Description 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.

• Published genealogies.
• Genealogical periodicals and the indexes to them.
• Major genealogical indexes.
• Church records.
• Bible records.
• Cemetery records.
• Newspapers and the indexes to many of them.
• Local histories.
• Manuscripts.
• Censuses.
• City directories.
• Wills and administrations.
• Deeds.
• Tax records.
• Military reference section.
• Published immigration, naturalization, and passenger lists.
• Servitude and slavery records.
• Hereditary society publications.

A detailed listing can be found in the Woodroofe Series. The manuscript holdings are described in A Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (011.31 H629g SSH ROOM REF ). Other handouts that describe specific aspects of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania Library are available at the library.

The Library of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust St., Phila., PA 19107. (215) 732-6200.


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