Vital records, as their name suggests, are connected with central life events: birth, marriage, and death. Maintained by civil authorities, they are prime sources of genealogical information; but, unfortunately, official vital records are available only for relatively recent periods. These records, despite their recent creation in the United States, are critically important in genealogical research, often supplying details on family members well back into the nineteenth century. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, by Loretto Szucs and Sandra Luebking.
- Divorces Granted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from December, 1785, until 1801
These records are an extraction from Pennsylvania Supreme Court records of the divorces granted under its’ authority from 1785-1801.
Ancestry.com Pennsylvania Databases $
A large collection of databases of births, deaths, marriages, census, obituaries, directories, estate records, and service records. Get 14 Days Free Access!!!
Pennsylvania Marriages to 1790 $
This database contains the names of over 31,000 individuals for whom marriage licenses were issued in the Province of Pennsylvania, previous to 1790. Each entry includes the names of the individuals and the date. Among the laws agreed upon in England by the Proprietary for the government of the Province of Pennsylvania, was one providing for a registry of marriages, births and deaths. By virtue of this law licenses were issued by the authorities, whose names are also listed, and the county or town they served in. (Requires Ancestry.com Membership) Get 14 Days Free Access!!!
Pennsylvania Marriages to 1810 $
Originally published in volume VIII of the second series of the Pennsylvania Archives, this wonderful collection contains almost 35,000 marriage records from the following: (Requires Ancestry.com Membership) Get 14 Days Free Access!!!
- Marriages Recorded by the Registrar General of the Province, 1658-1689;
- Christ Church, Philadelphia 1709-1806;
- Swedes’ Church, Philadelphia, 1750-1810;
- First Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, 1785-1812;
- St. Paul’s Episcopal, Chester, 1704-1733;
- Reformed Church, Falkner Swamp (Montgomery Co.), 1748-1800;
- Lutheran Church, New Hannover (Montgomery Co.), 1745-1809;
- German Reformed Church, Philadelphia, 1748-1802;
- First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, 1761-1803;
- Paxtang and Derry Churches, 1741-1810.
Pennsylvania, Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages $
Settled in large part by German immigrants, Pennsylvania has been home to hundreds of Lutheran congregations since its formation in the seventeenth century. This database is a collection of Lutheran Church baptism and marriage records from southeastern Pennsylvania between 1730 and 1779. The records were kept largely by Rev. John Casper Stoever. Baptism records, in addition to providing the location and date, include the child’s name, parents’ names, birth date, and names of sponsors. Marriage records include the names of both spouses, and marriage location. It contains the names of over 6,000 people. (Requires Ancestry.com Membership) Get 14 Days Free Access!!!
Reading, Pennsylvania Marriage Records, 1876-84 $
This database indexes 9,700 marriages recorded in the City of Reading only. After 1884, all Berks County marriage licenses were recorded by the County of Berks. When requesting a copy of a record from the Berks County Register of Wills, indicate the name, year, and file number found in the index. (Requires Ancestry.com Membership) Get 14 Days Free Access!!!
State Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
Central Building
101 South Mercer Street
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
