Register of Wills City Hall, Broad and Market Sts., Room 185, Philadelphia, PA 19107. (215) 686- 6269. Major Genealogical Resources: l Philadelphia wills, administrations, and inventories, from the earliest times to the present. Indexes are available at Room 185, City Hall. l Wills prior to 1901 and the indexes to them are also on microfilm at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Orphan's Court City Hall, Room 415, Broad and Market Sts., Philadelphia, PA 19107. (215) 686- 2234. Major Genealogical Resources: l Marriage records from 1 October 1885 to the present are at the Marriage License Bureau. For transcripts of marriage records from 1 July 1860 to December 1885, contact the Philadelphia City Archives. l Court records concerning disputes about probate actions. Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas City Hall, Broad and Market Sts., Philadelphia, PA 19107. (215) 686-6652. Major Genealogical Resources: l Divorce information from 1875 to the present. Generally, the only information available is names of parties, dates, and final disposition of the case. Actual divorce records are only available to the parties of the divorce and their attorneys of record. l For divorce dockets prior to 1875, make inquiries at the Philadelphia City Archives.

Philadelphia Department of Records City Hall, Room 111, Broad and Market Sts., Philadelphia, PA 19107. (215) 686- 2260. Major Genealogical Resources: l Deeds after 1951. For copies of deeds prior to 1951, contact the Philadelphia City Archives. l Deed transfer sheets. Good for following the chain of title for a particular Philadelphia address from the mid-1950s back to the 1870s. Reading Room ' Room 154

The Pennsylvania State Archives Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108. (717) 787-2701 Major Genealogical Resources: l Passenger lists. l Naturalization records. l Birth, marriage, and death information. l Military and war records. l Occupational records. l Prison records. l Land records. l Church records. l Cemetery records. l County records. l Census records. l Family papers. l Miscellaneous records.

Pennsylvania Department of Vital Records State Department of Health, Central Building, 101 South Mercer St., P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. (412) 656-3100. Major Genealogical Resources: l This office has birth and death records for all Pennsylvania counties since January 1906. The address is listed below. l For birth and death records prior to 1906, contact the Orphans Court at the County Court House in the county where the event occurred l If the event occurred in Pittsburgh from 1870 to 1905 or in Allegheny City from 1882 to 1905, write to the Office of Biostatistics, Pittsburgh Health Department, City-County Building Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Religious Archives in the Philadelphia Area l CATHOLIC: Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Archives and Historical Collections, 1000 E. Wynnewood Rd., Overbrook, PA, 19096-3001. (610) 667-2125 or http://www.rc.net/philadelphia/pahrc/index.html l JEWISH: m Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center at the Balch Institute, 18 S. 7th St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-2314. (215) 925-8090. m Jewish Genealogical Society of Philadelphia, c/o 1279 June Rd., Huntington Valley, PA 19006-8405 (215) 947-7374 or http://www.jewishgen.org/jgsp/ l BAPTIST: Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, City Line and Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19096 (610) 896-5000. l EPISCOPAL: Episcopal Church - Diocese of Pennsylvania Headquarters, 240 S. 4th St., Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 627-6434. l LUTHERAN: Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119 (215) 248-4616 l FRIENDS: m Haverford College Library, Quaker and Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041-1392 (610) 896-1161 m Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399 (610) 328-8496 l METHODIST: Historic St. George's United Methodist Church, 235 N. 4th St., Philadelphia, PA 19106 (215) 925-7788 l PRESBYTERIAN: Presbyterian Church (USA), Department of History, 425 Lombard St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 627-1852

The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 2100 Byberry Road - Suite 111 - Philadelphia, PA 19116. [email protected], http://genpa.org RESEARCH ROOM Major Genealogical Resources: l Review books (many published genealogies) and accessions received by the GSP since 1994. l Published and manuscript family histories. l Hereditary and patriotic society information and lineage papers. l Pennsylvania church, cemetery, and undertaker records. Over 800 microfilm reels. l Land records for various Pennsylvania counties. l Griffith's Evaluation and Householder's Index. Irish tax records. l Marriage and death indexes to many Philadelphia newspapers. l Bible records. l Philadelphia Orphan's Court Records, 1719-1851 and 1854-1856. Microfilm of originals. l The published Pennsylvania Archives. l Germans to America, vols. 1-56. l Bates' History of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Civil war personnel from Pennsylvania. l Numerous CD-ROMs and the computers to view them. l Special collections such as the Richardson, Engle, Minter, Kephart, Rubincam, Stout, Dunkerly, Hocker, Gerberich, and Ely Collections.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania www.hsp.org 1300 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. (215) 732-6200 LIBRARY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA Major Genealogical Resources: This library houses the collection of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and much of the collection of The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Collectively, this collection is the outstanding historical and genealogical collection in the Philadelphia area. The following list only hints at the scope of this extraordinary collection. l Published genealogies. l Genealogical periodicals and the indexes to them. l Major genealogical indexes. l Church records. l Bible records. l Cemetery records. l Newspapers and the indexes to many of them. l Local histories. l Manuscripts. l Censuses. l City directories. l Wills and administrations. l Deeds. l Tax records. l Military reference section. l Published immigration, naturalization, and passenger lists. l Servitude and slavery records. l Hereditary society publications.

Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia

http://www.ushistory.org/districts/rittenhouse/civil.htm


The Counties and County Seats of Pennsylvania


Counties of Pennsylvania
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AdamsAlleghenyArmstrongBeaverBedfordBerksBlairBradfordBucksButlerCambriaCameronCarbonCentreChesterClarionClearfieldClintonColumbiaCrawfordCumberlandDauphinDelawareElkErieFayetteForestFranklinFultonGreeneHuntingdonIndianaJeffersonJuniataLackawannaLancasterLawrenceLebanonLehighLuzerneLycomingMcKeanMercerMifflinMonroeMontgomeryMontourNorthamptonNorthumberlandPerryPhiladelphiaPikePotterSchuylkillSnyderSomersetSullivanSusquehannaTiogaUnionVenangoWarrenWashingtonWayneWestmorelandWyomingYork