Local Pennsylvania History and Genealogy Journals

Pennsylvania history and genealogy was captured in locally published journals for decades. Largely forgotten, these publications are a treasure for genealogy researchers.

What Are History and Genealogy Journals?

Beginning in the early 1900’s some local historical and genealogical societies began publishing journals. Local researchers would share their findings on local history or genealogy research. These publications are full of the kinds of details we need today as genealogists. Maybe there is a Wikipedia entry on our ancestors’ communities, but who wrote it? We need the information from people we can name.

Where Pennsylvania County Historical and Genealogical Journals Can Be Found

Some societies have ceased publication of their journals, but the information in them is still useful. Don’t discount something published in, let’s say 1943, as useless. That person who wrote in 1943 knew things that we in 2021 have lost.

Below is a list of journals and magazines with links to their websites. Each one has indexes of towns, events, businesses, and of course surnames for you to use. They might not all be digitized but the local society can help you obtain copies.

Berks County Genealogical Society
Journal of the Berks County Genealogical Society

Berks History Center
Historical Review of Berks County

Lancaster History Center
Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society

Historical Society of Montgomery County
The Bulletin of the Historical Society of Montgomery County

Northumberland County Historical Society
Northumberland County Historical Society Proceedings

The Perry Historians (Perry County)
The Perry Review Series
Perry Heritage Collection Series

Snyder County Historical Society
Snyder County Historical Society Bulletin

Warren County Historical Society
Stepping Stones

Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh
Western Pennsylvania History

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine

Know of a local publication I missed? Contact me and I’ll add it.

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