Pennsylvania State Archives Collection

Images of returns of Bucks County Associates and Non-Associates, A record of associates and non-associates in boroughs in Bucks County. Listed are men in various counties and days absent from company. Men are distinguished as associated or non-associated with the military. A date is occasionally included. General Returns of the Militia (Continental Line), Returns for the Pennsylvania Militia. Data provided by these records includes the date of the return of a given regiment, details including where men were from in the state, numbers and names of commanders, commissioned officers, staff and non-commissioned men in the regiment, numbers confirming how many men were present for duty, sick, on furlough or special assignment, and mention of where a given regiment would be in the field. Militia Returns (1777-1790), A record of militia returns for counties in Pennsylvania sent to the Supreme Executive Council so that commissions could be made out and statistics recorded accordingly. Information included in these records include election results for elected company officers (captains and lieutenants) which specifically mention the date of election, the officer elected and the names of the judges of the election. Ranked field officers are identified and details to their rank and county of origin provided. Men called to serve in the militia are listed with mention to the name of the company, captain commanding the company, and men included in its ranks.

Images of a daily record of the meetings of the Committee of Safety from July 3, 1775 - July 22, 1776. Entries list the date, location of meetings and names of the members present. Business discussed in meetings included orders of payment for salaries or reimbursement, orders concerning the construction, procurement, delivery, or importation of arms, ammunition and supplies, construction of barracks and boats, enlistment of Continental Soldiers, appointment of Continental officers, board members or committees, issues of pay, rules and regulations concerning enlisted men and officers, and resolves of the Continental Congress and Convention directly affecting the Committee of Safety. Notable members of the Committee included Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris.

Images of a record of the meetings of the Second Council of Safety, established and working as a temporary governmental authority during the British invasion of eastern Pennsylvania in 1777. All meetings were held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from October 17, 1777 through December 4, 1777. The purpose for the creation and work of the Second Council of Safety is clearly stated in an introductory general proclamation. Business discussed in meetings included warnings by the council to the general public against direct dealings with or aid to enemy troops currently in Pennsylvania, dealings with citizens recanting their allegiance to the United States in the presence of invading and occupying troops, the appropriation of personal goods from citizens to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, appointment of local citizens to be County Commissioners to further proportions of the military to be called out and to furnish military provisions, levying moneys advanced for substitutes, what to do with men who would neither join or send a substitute into the army, punishment for citizens who disobeyed Council Orders of non-fraternization with the enemy, settlement of prices for liquors and goods, permission given to commissioners to seize munitions, goods and food provisions from those who had aided the enemy or refused to take an oath of allegiance, appointment of Commissioners to carry out the afore mentioned orders, consideration of the issue of an Indian incursion into Westmoreland County, defense of frontiers, arrests of civilians dealing with the enemy, mention of hope of Spain and France helping in the American independence movement, raising of companies of men for militias, commissioners gathering arms, blankets and clothing, and lastly, the formal extinguishing of the Councils power when it was no longer needed.

Images of a record of the meetings of the Board of War. The Board of War took direct orders from the Supreme Executive Council and had full authority and power to perform all things necessary related to the war in process. Each entry mentions the date, lists the names of members present, an occasional location of the meeting, and resolves or orders accomplished in each meeting. Information found in this record concerns many of the decisions of the Board of War. Specifically, one can find many entries for money paid for service or materials rendered or given to the Board and orders from Council defining the Boards purpose and powers.

Images of a record of the rough copies of the minutes of the Supreme Executive Council. The rough copies differ little from their final copies. One can see that portions of text in these rough copies have been struck. As with the final copies of the minutes, each entry lists the day of the week, date and location of meeting. Only these rough copies contain the details as to the time of day a meeting was held, morning or evening, as well as the note that a meeting was adjourned until the next specified time and place.

Images of a loose collection of the draft copies of the minutes and other papers concerning the business of the Committee of Safety from August 2,1775-July 3, 1776 and undated. Besides providing the first drafts of the minutes and editorial changes, the series also includes papers and items not present in the final copies of the minutes. Each of the drafts of the minutes are similar to the format used in the final version, listing the date and location of each meeting and the members present. These papers seem to be edited with large sections of text marked through. Contained within the minutes are smaller documents, notes to or written by Committee members, certificates, drafts of proposed motions, letters and letter drafts, and some oaths of allegiance. Also present are copies of appointments to government positions, papers and information concerning sub-committees of the Committee, and a broadside issued by the Continental Congress from April 3, 1776, announcing the resolution on the registration of ships in colonial harbors and seas.

Images of a loose collection of the rough copies of the minutes of the Council of Safety from July 1776 through August 1776, with some undated entries. Besides showing the first drafts and editing done to the original minutes, the record also includes items that are excluded from the final version copied into the minute books. These items include a rough transcript of a man giving evidence to the Council pertaining to a case they were working on, written announcements from the Council of Safety directed to members of the Pennsylvania State Militia and others, and lists of items taken from enemy forces.

A record of Oaths of Allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, renouncing allegiance to the British Crown or her armies. Included within this record are lists of men who took the Oath of Allegiance, listed in order by date. Also included are individual oaths, personally written or in a pre-printed form, signed, witnessed and sealed. The record also contains large charts of people who had taken the Oath of Allegiance. These charts provide information on the name of allegiance takers, their age, occupation, place of nativity, place of residence, and the names of their parents.

Images of a record book of articles of agreement made by Governor Thomas Mifflin with various private armament suppliers under the terms of the Act to Provide Arms to the Commonwealth passed March 28, 1797 for purchasing 10,000 stands of arms for field service. Information given is date of article of agreement, name of armaments supplier, where supplier was located, quantity ordered, a description of the type of armaments, and amount to be paid.

Agenda, minutes, resolutions, reports, public hearings, and testimony of the State Highway and Bridge Authority (SHBA), State Highway Commission (SHC), State Transportation Commission (STC), the State Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC), and the Pennsylvania Transportation Assistance Authority (PTAA). These rolls of microfilm were created by the Department of Transportation.

Images of a record of the written authority granted private persons, by the Supreme Executive Council, to fit out an armed ship to plunder the goods of the British. Each page is set up in a chart, listing information in columns. Entries date from July 31, 1778- August 12, 1782, and some pages are incorrectly dated. Listed is information pertaining to dates of commission, name of person receiving the commission, number of carriage guns, swivels and tons on ship, number of men on ship, what commander the commissioned man was under and on what vessel he was assigned. By November 1780, columns were added dealing with the description of the captain or master, the commissioned man and a description of the lieutenant or mate.

Images of returns for primary and general elections certified by the county boards of elections. Information provided is name of county, election date, certification date, date return was received by the Department of State, names of offices to be filled, names of candidates and their party affiliations, vote totals for each candidate, and dated certification of the County Board of Election. Offices covered include Judge of the Superior Court, Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of the Commonwealth Court, President and Vice-President of the United States, United States Senator, United States Representative, Auditor General, State Treasurer, Senator in the General Assembly, Representative in the General Assembly, Delegate to Party Conventions, State Committee, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor. Records from 1991 forward contain voter registration material. Please refer to General Election Statistical Files, 1960-1984 series 26.60 and Registration Figures, 1950, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1967-1972 series 26.81 for similar records. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.