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Free Pennsylvania genealogy records
Where to find free birth, death, marriage, census, probate, land and newspaper records for Pennsylvania, and which offices hold what. Last checked Oct 2026.
Check before relying on these:
- Pennsylvania's release rule (105 years for births, 50 for deaths) is a general rule we know of, not a CDC figure; confirm it with the Pennsylvania State Archives.
Birth, death and marriage records
When statewide registration began: Statewide birth and death registration began in January 1906.
- Births and deaths: the state office has them from January 1906. Births older than 105 years and deaths older than 50 years are released to the Pennsylvania State Archives.
- Before 1906: the county courthouse; some counties kept registers from 1893 to 1906.
- Marriages: the county Orphans' Court clerk.
Current office addresses, fees and eligibility rules are on the CDC "Where to Write for Vital Records" page for Pennsylvania. Records that are too recent are usually restricted to close family. Older ones are often free to view as indexes or images on the free databases below.
Before statewide registration, some counties and larger cities kept their own registers. Church baptism and burial registers, family Bibles, obituaries and cemetery records fill the gaps.
Census records
- Federal censuses from 1790 to 1950 are free to search on several sites. The 1950 census is free from the National Archives' 1950 Census site, and NARA's census research pages explain each year.
- Almost all of the 1890 federal census was destroyed after a 1921 fire, so families can "disappear" between 1880 and 1900.
- Ask the state archives whether any state or territorial census schedules survive for Pennsylvania.
- Census records only exist for years after statehood or territorial organization.
Probate and land records
- Probate: Each county has a Register of Wills and an Orphans' Court. Deeds are with the recorder of deeds. Older probate files are often transferred to the state archives.
- Land: Pennsylvania is a state-land state, so there are no federal land-entry files for most of it. Original grants came from the colony, state or earlier governments; look for them at the state archives or land office. Later deeds are recorded by the county.
Historic newspapers
- Chronicling America: Pennsylvania newspapers is the Library of Congress's free archive of digitized historic newspapers, filtered to this state.
- Penn State University Libraries is Pennsylvania's partner in the National Digital Newspaper Program, which digitizes the state's papers for Chronicling America.
- Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive: a free state digital newspaper site.
- Obituaries are the best newspaper find for genealogy. If your family's paper isn't digitized, the local public library or historical society may have it on microfilm.
Archives, libraries and societies
- Pennsylvania State Archives: the state's official archives, with older government records such as court, land, military and often vital records.
- State Library of Pennsylvania: state library with genealogy and local-history collections.
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania: historical society or research library with manuscripts, photographs and local histories.
Tips for the local level
- Find which county your ancestor's town was in at the time. County lines moved as new counties were created, and records stay with the county that created them.
- Call or email before visiting. Many courthouses have moved older books to the state archives or a county records center.
- Look for the local genealogical society and the county page of the free, volunteer-run USGenWeb Project, which often have transcriptions and cemetery lists.
Big free (and freemium) databases
- FamilySearch Research Wiki: Pennsylvania: a free, volunteer-edited guide to Pennsylvania record types, useful for double-checking anything on this page.
- FamilySearch: a free nonprofit genealogy site with indexed records and digitized microfilm. You need a free account to search.
- Find a Grave: free, volunteer-built cemetery listings, often with headstone photos.
- BillionGraves: free headstone photos tagged with GPS locations.
- National Archives genealogy pages: guides to federal census, military, immigration and land records.
- Ancestry: a large subscription site. Some indexes are free with a free account, and many public libraries offer free in-library access.
Sources
- CDC/NCHS, Where to Write for Vital Records: Pennsylvania
- National Archives, State Archives list
- Library of Congress, National Digital Newspaper Program awardees
- National Archives, Census Records
Last checked Oct 2026. Offices, fees and web addresses change. If something here is wrong, the official office is always right.
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