Skip to content
  • Start your family tree
Getting StartedBuild Your Family TreeDNAFamily RecordsWhat's New?Help HubDiscoveriesHistory HubThe Findmypast Community
  1. Blog Home
  2. What's New?
Peruse Pennsylvania's past with five new US collections

Peruse Pennsylvania's past with five new US collections

Picture of Jessie O'Hara - Brand Marketing Assistant
Jessie O'Hara
15 July 2022

There are nearly half a million new records to explore this week.

Have you traced an ancestor leaving for the US, but hit a dead end? Perhaps you know of your heritage in the New World, but you're struggling to continue the journey? Read on - we have five new US collections in store for you this week.

During the American War of Independence, thousands of prisoners were taken on both sides of the conflict. Within this collection, you'll find British and German soldiers who were captured during the war, giving you an insight into their military experience.

prisoners of war during the american revolution

A snippet from this collection. View this record here.

Information you may find alongside an ancestor's name includes their ship or unit, where and when they were captured, and occasionally extra remarks such as whether or not they were being considered for a military exchange.

If you're looking into more recent US history, then you're in luck. This collection contains over 117,000 Episcopalian births and baptisms from the late 1600s to the mid 1900s.

episcopalian births and baptisms

A snippet from this collection. View this record here.

The Episcopalian Church were of Protestant faith, and though they were governed separately, were considered to work in full cooperation with the Church of England. It is also possible that you may find those born outside of the US in parish records across England, Scotland and Wales.

The information in this collection varies record to record, but will include a combination of event year (birth or baptism), full name, parents' names and parish, meaning you could discover more than one generation to add to your family tree.

If you've found an ancestor in the previous collection, there's a high chance you'll trace them through our Episcopalian marriages, comprising an immense 153,000 records.

episcopalian marriages

A snippet from this collection. View this record here.

These records will give you date of marriage, spouse's name, any witnesses to the marriage and often the person who officiated the ceremony.

If you've traced your Episcopalian ancestors this far, don't stop now. Close their journey with a death or burial record.

episcopalian deaths and burials

A snippet from this collection. View this record here.

There are over 135,000 records in this collection, and you could find information ranging from place, parish, and death or burial year.

You've discovered entire lifetimes in our new Episcopalian records, but what about their activity within the church? Have a browse through these congregational records to see what you can discover.

A list of Episcopalian communicants

A list of Episcopalian communicants. View this record here.

The original Anglican congregations in Pennsylvania included Christ Church, Philadelphia (est. 1695), Trinity Church, Oxford (est. 1698), St David’s, Radnor (Est 1700) and St. Thomas, Whitemarsh (est. 1702). Originally, there was only one diocese throughout the entirety of Pennsylvania, but in 1865, the Diocese of Pittsburgh was established to encompass every parish west of the Allegheny Mountains. By 1910, there were several dioceses spanning across the state, and by the 1920s these dioceses saw a vastly increasing growth in population.

The type of records will differ per collection, but you may be able to find registers of communion, vestry minutes, membership lists and administrative records.

It's not a Friday release without newspapers, and we have nearly 132,000 new pages for you this week, including new London title the Lewisham Borough News. Have a read through the full list of new and updated titles below.

New titles:

Updated titles:

Feeling thirsty for more American collections? Make sure you didn't miss our Independence Day release, full of records from the Revolutionary War, and of course let us know what you find at discoveries@findmypast.com.