Pennsylvania State Archives Collection

Images of Certificates of ship masters certifying the name of the ship master, ownership of the vessel, and certifying that no foreigners have any share in the property of the vessel. Also present are bonds to the king by the ship master and merchant attesting to the same. Information provided on the certificates is name of the ship master, type of vessel, name of vessel, where anchored, ship burthen in tons, number of any guns mounted on the vessel, number of crew members, number of crew members who were His Majesty's subjects, where the vessel was bound and also the next port after that to which bound, name of naval officer by whom surveyed, and date of certificate. The bonds to the king give the date of the bond, name of the shipmaster, name of the vessel, name of merchant providing bond, amount of the bond, and date of the bond.

Images of three types of certification recordings for mine foremen and assistant foremen: certificate books, certificate receipt books, and registers. The certificate books contain copies of the certificates issued to eligible applicants, spanning the years 1886-1923 for foremen and 1891-1940 for assistant foremen. Information provided includes the certificate number and date issued; the name, residence, age, and place of birth of the applicant; length and nature of the applicant's service; mine district; and the report's number and date. The certificate receipt books, which cover the years from 1938-1963, contain only the receipt portion, not the actual certificate, and show the applicant's name, age, place of birth and length of service; the examining board's name; certificate number and date issued; and the applicant's test score. Finally, the registers list the name, residence, place of birth, and age of the applicant; the report's number and date; the certificate number and date issued; and length and nature of the applicant's service. The registers for foremen cover the period 1923-1955, and for assistant foremen from 1923-1968. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of applications to the Department of Banking for licenses to lend money in the Commonwealth. These consist of date of filing, name of corporation, place of business, date and place of incorporation, names of Directors, amount of capital invested, proof of foreign ownership, and any previous convictions. Each application is signed, sworn, and notarized. Disclaimer: Not all records in this series are digitized. Holdings in this collection dated May 14, 1933 or earlier are open for researcher access. Records after that date are restricted. Please contact the Pennsylvania State Archives for additional information.

Images of certification registers for the Assistant First and Second Grade Foremen. Information provided about each foreman includes name, place of birth, place of residence, age, inspection district, date and number of certificate, name of mine and mine operator, length and nature of service, the mine district number, and the report number and date. Second Grade Foreman registers begin in 1923, and First Grade Foreman registers begin in 1938. First and Second Grade registers are found within the same volumes for 1938-1951 and 1962-1963. Disclaimer: Not all records in this series are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of a record of the contracts for men commissioned as privateers to capture British ships and cargos for the Continental Congress. Each contract is preprinted with appropriate information filled in. This kind of information includes, date of contract, names of the privateer commissioned, name of the commander of the vessel, type of vessel, name of vessel, name of the owner of the vessel and from where he originated, what kind of guns the vessel carried, number of crew members and the penalty charge to the privateer if the contract were broken. Also contained with this record are a few handwritten applications by persons wishing to be commissioned by the Continental Congress as privateers, followed by their printed contract.

This group of certificate stubs and cards is grouped into four separate batches as follows: Miners' Certificate Cards and Stubs, which date from 1937 and 1938; Machine Runner and Cutting, Loading, and Drilling Machine Operators Certificate Stubs, dating from 1938 through the late 1950s, possibly the early 1960s; Miners' Certificate Stubs which date from the late 1930s; and Miners' Certificate Stubs dating from 1939 through roughly 1965. The bulk of the stubs and cards date from 1937 through 1955, and all provide excellent genealogical data on rank-and-file miners and other mine workers who labored in the bituminous fields of western Pennsylvania. Specific information found in each batch of material includes the following: Miner's Certificate Cards and Stubs, 1937, 1938 (81 boxes): name of miner, age of miner (not found on all cards), address of miner, certification number, application number, date of issue, employer, and mine number. Index cards constitute the bulk of this series, however, for some reason the run of index cards becomes a run of certificate stubs after Box 68, beginning with the stub for John Sagan. These stubs are stylistically different from the ones described below, but convey the same type of information; Machine Runner and Cutting, Loading, and Drilling Machine Operators Certificate Stubs, 1930s-1960s (12 boxes): stub number, name of miner, address of miner, place of birth, date of birth, mine where employed at the time of exam, company name, mine experience (some stubs provide a specific number of years of machine experience), place of examination, date of examination, date of certificate issuance, and bituminous inspection district number. Miner's Certificate Stubs, late 1930s (6 boxes): stub number, name of miner, address of miner, place of birth, date of birth, mine where employed at the time of exam, company name, mine experience, place of examination, date of examination, and date of certificate issuance; Miner's Certificate Stubs, 1939-1965 (25 boxes): stub number, name of miner, address of miner, place of birth, date of birth, mine where employed at the time of exam, company name, mine experience (in years), place of examination, date of examination, date of certificate issuance, and bituminous inspection district number. Also present are twenty-six microfilm rolls. All refer to the bituminous coal region of western Pennsylvania, with the first sixteen rolls apparently duplicating the Miners' Certificate Cards (1937, 1938) and the last ten containing original data, specifically: four rolls of Mine Foreman certification stubs and certificates, dating from roughly 1939-1966 (bulk 1940s), organized numerically by mining district then alphabetically by surname; four rolls of Mine Foreman certification stubs and certificates, dating from roughly 1966-1987 (bulk 1970s), organized numerically by mining district then alphabetically by surname; and two rolls of Shot Firer Certifications, 1938-1983, arranged alphabetically by surname. The cards and stubs on these rolls are NOT in precise alphabetical order; it is recommended to check throughout the run of a specific surname letter if an individual cannot be found in the normal alphabetical sequence.

Entries usually give the name and residence of the married couple, the date and amount of bond paid, and the name of any co-bonder.

A record of Oaths of Allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, renouncing allegiance to the British Crown or her armies. Included within this record are lists of men who took the Oath of Allegiance, listed in order by date. Also included are individual oaths, personally written or in a pre-printed form, signed, witnessed and sealed. The record also contains large charts of people who had taken the Oath of Allegiance. These charts provide information on the name of allegiance takers, their age, occupation, place of nativity, place of residence, and the names of their parents.

Images of record books of wharf licenses granted by the Wardens of the Port of Philadelphia to construct or extend piers and wharves. Information provided is date of license, location of wharf, name of applicant, description of the improvement to be made, and signature of warden.