<< Land, Census & Court Records
Military Records
During its earliest years, Pennsylvania had no formal militia due to strong Quaker influence in the state assembly. It wasn't until the time of the French and Indian War, when Indian raids struck the state's western frontier, that the assembly voted to raise troops and build forts to defend its citizens. Most original military records from that time up through World War II are held by the Pennsylvania State Archives. Those created prior to 1861, however, contain little in the way of genealogical data. Information from World War II and later is generally restricted to the veteran and/or their immediate family. Pennsylvania's online Archives Records Information Access System (ARIAS) is a rich source for military records, including records from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish American War, Mexican Border Campaign and World War I. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has an outstanding military reference section with military unit histories, bibliographies, indexes and memoirs. The library of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh contains records relating to individuals who served the Military from Western PA, with an emphasis on Civil War records.
Immigration Records Some of the earliest records for foreigners arriving in Pennsylvania can be found in Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2 vol. 17, pp. 521-667, as "Names of Foreigners Arriving in Pennsylvania, 1786-1808." These records are also included in Strassburger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, 3 volumes (Rockport, ME: Picton Press, 1992). Other early records can be found in Michael Tepper's Emigrants to Pennsylvania, 1641-1819 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999), consolidated from passenger lists published in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.
From the seventeenth century on, Philadelphia has been a major port of entry for European immigrants. Microfilm copies of the passenger arrival records (1800-1948) can be accessed through the National Archives, Mid Atlantic Region and at local Family History Centers.
Naturalization Records Most county naturalization records can be found in the Office of the Prothonotary for the county, although some are in city or county archives, such as those for Philadelphia and Chester counties. A few have also been published, such as those for Allegheny, Bucks and Westmoreland counties. Provincial and state level naturalization records are in the Pennsylvania State Archives. This includes colonial naturalizations for the years 1740-1773, which were also published in Pennsylvania Archives, Second Series, Volume 2 and have been reprinted as Persons Naturalized in the Province of Pennsylvania, 1740-1773 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967). Federal court naturalizations are at the National Archives-Mid Atlantic Region in Philadelphia, divided by Eastern District, Middle District and Western District (including Pittsburgh and southwestern PA) petitions.
Next Page > Genealogy Research in Pittsburgh
