Lost in Pennsylvania? Try the Published Pennsylvania Archives

Lost in Pennsylvania? Try the Published Pennsylvania Archives by Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer, M.L.S.* TÿHE PUBLISHED PENNSYLVANIA ARCHIVES (PA) can be an in- X timidating reference source for the genealogical researcher. Its 138 volumes fill several library stacks, and the genealogist who is unfamiliar with its arrangement may walk away in despair without attempting even a superficial investigation. Yet the researcher who does look for ances¬ tors in the volumes may find rich veins of information, gaining clues about where his ancestor was and what the ancestor was doing at dif¬ ferent times in his life. A researcher whose ancestor appeared “out of nowhere” in western Pennsylvania or Ohio in the late 1790s or early 1800s may find clues to his previous whereabouts. The intent of this article is to demystify PA and give researchers the confidence to delve into it. This study will discuss what types of docu¬ ments the various series of PA contain, the best order to work through them to obtain the most results quickly, and routes to follow to locate a set of PA. What Is the Published Pennsylvania Archives? The term “archive” is generally understood to mean a repository where public records or historical documents are preserved, a collec¬ tion of manuscripts and other materials, generally with a specific focus. The title Pennsylvania Archives suggests that the set contains official *Editor's note: The author is Manager of Archival and Bibliographic Services for the Southeastern New York Library Resources Council. She has spoken at several national genealogical conferences, and has previously written for the NGS Quarterly, the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, and other periodicals. 101