General Research Request & Order Form 

Note: CCHS is currently not accepting research general requests online due to a large backlog. If you have a question please reach out to Blair Williams, via email at blwilliams@historicalsociety.com.

Our trained volunteers and staff at the Hamilton Library are available to answer specific historical questions. Depending on the amount of research CCHS conducts, you will be billed up to a maximum of the hours you approve ($25.00 per hour with a minimum charge of $12.50) plus charges for copying ($.50 per page or $.75 per page for copies from microfilm).

Upon receipt of minimum payment and completed form, we will begin your research. 

These questions may relate to any of the following topics related to Cumberland County, Pennsylvania:

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

Your request will be answered in the order we receive payment.

Please note that due to limited staff and volunteer researchers, we cannot guarantee a timely response time.


Genealogy Research Request & Order Form

Note: CCHS is currently not accepting genealogy research requests online due to a large backlog. If you have a question please reach out to Blair Williams, via email at blwilliams@historicalsociety.com.

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. 

The fee for this service is $40 for CCHS members and $50 for non-members

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 provide all names, dates and places regarding your request. Your request will be answered in the order we receive payment.

Please note that due to limited staff and volunteer researchers, we cannot guarantee a timely response time.


Carlisle Indian Industrial School Research Request & Order Form

It is believed that more than 8,000 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, nearly 40 years of publications produced by the students, hundreds of photographs, microfilmed papers of the Society of American Indians, access to student rosters organized by nation, and a photo summary that includes names from the Smithsonian Institute. Researchers also are able to use a variety of secondary sources, which have been published after the school closed in 1918. 

The fee for this service is $30 for CCHS members and $40 for non-members

Upon receipt of payment and completed form, we will search the following: 

Name and Tribe index

Indian School photographs

Indian School newspapers

Primary sources

Other records (i.e. school catalogs, publications, articles, census data).

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.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School Research Request Form


Photo Research & Order Form 

CCHS will search our photograph collection for specific subjects and provide up to 20 photocopies. All indexes and in-house databases will be searched, and photographs matching your request will be photocopied and mailed to your address for a fee of $12.50. (If you decide to order a digital photo reprint or reproduction, please refer to our Photo Order Form to place your order.)

Please allow three weeks for your search to be completed. 

Photo Research Request Form