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Authored by Society president George Meiser IX

Historical Society of Berks County Library

The Society's library is acknowledged to be one of the best and most thoroughly indexed collections of county data in Pennsylvania.

Included are...


GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH SERVICE

CORRESPONDENCE
Each year we receive hundreds of letters from people seeking assistance on establishing records of Berks County families. As time permits (and only if a self-addressed, stamped ($1.11) manila 8 ½ x 11 envelope is received), we read each letter, study the request and try to answer within the month. Copies of pertinent information, up to 30 pages, will be mailed.

LIMITED RESEARCH AVAILABLE

If the correspondent clearly identifies the ancestor as living in Reading or Berks County (please designate the name of the township), we will offer to give the following services:

1. Search index to our original OATH OF ALLEGIANCE OF BERKS COUNTY and/or BERKS COUNTIANS IN THE REVOLUTION for ONE ancestor and send a certified copy of same. Fee $15.00.

2. Search our index to the original tax lists of Reading and Berks County 1754 -1789 on one name and send copies of the same. (Although we have microfilms of tax records of Berks County down to 1840 and a little beyond, we do not have name index beyond 1789) Search indices to our church records of Reading or township in Berks County where ancestor resided for baptismal (which usually gives date of birth and names of parents), marriage and death record on ONE NAME. Search our computer data-base of over 500,000 files dealing with vital statistics, church records and cemetery records for an individual name. Search local genealogy and history sources. Fee $30.00. Research time is limited to 4 hours. An estimate of the time and cost of further research will be included with the original research request.

Fee for No.1 is $15.00. Fee for No.2 is $30.00, payable in advance. Please enclose an 8 ½ X 11 self-addressed, stamped ($1.11) manila envelope for mailing the report, Attn.: Library, Historical Society of Berks County, 940 Centre Ave., Reading PA 19601
Birth and death records were not required registration in Pa. until 1905, and they are then at the Bureau of Vital Statistics in New Castle, PA. Before that date you will have to use the registrations found in church records. Please see No. 2 of the form.

Library - Museum Hours - Tuesday through Saturday - 9AM to 4PM

  Admission for non-members
Children under 12 are not permitted in the library.
There is a $5.00 per day charge for non-members for library use.
Become a Member! For more information call 610-375-4375

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For those of you with satellite navigation systems in your automobile,
the GPS coordinates for our museum are: N 40° 21.022, W 75° 55.961



Historical Society of Berks County
940 Centre Avenue
Reading, Pennsylvania 19601
Phone 610 375-4375        Fax 610 375-4376
To make a comment contact history@berkshistory.org
Contact our library at society.library@verizon.net      
To arrange a tour of the society contact education@berkshistory.org

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