Library Resources

   THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA   Major Genealogical Resources:

• How-to genealogy books, especially those for beginners and those concerned with ethnic or national-group genealogy.
• Standard genealogy reference books, especially those dealing with Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.
• Local ward and fire insurance maps, from the earliest times to the present.
• Gazetteers for all countries.
• Local directories of all kinds.
• Biographies and collective biographies.
• Lists of published genealogies.
• Local newspapers, from the earliest times to the present.
• The federal census of Philadelphia 1790 - 1930, with either indexes or enumeration district descriptions.
• Government publications. The Free Library is a Government Depository Library.

See Researching Your Family History at the Central Library for a brief summary of Free Library resources and search strategies.

Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 686-5396
E-mail to: eref@freelibrary.org
Generally, questions concerning city directories and newspapers should be directed to the Newspaper Center. All other questions should be directed to the Social Science and History Department.