Pennsylvania State Archives Collection

These images are the index for the Continental Ledgers, 1775-1785 which are also digitized. Information includes the names of sundry persons and the ranks which some of them held in the state militia or county government. Accounts relating to the estates of various deceased individuals are also listed. Page numbers corresponding to the ledgers are listed to the right of each name. Images are grouped alphabetically by the first letter of the surname of the account holder. This collection is part of the Office of the Comptroller General which was created in 1782.

The Anatomical Board was created in 1883 for the purpose of acquiring and distributing human cadavers to surgeons and medical schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of 1998, it is known as the Humanity Gifts Registry Board and is composed of representatives from the medical and dental fields and the Secretary of Health. The Board establishes rules and regulations governing registry operations. This collection contains a register, arranged chronologically by date received, of human cadavers received by the Anatomical Board to be distributed to medical and dental facilities for research. Information provided for each cadaver includes name, gender, color, age, place of birth, marital status, and occupation, date received, date and cause of death, physician's name, where received from and delivered to, tag number, whether cut or uncut, condition, and the claimed, substitute, or buried tag number. In addition, there is a monthly consolidated report of receipts from institutions giving the total number of bodies, the number of cut and uncut bodies, the number of white or black males and females, the number or bodies in good, bad and fair condition, the number of claimed, substitute, and buried cut and uncut bodies, and occasional remarks regarding each institution providing cadavers to the Anatomical Board.

Printed, typed, and mimeographed biennial, annual, organizational, decade, accomplishment, specific powers, legislative, and activity reports issued by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Information varies with type of report but generally includes date, name of author, and the subject. Miscellaneous reports include a report on the State Records Center, a manual on the establishment of historic districts in Pennsylvania, a study on reinvesting in Pennsylvania's heritage, and a report on maintenance and repairs needed at sites and museums administered by the PHMC. Images are grouped by type of report and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of report. This collection is part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission which was created in 1945. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Annual reports filed with the Department of Internal Affairs by passenger and street railway companies. Information provided is date of report, name of company, names and residences of officers, location of general offices, history of organization and construction, capital stock, debt, and a description of the characteristics of the line such as number of car houses, sheds, stables, depots, and first and second class passenger cars together with the capacity of the cars and the number of cars propelled by electricity, horses, and mules. Also given are the number of trips per day, the number of miles run each day, average time consumed in passing over the road and the material of the foundation upon which the rails were laid. Finally, there is a monthly statement of the number of passengers carried, rate of fare, expenses, receipts, summary of payments, general balance sheet, a statement of stock and dividends, and an account of important changes made during the year. Images are grouped chronologically by year and arranged thereunder alphabetically by name of company. These records are part of the Bureau of Statistics which was created in 1874 under the Department of Internal Affairs. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of dockets of appeals petitioned to the Supreme Court, Eastern District. Information given for each case includes the dates of returnable papers; arguments and opinions; the decision rendered; the names of the plaintiff(s), defendant(s), and their respective attorneys; and the corresponding case number. For eighteenth and nineteenth century dockets, the date that an original writ was issued by the Supreme Court, and whether it was a summons, capias or writ of error, is also noted. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

These are images of basic appearance dockets for the Supreme Court, marking the date that the original writ was issued by the Supreme Court and whether it was a Summons, Capias or Writ of Error. Information provided by docket entries may include court term and case number; names of parties and their attorneys; county and lower courts from which the appellate case arose; a chronological listing of documents filed and proceedings held; and the courts' decision on subsequent orders.

Applicant files include patient name, date of admission, rank, and other personal information. This collection is part of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs which is responsible for administering the Pennsylvania National Guard, and administers various programs of assistance to veterans. Disclaimer: Not all records in this series are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction was established under the Constitution of 1874. It replaced the Office of Superintendent of Common Schools, which had been created in 1857 to assume the duties relating to the administration of public schools originally lodged with the Secretary of the Commonwealth by the Free School Act of 1834. By 1876, the officials working under the Superintendent were commonly known as the Department of Public Instruction. The powers and duties of this Department were greatly increased in 1923 when the State Library and Museum, the State Board of Censors, the Public School Employees' Retirement Board, the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, and the various State professional examining boards were made administrative units of Public Instruction. In keeping with its responsibility for administering the State's educational policies, the Department of Public Instruction supervised the public school system, distributed State subsidies to school districts, administered teachers' colleges and vocational-education programs, issued licenses for certain professions, and operated the State Library. Several administrative units were eventually separated from the Department. In 1945 the Historical Commission, the Museum and the State Archives were merged to form an independent agency, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The State Board of Censors was abolished in 1956 when the act creating it was declared unconstitutional by the State Supreme Court, and in 1963 the professional examining boards were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Department of State. In 1969 the name of the Department of Public Instruction was changed to the Department of Education. The Bureau of Statistics became the Bureau of Information Systems.This collection contains a record, arranged in numerical order by application number, of individuals licensed as chiropodists from October 26, 1956 to August 14, 1974. Information provided includes the name and address of the chiropodist; the date of graduation; the name and location of the institution which granted the degree; the date of application and the application number; the date that the license was issued and the license number; and the date that the license fee was paid and the amount. There is space available for recording the person's age and date of examination but it is left blank. As needed, a remarks section was used to indicate the date that the chiropodist died.This series continues under the Department of Education in series 22.53 Record of Licenses Issued to Chiropodists covering 1914-1956, these records are also digitally available.