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Philadelphia County, PA church records: which church, and where the records are now
County-specific tips
- Catholic: the CHRC covers this county. Baptisms and marriages before 1920 are on FindMyPast; 1920 to 75 years ago, use the CHRC form ($20); anything newer, ask the parish.
- The Lutheran Archives Center is in the city (Germantown Ave) and holds many closed-congregation books. Staff research starts at $35/hour.
- Methodist: closed Eastern PA Conference churches' records are at Historic St. George's, by appointment.
- Quaker: Philadelphia monthly meetings' records are split between Haverford (mostly Orthodox) and Swarthmore (mostly Hicksite). Search the joint TriCollege catalog.
Denominations to check
Roman Catholic →Lutheran →Quaker (Society of Friends) →Methodist (United Methodist) →German Reformed (UCC) →
Statewide sources
Pennsylvania State Archives – Church Records (MG-262) and WPA Inventory of Church Archives
Access: Church records on microfilm, plus the 1937–40 WPA survey that recorded where each congregation's records were kept at the time.
Cost: Contact the State Archives
Historical Society of Pennsylvania via Ancestry
Access: Church and town records for PA and NJ, 1669–2013, all denominations.
Cost: Ancestry subscription
Source: Ancestry – PA and NJ Church and Town Records, 1669-2013 (HSP), HSP LibGuide – Ancestry
How to find your ancestor's church
- Pin down where they lived: township, town, and approximate years.
- Pick the likely denomination from ethnic background, family tradition, and church names on obituaries or tombstones.
- Use the denomination pages above to find the archive. If the congregation still exists, ask the parish office first.