Pennsylvania Genealogy

Quaker Man and woman riding on a horse and carriage

William Penn, the founder of Pennslyvania was granted a large tract of land from King Charles II as a payment of a debt that King Charles owed Penn's late father. Penn left Deal, England, and arrived at what is now Newcastle, Delaware Oct 27 1682 on the Ship Welcome with about 100 fellow Quakers.

Thanks to William Penn’s great experiment and the promise of Religious freedom and fertile land, Mennonites and other Germans would soon come to America. Mennonite Francis Daniel Pastorius led a group from Krefeld, Germany, to Pennsylvania in October 1683, and founded Germantown, the pioneer German settlement in America and now part of the city of Philadelphia. In 1698 the first Mennonite service was held in Germantown by Wilhelm Ruttinghuysen.

Numerous other German groups followed, and by the American Revolution, there were 100,000 Germans in Pennslyvania.

In 1736 and that year Melchior Detweiler and Hans Seiber settled near Northkill in Berks County. Shortly thereafter many Amish began to move to Northkill with large groups settling in 1742 and 1749.

During the French and Indian War, local Lanepe tribes under the command of three French scouts attacked the Northkill settlement on September 19, 1757.

"Workshop of the World." In the late 1800s and early 1900s, immigrants were driven and were excited to move to Philadelphia. This undeniably changed the history of Philadelphia. Waves of individuals from eastern and southern Europe, China, the Caribbean, and Latin America joined the British, Dutch, Swedish, and German settlers.

Philadelphia History

Philadelphia Liberty Bell - first made in 1752 and shipped from London. After the first ring, the bell cracked and a new bell was cast from the same metal by John Pass and John Stow.

In the early 1800s, people who wanted to outlaw slavery called it the “Liberty Bell” and used it as a symbol for their cause. A second crack came in 1846 and was soon repaired. It rang for George Washington’s birthday in that same year, but then it cracked a third time and has not been rung since. The bell traveled around the country after the Civil War (1861-1865), and since 1915 it has stayed in Philadelphia.

Declaration of Independence - On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion in Congress to declare independence. Though not all colonies were on board, Congress did form a committee to draft a declaration of independence and assigned this duty to Thomas Jefferson. The declaration was signed in the Pennslyvania State House.

Philadelphia Firsts

  • First Public Library -The Library Company of Philadelphia was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731.

  • First Volunteer Fire Department - The Union Fire Company was founded in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1736.

  • First Hospital in America - The Pennsylvania Hospital, founded by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond, opened its doors in 1751.

  • First University in America - The University of Pennsylvania, became America's first university in 1765.

  • First American Flag - The first American flag was sewn in Philadelphia in 1777 by Betsy Ross.

  • First Multi-year Capital of the United States - Served as the first multi-year capital from 1790 to 1800 before the capital moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800.

  • First Art Museum in the United States - The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1805.

  • First Zoo in the United States - The Philadelphia Zoo opened in 1874.

  • First World's Fair in the United States - The first world's fair, the Centennial Exhibition, was held in Philadelphia in 1876 to mark the 100th birthday of the United States.

  • The first "International Style" Skyscraper in the United States - The Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS) Building, 33 stories tall, opened its doors in 1932.

  • First African Methodist Episcopal Church- The AME Church was founded by Richard Allen in 1816 when he called together five African American congregations of the previously established Methodist Episcopal Church

Here are some noteworthy and important historical and genealogical societies in South-East Pennslyvania:

Genealogical Society of Pennslyvania - Also located in Philadelphia and founded in 1892 - Concentrating primarily in Pennsylvania and its adjoining states. Included are church registers, funeral, cemetery, family Bible records, family papers, and correspondence, as well as published genealogies, town and county histories, and periodicals.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania - Located in Philadelphia. HSP was Founded in 1824 and holds the largest collection with over 21 million items.

Berks County Genealogical Society - Located in Reading Pennslyvania. Records can be searched online as well as in person. There is a member-only section online.

Delaware County Historical Society - Located in Chester, Pennslyvania - has a museum gallery as well as a research library.

Lancaster History - Located in Lancaster, Pennslyvania. Lancaster History holds more than 2 million artifacts and documents.