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    Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission

    Find Your Roots with Ancestry Pennsylvania

    Learn how Pennsylvania residents can access select records from the Pennsylvania State Archives for free on Ancestry.com.

    The William Penn family tree

    Overview

    The Pennsylvania State Archives has partnered with Ancestry.com to digitize family history records like birth certificates, death certificates, and military records and make them available online.

    Pennsylvania residents can access the records at no cost by creating a free account with Ancestry Pennsylvania.

    If you already have a paid Ancestry.com subscription, Pennsylvania State Archives records are already included in your results. 

    Verify your ZIP code

    To get started, enter your five-digit ZIP code to receive a link to Ancestry Pennsylvania.


    Enter ZIP code



    Create a free account

    Once you’ve verified your ZIP code and accessed Ancestry Pennsylvania, you can view a list of available records. You’ll need a free account to view and download each of the records.

    1. 1

      Enter your search terms on the Ancestry Pennsylvania landing page.

      To start a search, enter the name, birth year, or other information for the person you’re researching. The results will display entries found in the Pennsylvania State Archives records.

       

      A full list of the available record collections is located in the bottom left corner of the page.

    2. 2

      Select a record in the results and follow the prompt to create a free account.

      Enter your name and email address. You can opt out of receiving additional communications (like email promotions) by checking the appropriate box.

       

      Ancestry.com will send you a username and password.

    3. 3

      View records at any time by signing in to your free account.

      You’ll have free access only to Pennsylvania State Archives records, not the entire Ancestry.com database.

    Questions?

     Contact the Pennsylvania State Archives at ra-statearchives@pa.gov.