Book: Pennsylvania Vital Records Research

The entire content of my book, Pennsylvania Vital Records Research, is linked below. I also included some links to other articles I have here on the site. The introduction is posted first to give you background of how the book is organized and the effort it took to write it.

In 2022 I did not consider myself a writer. In 2024, I do.

Pennsylvania Vital Records Research was published in December 2022, and at that time getting the words I wanted on the page was a struggle. In the past 18 months I've written hundreds of thousands words about Pennsylvania and her records, and used ChatGPT to evaluate my writing and give me feedback. "Describe my writing style in this paragraph" and "Rewrite this paragraph into bullet points" are two prompts I used with artificial intelligence (AI). I do not use AI to write for me. I use AI as an infinitely patient writing coach to help me improve and finally feel comfortable writing.

This edition of the book was rewritten for clarity and style. The overall structure of the chapters and facts about each vital record remain unchanged. Explanations of records have been enhanced with images. The text was reformatted with Atticus for improved readability.

The majority of reviews for the original book have been very positive. If upon reading this version of the book you feel that it deserves less than 5 stars, please send me an email at hello@paancestors.com. Detail what I can provide in the text to make it 5 stars. I'd love to further improve the book for the genealogy community. We all grow together as genealogists when we publish books for others to use in their research.

Denyse Allen June 2024

Original introduction:

Write the book you wish you had when you started.

That sentence above is the advice I received two years ago. I love genealogy, but I often wish that genealogy professionals would share more on how they researched. I could see from their citations what they researched, but I couldn’t figure out how they knew that specific source existed. I knew they knew things about records that I did not know, but I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

I started making notes for myself. First, on what records were available, then, on where I could find them. In the beginning, I could rely on websites to guide me on what records were available for genealogy.

But soon I ran into complicated situations involving orphans, divorce, and unusual deaths. In order to understand those, I first needed to know what was “normal” at the time and what the law required. It was impossible to find the Pennsylvania laws and historical record keeping procedures in counties on websites.

And it was then that I realized there was not a website or a book that told me what I wanted to know. If I wanted to know more about vital records, maybe others did too.

During the covid shutdowns, I put in hundreds of hours of research with out-of-print books, archive staff, and, eventually, law libraries. I collected hundreds of pages of notes. Those notes became this book: Pennsylvania Vital Records Research. This book is the book I wish I had when I started doing Pennsylvania genealogy research. My hope is it become an valued resource in your Pennsylvania genealogy research.

Each chapter focuses on a type of vital record - birth, marriage, or death - or a record closely related to vital records - divorce, adoption, and DNA. The history, laws, and contents of the records are explained so family historians know what to expect. A guide and checklist on how to find each record is provided, so you know you’ve searched everywhere. The appendices include common terms found in vital records, resources to help locate records, and the actual vital record holders themselves (for anything not online).

While the history and past laws of vital records will not change, their access and locations absolutely will change. It’s just a matter of when, not if. All website names, URLs, database titles, and physical addresses are correct as of December 2022. The book will be revised and updated when significant changes occur. Any errors or requested updates, can be sent to me through my website .

This is the first book I’ve written, and the process was made easier with the community of Write Useful Books, founded by Rob Fitz. A special shout-out to the Wednesday morning writing community who kept me motivated to keep going: Adam, Brian, Harry, Kate, John, and Marjorie. Part of the Write Useful Books process is involving Beta Readers early in the book writing process. Thank you to my Beta Readers - Anne, Christine, Debbie, Deborah, Karen, Kathleen, Lynn, Rebecca and Taerie - for their comments and feedback, and encouraging words. You all kept me going in the messy middle of this book. Gaynor Haliday edited the manuscript and her support meant more than she knows. Any errors or grammar oddities within these pages are all mine. Behind every writer is a supportive family, and my family is no different. Matt, Cassie, and Elle have listened to me talk about this book for a year and never once stopped believing I’d publish it, even when I doubted it myself.

Everything useful about vital records in Pennsylvania is in this book. Now you know everything I know! My wish is you make many new discoveries on your ancestors from what you learn here.

Denyse Allen December 2022

Downloads of the book bonuses are found here: