Are you just beginning your genealogy research? Are you wondering where to start? Begin by documenting your generation and then work backwards to your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. Remember to cite the sources of your information and use as many primary sources as possible. For example, birth and/or baptismal records are considered primary sources for information such as birth dates and places (however, death certificates are not considered primary sources for birth dates and places) while death certificates and obituaries may be considered primary sources for information such as death dates, places, and burials. Other sources of information include the federal census, military records (i.e. draft registrations, enlistments, etc.), church records, naturalization records, and passenger lists. And don’t forget to talk to your parents and grandparents about their experiences when they were young and their memories of their own parents and grandparents. This information can be documented via taped interview or written record.
Try these free resources to start (or continue) your research; while most of these databases are searchable, some are not indexed and must be browsed to find specific records. The library also has a subscription to Ancestry Library Edition, giving the user access to millions of American and international records and databases. Ancestry can be accessed in library only from any of the library’s public access computers.
- MyHeritage Library Edition via Pennsylvania POWER Library (you will need your library card barcode number to log in)
- Pennsylvania Birth & Death Records
- Pennsylvania Photos & Documents via POWER Library (digitized documents from unique collections across PA on a wide variety of subjects)
- Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994
- Castle Garden Immigration Center records are searchable via two free databases courtesy of FamilySearch:
- FamilySearch (LDS)
- Google News Archive
- Pennsylvania, County Marriages
- Chronicling America (Newspapers)
- Ellis Island Immigration Center (1892-1954)
- Find A Grave
- Sanborn Map Collection
These digitized booklets, most of which are papers that were read before the Lebanon County Historical Society, can be read online or downloaded and saved to the device of your choice. The year in parentheses after the booklet title reflects the year of publication.
- The History of Greenville: The Great Fire at Fredericksburg (1917)
- The Origin & Significance of Our Township Names (1899)
- The First Trial, Conviction & Execution for Murder in Lebanon County (1902)
- Golden Days in Fredericksburg (2017)
- The Name Heilman in European, American, & Lebanon County History (1917)
- History of Berks & Lebanon Counties by Rupp (1844)
- Folklore and Superstitious Beliefs of Lebanon County (1905)
- State Roads and Highways in Eastern Pennsylvania (1903)
- Frederick Stump, the founder of Fredericksburg (1914)
- Stories of Old Stumpstown (1909)
- Lebanon County’s Part in the Revolutionary War (1909)
- Lebanon County’s Emergency Volunteers at Gettysburg (1905)
- Old Schuylkill County Tales (1906)
- History of Dauphin & Lebanon Counties by Egle (1883)
- The Founding of Fredericksburg (1913)
- Dedication of Firehouse (1916)
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Biographical Annals of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania [published by J.H. Beers & Co.]
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The Rise of an Iron Community: An economic history of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, from 1740-1865 by Frederic K. Miller
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Graves That Tell a Tale: Paper read before the Lebanon County Historical Society by S. C. Albright
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A Trip, No. 2, into the “Swatara” Region Or Among the “Bethel Moravian” Settlement of Bethel Township, Lebanon County, Penna. by E.W.S. Parthemore
These local organizations house artifacts, records, documentation of historical and genealogical significance. Their staff may offer additional guidance for your research. Organizations vary by what is made available on their websites digitally.
- Lebanon County Historical Society
- Berks County Genealogical Society
- Berks History Center: Museum & Henry Janssen Library
- Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
- Historical Society of Dauphin County
- LancasterHistory
- National Genealogical Society
- Pennsylvania German Society
- Schuylkill County Historical Society
- South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
- Tulpehocken Settlement Historical Society
- York County History Center: Museums, Library and Archives, and Colonial Complex