Pennsylvania-Birth-Records-Family-Search: Find Your Roots.

Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search is a free tool for people who want to see their family history in the state. This tool helps you see names, dates, and places where people were born. Before the year 1906, each town or county kept its own books for births. After 1906, the state started to keep one big list. FamilySearch has put these lists online so you can see them from home. You can see names of babies, their moms and dads, and the day they were born. These records help you build your family tree and learn about your past parents. Using these records is easy and does not cost money.

Topical Authority Improvement Plan

To be the best page on this topic, we must cover things other sites miss. Most sites only talk about the year 1906. We will talk about church records from the 1700s. We will talk about why the state changed the law. We will talk about how to get a paper copy of a birth certificate. We will also talk about the 105-year rule. This rule keeps some names secret for a long time. By talking about all these parts, we show we know the most about this topic. This helps people who are looking for very old family members or new ones. We will use data from the state library and historical societies.

• The 1906 State Law change and why it happened.
• How the Great Depression made people need delayed birth records.
• Differences in how Philadelphia and Pittsburgh kept books.
• Using Quaker and German church books for births before 1906.
• The role of the New Castle office for new paper copies.
• Microfilm numbers for people who want to look at old films.

Intent Map and User Needs

People use Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search for many reasons. Some want to join groups like the Daughters of the American Revolution. Others just want to know where their grandpa was born. We have made a plan to help every kind of user. Our content helps people who know a lot about history and people who are just starting. We answer the question of where to look first. We also tell you what to do if you cannot find a name. This map shows how we meet the needs of our readers.

The 1906 Law and Statewide Records

In the year 1906, Pennsylvania passed a law called Act 218. This law said that the state must keep all birth and death records in one place. Before this, you had to go to the county courthouse to see these books. Many counties did not keep good books. Some books were lost in fires. Some towns never wrote down births at all. The new law made it so every doctor or midwife had to tell the state when a baby was born. This made the records much better for everyone. Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search has the first few years of these state records online.

The state office was first in Harrisburg but later moved to New Castle. Because of privacy laws, the state does not show birth records to the public until 105 years have passed. This means right now, you can see the years 1906 to 1913 online. Every year, one more year of records becomes public. This keeps the data of living people safe. If you need a record that is less than 105 years old, you must be a close family member. You must also pay a fee to the state to get a copy. FamilySearch helps by showing the years that are open to everyone for free.

Using the FamilySearch 1906 to 1913 Index

The 1906 to 1913 index is a huge list of names. When you use Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search, you can type in a last name and a year. The index will show you the baby’s name and the date of birth. It also shows the county where the birth happened. Sometimes it lists the names of the parents. This index is a great place to start. It helps you find the right person before you ask the state for a full paper copy. You can also see a certificate number. This number is what the state uses to find the paper in their big files.

You can download these lists to your computer. They come in a file called a CSV. This lets you sort the names by town or by date. If you have a lot of people with the same name in your family, this helps you tell them apart. For example, if there are five people named John Smith, you can look at the parents’ names. This helps you pick the right John Smith for your tree. FamilySearch makes this very fast. You do not have to look through heavy books at the library anymore. You can do it all on your screen.

Early Pennsylvania Birth Records 1709 to 1905

Finding births before 1906 is harder. The state did not have a big list back then. You must look at different places. Some counties kept books from 1893 to 1905. A few counties kept books from 1852 to 1854. Most of the time, you have to look at church records. Many people in Pennsylvania were very religious. They took their babies to church to be baptized. The church wrote down the baby’s name, the birth date, and the names of the parents. Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search has many of these church records in its database.

You can find records for Quakers, Lutherans, and Catholics. The Quakers kept very good books. They wrote down every birth in their “Monthly Meeting” books. These books go back to the 1600s. German groups like the Lutherans and Reformed churches also kept books. Many of these are in German. FamilySearch has people who help read the old German writing. These records are often the only way to prove a birth happened before the state took over. They are very valuable for people who had family in the state for a long time.

Philadelphia City Birth Records 1860 to 1906

Philadelphia is a big city and it kept its own records before the state did. The Philadelphia Board of Health started keeping birth books in 1860. These books are very detailed. They show where the parents lived. They show the job the father had. They even show who the doctor was. If your family lived in the city, you are in luck. These records are mostly online and easy to see. You can look at the actual images of the old pages. This is better than just a typed list because you can see the handwriting.

The Philadelphia records also show “birth returns.” A return is a slip of paper the doctor sent to the city. It has more details than the big ledger books. Sometimes a doctor would write notes on the back. These notes might say if the baby was born at home or in a hospital. They might say if the baby was a twin. Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search gives you a way to see these images for free. You can search by name or by the day the birth was reported. This collection is one of the best for people with city family.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collections

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has millions of old papers. They have worked with FamilySearch to put many birth and baptism records online. This collection covers the years 1820 to 1930. It has names from churches that no longer exist. It also has records from old hospitals and orphanages. If your family member was adopted or born in a home for mothers, you might find them here. These records are not part of the official state list, so they have different details. They often have more about the family’s life.

When you use this collection, you might see names of “sponsors.” These are people who were at the baptism. Often, sponsors were aunts, uncles, or close friends. This helps you find more people in your family tree. The index for these records was made by a group called FindMyPast, but you can see much of it through FamilySearch. If you find a name but cannot see the image, you might need to visit a Family History Center. These are local buildings where you can use special computers to see locked records. Most towns have one of these centers in a church building.

Delayed Birth Certificates in Pennsylvania

A delayed birth certificate is a record made many years after a person was born. This happened a lot in the 1930s. When the Social Security Act started, old people needed to prove how old they were to get money. If their birth was never wrote down in 1880 or 1890, they had a problem. They had to go to a judge or the state and show proof. They used old bibles, school papers, or church records. If the state believed them, they made a delayed birth certificate. These are very helpful for people whose parents were born before the 1906 law.

These records often have more facts than a regular birth record. Since the person was an adult when they made the record, they might have given their parents’ birthplaces. They might have listed their siblings. Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search has an index for these delayed records. Some cover births all the way back to the mid-1800s but were filed in the 1940s. If you cannot find a person in the regular list, always check the delayed list. It is a hidden gold mine for family history. You can search these by the name of the person who needed the certificate.

County Courthouse Records and Archives

Before the 1906 law, some counties were better than others at keeping books. From 1893 to 1905, Pennsylvania had a law that told counties to record births. These are called “County Birth Registers.” They are usually kept at the Orphans’ Court in the county seat. For example, if your family was from Reading, you would look at Berks County records. If they were from Lancaster, you would look there. These books list the baby’s name, parents, and the father’s job. Many of these books have been put on microfilm and digitized.

FamilySearch has a list of these counties on their Wiki page. You can click on a county and see what years they have. Some counties have their books online for you to read. Others just have a list of names. If the books are not online, you might have to write a letter to the courthouse. They might charge a small fee to look for a name. But many of these old books are now at the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg. FamilySearch links to many of these archived files so you can save a trip to the state capital.

Pennsylvania Church Records as Birth Proof

Since the state was founded by William Penn as a place for religious freedom, many groups lived there. Each group had its own way of keeping track of members. For many years, the church book was the only birth record. In the 1700s and 1800s, most people lived near their church. When a baby was born, the preacher would write it in a big book. These books are often in the basement of the church or in a local library. FamilySearch has been filming these books for over fifty years to keep them safe.

The most common church records in Pennsylvania are:

• Quaker (Society of Friends): Very detailed and go back to 1682. They do not baptize, but they record “births and burials.”
• German Lutheran and Reformed: These often have the baby’s name and the names of “Godparents.”
• Presbyterian: These are common in the western part of the state near Pittsburgh.
• Catholic: These are usually in Latin. “Natus” means birth and “Baptizatus” means baptism.
• Episcopal: These records look a lot like the ones from England.

Vital Statistics and the New Castle Office

If you need a real birth certificate for a legal reason, you cannot use FamilySearch. You must get one from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Their main office is in New Castle. They keep the official records from 1906 to today. To get a copy, you must prove who you are. You have to send a copy of your ID and a form. It costs about $20 for a standard copy. This is the paper you need if you want to get a passport or a driver’s license. It is different from the historical records used for family trees.

The office in New Castle is very busy. It can take a few weeks to get your paper in the mail. You can also go to one of their regional offices. They have offices in cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, and Scranton. If you go in person, you might get the paper the same day. But you still need to bring your ID and the fee. The state library also has some copies of these records on microfilm for people to look at. This is good for research but you cannot use these microfilm copies for legal tasks.

LDS Genealogy and Microfilm Research

LDS Genealogy is a site that helps you find FamilySearch records more easily. It has links to many different collections in one place. It helps you see what is on microfilm. Before the internet, people had to go to a library and look at films on a big machine. Now, most of those films are digital. But some are still only on film. LDS Genealogy tells you the film number you need. You can then go to a Family History Center to see it. This is helpful if a record is not searchable by name yet.

Sometimes you might find a “target” or a “digital folder number.” This helps the computer find the right group of pictures. If you are a serious researcher, knowing these numbers is good. It lets you see all the pages in a book, not just the name you searched for. Often, you will find siblings or cousins on the pages right before or after your family member. This is because people in the same town often went to the doctor or the church on the same day. Using the film numbers lets you browse the books just like you were holding them.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the group that looks after the state’s history. They have an online portal for vital statistics. This portal is a great partner for Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search. They have put many birth certificates from 1906 to 1913 online as PDF files. You can see the actual scan of the certificate. This has the most data possible. It shows the address where the baby was born. It shows how many other children the mother had. It even says if the baby was born alive or dead.

The PHMC site also has death records. Sometimes a death record for an old person will list where they were born. This helps you find a birth record from the 1800s. If your family member died in Pennsylvania after 1906, their death certificate might tell you the town where they were born in the 1850s. This is a clever way to find birth facts when there is no birth record. The PHMC and FamilySearch work together to make sure these facts are easy to find for everyone. They keep the history of the state safe for the future.

Official Contact and Visiting Details

If you want to talk to the people who keep these records, you can contact the state office. They can answer questions about fees and how to fill out the forms. Here is the data for the main office in New Castle. Please check their website for the most recent hours before you visit.

Department of Health Division of Vital Records

Address: 101 S Mercer St, New Castle, PA 16101

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103

Phone: (724) 656-3100

Website: www.health.pa.gov

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Frequently Asked Questions

Many people have questions about how to find their family names. These questions cover rules about privacy, how to find missing people, and what to do with old books. We have answered the most common ones here to help you move forward with your search for family history. These answers use the most recent rules from the state and the best ways to search online.

Why can I only see birth records up to the year 1913?

Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search follows a rule called the 105-year rule. This rule was made to protect the privacy of people who might still be alive. In Pennsylvania, a birth record stays private for 105 years after the date of birth. This is a longer time than some other states use. For example, some states only wait 75 or 100 years. Once 105 years have passed, the state moves the records from the health department to the state archives. Then, they are made public for everyone to see. Right now, records from 1906 to 1913 are open. In January of next year, the year 1914 will become public. This happens every year on the first day of the new year. If you need a record from 1950, you will have to wait until the year 2055 to see it for free online. If you are a close relative like a child or grandchild, you can buy a copy from the state office before the 105 years are up. But you must prove who you are and how you are related to the person on the certificate.

How can I find a birth record if the person was born before 1906?

Finding a birth before 1906 means you have to look at several different places. Pennsylvania did not have a statewide system back then. First, check the County Birth Registers. From 1893 to 1905, counties were supposed to write down births. Many of these are on FamilySearch. If that does not work, look for a delayed birth certificate. These were often filed in the 1930s and 1940s by adults who needed proof of age. Another great place is church records. Most people were baptized when they were babies. Look for the “Pennsylvania Births and Christenings” collection on FamilySearch. It has millions of names from church books starting in the early 1700s. You can also look at old newspapers for birth announcements. If the person lived in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, check their city-specific records. Philadelphia started in 1860 and Pittsburgh started in 1870. Lastly, look at the 1850, 1860, and 1870 federal census. It will not show the exact birth day, but it will show the age and the state where they were born. This helps you narrow down your search for the right year and town.

What if I find a mistake on an old birth record?

Old records often have mistakes. Doctors and clerks sometimes spelled names wrong. They might have heard a name wrong if the parents had a strong accent. Sometimes they wrote the wrong birth date by mistake. If you find a mistake on a record from 1906 to 1913, you cannot change the historical image online. The state archives keep the original just as it was written. However, if you are getting a legal copy for a living person and there is a mistake, you can ask the state to fix it. You will have to send in proof like an old school record, a baptismal certificate, or a marriage license that shows the correct data. The state health department has a special team that looks at these proofs. If they agree there is a mistake, they will issue a corrected certificate. For historical research, genealogists just write down the mistake and the correct facts in their own notes. They often list both names if the spelling is very different. This helps other people find the person even if the name is spelled in a funny way in the index.

Can I see birth records for people who were adopted?

Adoption records are very hard to see in Pennsylvania. For a long time, the state “sealed” these records. This means nobody can look at them without a court order. When a child was adopted, the state would often make a new birth certificate. This new paper showed the adoptive parents as the real parents. The original birth certificate with the birth parents’ names was hidden away. However, the law changed recently. Now, an adult who was adopted can ask the state for a copy of their original birth record. They must be at least 18 years old and have graduated from high school or be 21. If the birth parents did not file a form to stay private, the state will give the person the original names. FamilySearch does not have these private adoption files. You can only see the name on the public index. If a name was changed after adoption, the index might show the new name. If you are looking for birth parents, you might have better luck with DNA testing or by looking at the records of the home or hospital where the birth happened.

What is the difference between an index and a certificate?

An index is just a list of names and numbers. It is like the index at the back of a book. It tells you where to find the real story. When you use Pennsylvania-birth-records-family-search, you are often looking at an index. It will tell you the name, date, and a certificate number. A certificate is the full paper that has all the details. The certificate shows things the index does not. It lists the street address, the number of other children the mother has, the doctor’s name, and the birthplace of the parents. In the early 1900s, it might even say if the home had a phone or if the father was a farmer or a coal miner. Seeing the certificate is much better than just seeing the index. For the years 1906 to 1913, you can often see both the index and the certificate images online. For older records, you might only see a name in a church book. In that case, the church book is both the index and the record. Always try to see the original image if you can. Typed lists can have mistakes that you can catch by looking at the original handwriting.

Are there any birth records for people born in the 1700s?

Yes, but they are never official state papers. To find a birth from the 1700s, you must look at church books. Pennsylvania was a place where many different groups lived. The Quakers, or Society of Friends, kept the best records. They wrote down every birth in their meeting books. Many of these have been digitized. German immigrants also kept very good records in their “Kirchenbucher” or church books. These are often in the “Pennsylvania Births and Christenings” collection. Another place to look is in family bibles. Back then, many families wrote births, marriages, and deaths on the pages between the Old and New Testaments. If a family was famous or owned land, their names might be in local history books. You can also look at “orphan court” records. If a father died, the court would list all the children and their ages to make sure they got their share of the land. This is a great way to prove a birth happened when there is no church record. FamilySearch has many of these court records online for the oldest counties like Chester, Bucks, and Philadelphia.

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