As I have been researching Jacob Fisher in Northampton County, Pennsylvania for my Research Like a Pro Study Group, I have found some great records! One record set that I am really excited to have discovered is Pennsylvania Archives. These volumes should not be confused with the repository in Harrisburg where official colonial and state records are kept.
Pennsylvania Archives is a 138-volume, 10-series set of the well-known collection of early government records transcribed and printed by the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania Archives has been relied upon by scholars, genealogists, and historians for valuable historical information for over a century.
All of the Pennsylvania Archives collection is on Fold3.com with free access. Each of the ten series, numbered 1 through 9 plus the Colonial Records series, has been scanned and made searchable.
Here is what Fold3 lists as the contents for each series. Wikipedia has a more detailed list of the contents of each volume within the Colonial Records and Series 1 – 7.
The Initial Period of Publication: Colonial Records and Samuel Hazard’s Pennsylvania Archives
- Colonial Records, 16 vols., published 1838-1853
- Contains minutes of various councils, 1683-1790
- First Series, 12 vols., published 1852-1856, plus an index in 1860
- Contains documents as supplement of the Colonial Records, 1664-1790
The Dr. William Henry Egle Period
- Second Series, 19 vols., published 1874-1890
- Contains military and church records, boundary disputes
- Third Series, 30 vols., published 1894-1899
- Contains military rolls, tax lists, land warrantee records
The Dr. George Edward Reed Period
- Fourth Series, 12 vols., published 1900-1902
- Contains papers of the governors, 1681-1902
The Dr. Thomas Lynch Montgomery Period
- Fifth Series, 8 vols., published 1906
- Contains military rolls and other military papers
- Sixth Series, 15 vols., published 1906-1907
- Contains military rolls (Revolution to War of 1812), church records, election returns, inventories of estates confiscated during the Revolution
- Seventh Series, 5 vols., published 1914
- Contains everyname index to the Sixth Series
The Period of the 1930s
- Eighth Series, 8 vols., published 1931-1935
- Contains votes and proceedings of the House of Representatives, 1682-1776
- Ninth Series, 10 vols., published 1931-1935
- Contains official actions of the governors, 1790-1838
In addition to detailed records naming those who were involved in military, tax, marriage, and land records, these collections cover important periods of Pennsylvania’s and our nation’s history. They include:
- Dutch and Swedish Settlement on the Delaware (1614-1682)
- The French and Indian War (1754–1763)
- Braddock Expedition (1755)
- Early Pennsylvania settlements, and Colonial history from 1664 to 1780
- Boundary Disputes with: Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia
- The Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
- Battle of Long Island (1776)
- Sandusky Expedition (1782)
- The Whiskey Rebellion (1794)
- Establishment of Presque Isle (1794)
- War of 1812-1814
- War with Mexico, 1845-1848
Using this collection:
Go to Fold3.com and type “Pennsylvania Archives” in the search field. Click on “Pennsylvania Archives” when it comes up in the search results. If you know the volume and page you are looking for, then the browse menus are the easiest way to find the articles you’re interested in. Click browse near the bottom of the page, next to the search box. If you’re looking for a name, place, date, or keyword, use the search box for the most rewarding search results.
Have you found the Pennsylvania Archives helpful in your research? I would love to hear how you have used this collection!
