On the Shelves - Learn More
Genealogy section--Call number: CS
Pennsylvania Genealogy--Call number: F152-F187
Histories available on these families:
Bert, Brubaker-Brubacher-Brewbaker, Groff, Hess, Hostetter, Merkle, Miller, Minnich, Reist, Sangrey, Schwalm, Shenk, Sherk, Staudt, Steckley, Wolgemuth, Zerbey
TV Shows
Who do you think you are? (NBC/TLC) CS69 .W46 DVD
Finding your roots (PBS, multiple seasons) Films on Demand
Useful resources - Ask Questions
Family History and Genealogy Resources
- Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new windowMessiah Login required. Census, immigration, military, and marriage records.
- Explore Your Roots: Genealogy Resources OnlinePDF Handout with links to free and subscription Family History resources
Top Free Choices:
Family Search Search census, death, church, and military records online (Free account set-up required).
Find a grave Crowd-sourced records of local cemeteries. May also describe family members.
Revolutionary soldier search The DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) register of soldiers and patriots of the Revolution.
Civil War soldier search National Park Service's easy-to-use database lists over 6 million Confederate and Union soldiers, and 18,000 African American sailors. The search engine finds names alphabetically.
Guide to Pennsylvania Online Documents Not sure where to look for census, land, or marriage records? This website tells you where.
Bibliography of Pennsylvania resources by county
Ellis Island Passengers Open 1892 to 1954 and welcomed 51+ million immigrants.
Castle Garden (1830-1892) Castle Garden was in NYC before Ellis Island. Over 73 million Americans can trace their ancestors to this early immigration period.
Family History Books Type family name in quotes, ex. "Smith Family"
My Heritage Database **Available with a Cumberland County library card**
Cyndi's List Largest collection of genealogical lists on the Web today. So big, it can be difficult to use, but is full of useful websites.
Google News Archive Scans of archive of full-page newspapers. No search. Must know newspaper and date of publication. Includes Gettysburg Compiler, Jan 1, 1869 - Dec 26, 1953, and Gettysburg Times, Jan 1, 1909 - Apr 30, 2009<
Historical Societies Directory Directory of societies listed alphabetically by state and searchable by name. Includes links and address
MayflowerHistory.com Includes passenger lists and genealogies, history of the trip, and some original documents by and about the Pilgrims.
Printable pages - Stay Organized
Download and fill-In blank forms to organize your research.
- Blank Census Forms 1790-1940
- Family History Forms
- More Family Tree forms
- Family History Forms from MidWest Genealogy Library