Announcements

New pennsylvania records available on ancestry.com

Ancestry.com has recently made available through its online database the following records that may be of interest to Pennsylvania scholars. The following is information adapted from their website.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Mennonite Vital Records, 1750–1940

For years, the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society has collected genealogical information for Lancaster County Mennonites and related groups. Much of this has been compiled into the Society’s genealogical card file, which contains more than 210,000 cards containing vital statistics on families dating back to the 1600s. Cards list names, family relationships, birthdate and place, death date and place, and marriage date (as applicable) for an estimated 800,000 individuals. Both the paternal and maternal lines can be traced if the vital information is complete. Ancestry.com. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750–1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Genealogical Card File. Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania wills and Probate Records, 1683–1993

This collection includes images of probate records for approximately 97 percent of the counties in Pennsylvania. The records come from a collection of microfilm that took years to compile. They have been brought together from multiple courthouses over time to give you a single source to search. Some localities and time periods may not be included because they were not available to be acquired as part of this collection, or the records may have been lost or destroyed before the effort to collect them all began. If you are looking for a probate record and believe it to be from a county or year range that is not included in this collection, you can try contacting the appropriate county courthouse to see if the records are available. For details on which counties and records are included in this collection, please explore the browse menu at Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683–1993 [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Pennsylvania County, District and Probate Courts.

Pennsylvania Veterans burial cards, 1777–2012

Contained in this database are index cards with the burial records of Pennsylvania veterans who participated in all armed conflicts in which the Commonwealth (or colony) was involved. Beginning in 1929 these cards were created by the county Bureau of Veterans Affairs office, which still receives new cards on a regular basis from the Veterans Affairs office at Fort Indiantown Gap. The cards are divided into four series, then alphabetically by veteran surname. There are some exceptions to this system, such as the miscellaneous cards being filed in series 3. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012. Digital Images, 3–5. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of the Pennsylvania State Archives. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Call for papers

Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies

Special Issue: Pennsylvania and the Great War

Guest edited by Dr. Barbara Gannon (Fall 2017)

Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, published by the Pennsylvania Historical Association, is issuing a call for articles to be included in a special issue on the centennial of the United States’ entry into World War I, especially as it relates to Pennsylvania, to be published in the fall of 2017.

The guest editor seeks proposals of scholarly articles (25–35 pages, double spaced) featuring new research on the above topic. Pieces may focus on the events and issues leading up to, during, and after the Great War relating to Pennsylvania. These can include the activities of the 28th Division and other Pennsylvania units, the home front, the politics of war, individual soldiers, veteran’s issues, and postwar legacies. Articles placing Pennsylvania within the larger context of national and international reaction to the Great War are also encouraged.

Additionally, vignettes (less than 1,000 words) that showcase a particular artifact or document relating to Pennsylvania and World War I will also be considered.

Deadline: The deadline for submissions is January 1, 2017.

Details: Potential authors should consult the guest editor to discuss their topic, who can be contacted...