Pennsylvania Institutional Records

The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is July 2024)
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Institutional records are another class of collections that should be part of one’s genealogy research repertoire. Although most of your ancestors may not have spent time in an institution, I’ll bet that almost every family tree has several that have. So they are worth your effort to research.

Here are a few good primers for searching institutional records:

What kind of institutions and types of records can we discover?

  • Poorhouse
  • Poor Farm
  • Orphanage
  • Orphan Train
  • Mental Hospital
  • Workhouse
  • Almshouse
  • Institutional School
  • Sanitarium
  • Asylums
  • Correctional institutions

Acquiring records from each of these types of institutions may be difficult because of privacy concerns, but they are worth the effort.

Below you will find free online institutional records you can use to help you discover more about your relatives who have spent time in an institution.

Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

Pennsylvania Free Online Institutional Records

For all Free Pennsylvania Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on Pennsylvania, and then click on the category of interest.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

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