Research Services
Dear Researcher:
Our staff strives to keep current with research inquiries and at the same time serve the patrons who visit the library. Our trained volunteers and staff at the Hamilton Library are available to answer specific historical questions. Upon receipt of payment and completed form, we will begin your research.
These questions may relate to any of the following topics:
Deeds and property research
Tax records
Wills and estates
Records of births, deaths, marriages
Local history topics as reported in newspapers
Other sources regarding local history
The charge for this service is based on a rate of $25.00 per hour (minimum charge of $12.50) plus charges for copying ($.50 per page or $.75 per page for copies from microfilm).
Please send the form which follows to the Hamilton Library, Cumberland County Historical Society, 21 North Pitt Street, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 17013.
Historical Research Form
Carlisle Indian Industrial School Ancestor Research
It is believed that 10,000 to 12,000 students once attended the first off-reservation boarding school, which was located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The Cumberland County Historical Society has an extensive collection of original documents, photographs, and objects left from the school. For a fee, trained volunteers will search through items preserved in the collections of the Hamilton Library. These items include the 1900 and 1910 Census Records, over forty years of publications produced by the students, hundreds of photographs, the papers of the Society of American Indians, access to the student rosters held at the National Archives and a photo summary from the Smithsonian Institute. Researches also are able to use a variety of secondary sources, which have been published after the school closed in 1918. The following letter describes this service in detail. The form following the letter should be completed and returned to CCHS, 21 North Pitt St., Carlisle PA 17013 along with the payment.
Dear Indian School Researcher:
Our staff strives to keep current with research inquiries and at the same time serve the patrons who visit the library. Our trained volunteers enable us to answer limited reference requests by mail. The fee for each search is $40.00. This search service is limited to one name/event/subject per request. Our Indian School materials are extensive and not completely indexed. Upon receipt of payment and completed form, we will search the following:
Name and Tribe index
Indian School photographs
Indian School newspapers
Primary sources (see Manuscript link on Carlisle Indian School
webpage.)
Other records (i.e. school catalogs, publications, articles, census
data).
The fee for each search is $40.00 payable in advance. This covers research time and copies. If you wish to use our search service, please send a check or money order payable to the Cumberland Historical Society at the above address. Use the following form to print or type all names, dates and places regarding your request. Allow four to eight weeks for a reply.
Carlisle Indian School Research Form
To help researchers who are unable to visit the library, a genealogical research service is available. The service is intended to provide the researcher with basic information found in the collections of the Cumberland County Historical Society regarding a specific family. A more complete description of this service is found in the following letter. The form following the letter should be completed and returns to CCHS, 21 North Pitt St., Carlisle PA 17013 along with the payment.
Dear Genealogical Researcher:
Our staff strives to keep current with research inquiries and at the same time serve the patrons who visit the library.
Our trained volunteers enable us to answer limited reference requests by mail. The fee for each search is $40.00 (member)/$50.00 (non-member). The search service is limited to one (1) name/event/subject per request. Upon receipt of payment and completed form, we will search the following :
The surname card catalog index to obituaries and marriages (from
early Cumberland County newspapers, 1785-1870)
Card catalog index to genealogies and manuscripts
The Cumberland County histories and biographical annals
Census indexes, 1790-1860
Index to wills, 1750-1937
Will abstracts, 1750-1825
Tax records, 1750-1930
Church and cemetery records
Index to estate inventories
Photo archives
All other sources which may be appropriate
In general, we will not attempt to trace the history of a property or search the federal census. We will provide the names of professional researchers upon request. Please complete the form below to make our search easier. Please print or type all names, dates and places regarding your request and return the form as soon as possible. Inquiries are handled in the order they are received.
PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO LIMITED STAFF AND VOLUNTEER RESEARCHERS, THERE MAY BE A DELAY OF SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE YOUR INQUIRY IS STARTED.
If you wish to use our search service, please send a check or money order payable to the Cumberland County Historical Society at the above address.
Genealogical Research Form
Card catalog of Carlisle Indian Industrial School subjects
Photo by Rachel Drumheller
