Home › Pennsylvania › Methodist (United Methodist)
Methodist (United Methodist) church records in Pennsylvania
Methodist records stay with the congregation. When a church closes, its records usually go to the regional conference archive.
Where the records are
Eastern PA Conference UMC Archives at Historic St. George's
Philadelphia · 215-925-7788 · mona@historicstgeorges.org
Access: By appointment. Holds records of many closed churches in the conference, including births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and membership.
Cost: Not posted
Source: Eastern PA Conference UMC – Archives & History, Historic St. George's UMC – Museum & Archives
Western PA Conference UMC Historical Records
Online
Access: Online church records (1825 to present) and clergy records.
Cost: Not posted
Statewide sources for every denomination
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
County guides
Philadelphia County Chester County York County Allegheny County