Land Records and Vitals Search Help

INTRODUCTION:

Welcome to the Philadelphia Department of Records Historic Land and Vital Records site. In this site searchers will find a broad range of records from Philadelphia?s rich archives of historic documents.

In the system, groups of historic records previously stored on reels of microfilm have been digitally scanned for searching and viewing over the Internet. The records have been loosely indexed according to basic information attached to the microfilm reels, according to the document type.

Searching for records in this system is much like searching for records on microfilm, except with the speed and convenience of electronic viewing. In each case, to locate a specific historic record the searcher must start with basic information about a desired record, such as names and dates. The system will bring up sets of records corresponding to the reels of microfilm that likely contain the desired record, with the images listed as they are contained on the original reel of microfilm. The searcher will then need to browse the images to locate the exact record of interest.

To begin, select either the LAND or VITALS search tab.

Following are some search tips:

LAND RECORDS SEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS: Following are procedures for using the Philadelphia Historic Land and Vital Records System to locate Land Records (deeds) dated prior to 1974. For land records dated from 1974 forward, please refer to the Department of Records' Philadox system, accessed via the Department's main web page.

Non-specific search: The searcher may browse through the records by entering an arbitrary reel number or date range in the search fields. This approach is useful if no specific document is sought, but instead the goal is, for example, to survey and find illustrative examples of deeds from various time periods.

Specific search:

(1) To locate a specific historic deed, the searcher should begin with the name of either the Grantor (the individual who officially transferred the property) or Grantee (the individual to whom the property was officially transferred) of the property of interest and the approximate year in which the transaction took place.

(2) Open the Historical Index (accessed via the link on this page or from the Records Department's main page) and search for the name in the Grantor or Grantee index, as appropriate. Scroll down the pages of the index, using the magnifying feature to assist in reading the entries.

(3) Once the line entry for the transaction is located, note the book and page, along with the date of the transaction.

(4) Switch to the Historic Land Records system. The book, page and date information can then be entered in the search fields in appropriate search fields. The search should return a group of image sets corresponding to the microfilm reels which contain the desired results. Bear in mind that book and page numbers repeated over the years, so searching based on book and page alone will likely return numerous result sets.

(5)The searcher will then need to browse through the set of images, as with a reel of microfilm, to find the correct deed.

VITAL RECORDS SEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS: Following are procedures for using the Philadelphia Historic Land and Vital Records System to locate Vital Records (birth, death, marriage and naturalization records). Please note that these records are available only for limited date ranges. Please refer to the collection descriptions below.

Specific search:

(1) To locate a specific historic vital record from the available date ranges (see descriptions below), the searcher should begin with the initials of the individual of interest and the approximate year in which the record would have been recorded.

(2) Enter the information in the appropriate search fields. The search should return a group of image sets corresponding to the microfilm reels which contain the desired results.

(3)The searcher will then need to browse through the set of images, as with a reel of microfilm, to find the correct record.

Descriptions of Vital Records collections in the system:

Birth records, July 1, 1860-June 30, 1915, consist of the Index to birth records, the birth register and birth returns. For the period 1860-1903, the index is a volume for each year arranged by initial letter of the surname which lists an entry's name and the page number of the register where the record may be found. For the years 1904-1915, the index is a card system listing and entry's name, date of birth, sex, parents' names, place of birth and name of physician or midwife. The birth register, 1860-1903, lists dates of birth and registration, child's name, sex, race, place of birth, parent?s name, father's occupation and name and address of physician or midwife. Birth returns, 1860-1915, are handwritten reports to the Board of Health or to the Department or Bureau of Health of physicians and midwives. These are filed alphabetically each year and list practitioner?s name and address and, for each birth attended that month, child's name, sex, race, date of birth, ward, parents' names and father's occupation.

Death records, July 1, 1860-June 30, 1915, consist of the index to death records, the death register and death certificates. For the period 1860-1903, the death index is a volume for each year, arranged by initial letter of the surname, with an entry's name and the page number or certificate number under which the entry may be found in the register. The index volumes for 1904 and 1905 and the card index, 1906-1905, which are arranged alphabetically, list the deceased's name, age, race, date and cause of death, residence, and place of burial and the number of the death certificate. The death register,1860-1903, lists dates of death and registration; decedent's name, age, sex, race, marital status, occupation, parents (only if a minor), place of birth (city and state only), address at which death occurred), cause of death, attending physician and date and place of burial. Death certificates, 1860-1915, filed with the Board of Health or Department or Bureau of Health, include the same information as the death register but for the period after 1904 often add parents' birthplaces, length of residence at address where death occurred, duration of illness, physician's address and period of attendance, and undertaker's name and address.

Marriage records, July 1, 1860-December 31, 1885. These include the marriage index, marriage register and marriage returns. The marriage index for each year is arranged by initial letter of an entry's surname and lists the entry's name and the page of the register where the entry may be found. The marriage register lists the dates of marriage and registration, names, ages, race, places of birth and residence of both parties (city, state or country only); occupation of male, type of ceremony employed and name and address of person performing ceremony. Marriage returns, handwritten by the person, ages, places of birth and residence (city, state or country only); male's occupation, and race of couple.

Naturalization records, 1794-1904 and 1914-1930, are those of the City and County Courts of Philadelphia. These include records of the Court of Common Pleas, the Court of Quarter Sessions, the County District Court, the Mayor's or City Court, the Court of Criminal, the Court of General Sessions and the Recorder's Court for the Districts of the Northern Liberties, Spring Garden and Kensington. The naturalization records consist of declarations of intention to become a citizen and petitions of naturalization. Information in the record varies slightly from court to court and period to period. All declarations include the declarent's name, country of origin and/or sovereign, and date of declaration. Added variously are declarent's age, date of birth and place of birth, place of embarkation, date and port of entry, length of residence in Pennsylvania or the United States. Petitions of naturalization include petitioner's name, country of origin, length of U. S. residence, renunciation of former allegiance, and date petition granted.