Genealogy and Library Research Services





Genealogy and Research Services Index 

Library Genealogical Research Service


   To help researchers who cannot come to 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 discription of this service is described 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 $50.00 payment. 

Dear Genealogical Researcher: 

Our part-time staff strives to keep current with research inquiries and at the same time serve the partons who visit the library. 

We have a volunteer program which enables us to answer limited reference requests by mail. The fee for each search is $40.00 (member)/$50.00 (non-member). The search services is limited to one (1) name/event/subject per request. Upon receipt of payment and completed form, we will search the following : 

  1. The surname card catalog index to obituaries and marriages (from early Cumberland County newspapers, 1785-1870). 
  2. Card catalog index to genealogies and manuscripts. 
  3. The Cumberland County histories and biographical annals. 
  4. Census indexes, 1790-1860. 
  5. Index to wills, 1750-1937. Will Abstracts 1750-1825. 
  6. Tax records 1750-1930. 
  7. Church and cemetery records. 
  8. Index to estate inventories. 
  9. Photo archives. 
  10. 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 UNTIL 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.


Our hours are : Monday, 3PM-9PM; Tuesday through Friday 10AM-4PM and Saturday 10AM-3PM. $5.00 admission fee for non-members.
Sincerely, 
 

Library Staff 

GENEALOGISTS
The Cumberland County Historical Society will print genealogical queries in the quarterly membership newsletter. Entries are limited to two per sender per issue and are $3.00 per query for members and $7.00 for non-members. Payment must be included with the query. Include your name and address. Limit is 40 words. Items that do not follow these instructions will not be printed. Queries will be printed as space permits.

Send to:
SEARCH
Cumberland County Historical Society
P.O. Box 626
Carlisle, PA 17013



 

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. 


 

Cumberland County Historical Society 
21 North Pitt Street 
Carlisle, PA 17013 

Dear Indian School Researcher: 

Our part-time staff strives to keep current with inquiries and at the same time serve the patrons who visit the library. The volunteer program now enables us to answer limited reference requests for a moderate fee, payable in advance. 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: 

  1. Name and Tribe index 
  2. Indian School photographs 
  3. Indian School newspapers 
  4. Primary sources (see Manuscript link on Carlisle Indian School webpage.) 
  5. Other records (i.e. school catalogs, publications, articles, census data). 
The fee for each search is $30.00 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. Include a business-size, self-addressed envelope. Use the form which follows to print or type all names, dates and places regarding your request. Allow four to eight weeks for a reply. 

We would be happy to assist you if you can come to Carlisle to pursue your research. The library hours are Monday, 3-9PM, Tuesday through Friday 10AM-4PM and Saturday 10AM-3PM.

Sincerely, 

Library Staff 
 




 
 

Historical Research Service

Volunteers and staff at the Hamilton Library, Cumberland County Historical Society are available to answer specific historical questions. 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 and 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. 
 


 

NEW!  Now for sale in the CCHS Museum Shop Cemeteries of Cumberland County by Bob Davidson.  This softbound book contains maps and directions to every known cemetery in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.  This book also describes which township or borough the cemetery is located within Cumberland County.  Cost of this book is $15.00 plus sales tax if purchased at the CCHS Museum Shop.  Individuals may order the book by mail by printing the form below and sending it along with payment to (Please add $4.00 shipping and handling): 
 

A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling, toll free within PA, 1-800-732-0999.  Registration does not imply endorsement.