The African-American Clan

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on The African-American Clan Recent publications and media presentations have spurred an unusual interest in genealogical research. This enthusiasm extends from the academic community to large numbers of lay people who are attempting to retrace their roots. As is well known, genealogical research in its simplest form results in the ability to construct a blood-line tree that presents the kinship relationships between people...
read more

The Flight of the Brigantine Eagle

Posted by on Nov 29, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Flight of the Brigantine Eagle Captain Ashmead had cause to be concerned as he focused his glass on the two sailing ships some distance off his port bow. Moments before, he had been watching a sail some eight miles off his stern to the northeast, when his lookout called out the sighting of two sails almost dead ahead. Their riggings identified the two as a brig and a schooner, and motion atop its foremast reveal­ed the brig...
read more

John Frederick Hartranft Papers

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on John Frederick Hartranft Papers Although little recognized today, John Frederick Hartranft (1830-1889) did make his mark in the history of the Commonwealth and the nation as governor and as general. Born near Norristown, Montgomery County, he attended college, practiced law, and in 1861 entered the Union army at the outbreak of the Civil War. His dedication to the military was unswerving. He was commissioned colonel of the...
read more

Shorts

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Shorts “Working Under Wires,” examining the work – often unseen or unnoticed by the public – that ensured safe, reliable, and economical public transportation, will remain on exhibit at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington through December 1997. The exhibition focuses on the men and women employed by trolley companies as operators, mechanics, track crews, overhead wire and signal...
read more

Executive Director’s Message

Posted by on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Executive Director’s Message Pennsylvania is creating a new strategic plan for preserving and providing continuing access to our remark­able documentary heritage, the first in nearly twenty years. Sponsored by the State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) with a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commis­sion, an arm of the National Archives, the plan will enable us to assess the extent and...
read more

Current and Coming

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Current and Coming First in the West More than fifteen organizations in western Pennsylvania are collaborating to commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with a wide array of events, activities, and programs, such as exhibitions, reenactments, lectures, workshops, living history presentations, and performances. Participants include local and regional governments, educational organizations,...
read more

The Pennsylvania Archives Turns 100! An Interview with State Archivist Frank M. Suran

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on The Pennsylvania Archives Turns 100! An Interview with State Archivist Frank M. Suran 2003 marks the centennial of the Pennsylvania State Archives, the oldest component of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the Commonwealth’s official history agency, and State Archivist Frank M. Suran knows its history bet­ter than anyone else. An archivist’s responsibilities include a multitude of tasks. Suran discusses his beginnings at the State Archives,...
read more

Documenting Everyday Life in Pennsylvania During the Great Depression and World War II

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Documenting Everyday Life in Pennsylvania During the Great Depression and World War II The documentary photography project initiated by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in 1935 was an unprecedented experiment in the history of photography, and it remains a monument to a collective effort that will never be equaled-the recording of an entire nation, from the city and town to the farm, from the home to the factory, from work to leisure, from school to church, from the baseball...
read more

Pennsylvania Naturalization Records

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Naturalization Records Genealogists strive to find many types of written records about their ancestors Some make checklists to show which types have been consulted, such as census, naturalization or church baptism, and nearly every genealogist who expects to be taken seriously uses current standards of documentation to detail sources that support his or her conclusions. Experienced researchers are aware that there are...
read more

Pennsylvania Heritage Society Newsletter

Posted by on Nov 24, 2013 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Heritage Society Newsletter Topics in the Fall 2006 Newsletter: Teaching American History Project – Summer Highlights Signature Series – David Hackett Fischer at Washington Crossing The Conference on Black History in Pennsylvania Calendar for October – December 2006 Gift Membership to Pennsylvania Heritage Society Recent Grants Received Contributions, June 2006 Welcome New Members  ...
read more