Pennsylvania Genealogy Records

Many people today are interested in learning more about their past and their ancestors. As a result Genealogy is one of the most common terms in search engines on the World Wide Web. For those who are new to the world of Genealogy, there are many ways one can find information regarding their ancestors. Some of the most common forms of public records used for genealogy are: For Birth Records Birth records from 1906 to the present are maintained in Pennsylvania through the Division of Vital Records, part of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. For Death Records In Pennsylvania, death records are kept by the Division of Vital Records. This office has records dating back to 1906, but older records are available on the county level and/or through the Pennsylvania State Archives. For Obituaries Searching for Pennsylvania obituaries online is easy. This is one of the most plugged in states in the union and there are over a dozen major online resources available to anyone in the state or around the world for looking up obits from the past. You can start your search at the Altoona Public Library. They have stockpiled listings from as far back as 1936 all the way up to today and the archives are amazingly complete for such a big amount of time. The website for Earlham College, located in beautiful Philadelphia, has many listings online and available to the public. These listings are a bit on the old side, with dates starting in 1894 and going to 1912. The Bethlehem Times run their own online archive of obits that go back quite a ways. Check back to this site often as more and more listings are added on a regular basis. The Butler Area Public Library has a stunning 100,000 listings online that you can view that cover the years 1818 all the way up to a few years ago; an impressive feat to say the least. One final spot you can check out is the Erie County Public Library website. They have listings from 1987 to the present. For Marriages In Pennsylvania, marriage records aren't kept by the Division of Vital Records but are instead only available on the county level.