Pennsylvania State Archives Collection

Images of a record of the appointments arranged in meetings, recorded in the minutes of the Supreme Executive Council. This record includes appointments of men to various positions in the state and local governments. Listings mention the person's name and date of appointment underneath the general title of office. Office appointments are listed for trustees, pilots, surveyors, commissions, trustees, inspectors, surgeon generals, justices of the peace, coroners, sheriffs, clerks, prothonotaries, justices, judges, paymasters, officers, physicians, notaries public. Also included are appointments made for the following state organizations, Supreme Executive Council, Pennsylvania Militia, Board of War, Navy Board, Court of Admiralty of the State, Land Office of Pennsylvania, Board of Property and for the dispute between Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Appointments are organized by individual county. Listings of appointments are mentioned for Philadelphia City and County, Bucks County, Lancaster County, York County, Cumberland County, Bedford County, Northumberland County, Westmoreland County, Washington County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Montgomery County, Dauphin County, Luzerne County, Huntingdon County, Allegheny County, Mifflin County, and Delaware. Empty ledger pages exist for the counties of Lycoming, Somerset and Greene. Also included in this record is a directory of Supreme Executive Council members, arranged alphabetically by appointees surname, Commissioners appointed to appropriate land from the Indians, lists of members of the Supreme Executive Council and a list of the names of counties in Pennsylvania.

Images of a record of petitions filed by persons seeking a military commission. Among the data which may be found are the petitioners name, residence, rank, and the position sought. Information concerning the individuals experience or past military service is also frequently included.

Transcripts of arrivals and departures of vessels recorded at the Port of Philadelphia. Information provided is date of arrival or departure, type of vessel, name of vessel, name of master, place from whence arriving or to which departing, and tonnage of vessel. The letter E, L and R found on the lists stand for "Enrolled," Licensed," and "Registered." Enrollment permitted a vessel of not less than twenty tons to engage in domestic commerce or exploit the fisheries of the United States. A license was only issued to vessels of less than twenty tons and conferred the privilege of engaging in a specific trade, such as domestic commerce or mackerel fisheries, that were specified in the license. A register was issued as evidence of a vessel's nationality and was distinguished from an enrollment in that it applied only to American-owned vessels permitted to engage in foreign commerce. Images are arranged chronologically by date of arrival or departure. This collection is part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission which was created in 1945.

Correspondence relating to legal opinions rendered by the Attorney General and the impact on administration of the Industrial Reformatory at Huntingdon. Information provided is date of correspondence or document, names of correspondence, description of cases leading to opinions, opinion rendered, and questions and resolutions arising from the opinion on operations at facility. Images are arranged chronologically by date of record. This collection is part of the Department of Justice which administers the state correctional institutions for the Commonwealth.

Images of a record that contains bonds and petitions filed with the President of the Supreme Executive Council by debtors, creditors, and the Commissions of the Bankrupt. Data found on the documents differ with each case, but usually the bankrupt persons name, occupation, and amount of debt appears. Specifics concerning the claims of creditors are occasionally noted and the amount of bond submitted is recorded.

Bertillon books for inmates incarcerated at the Western State Penitentiary. Information provided is inmate number, name of inmate, length and width of head, length of left middle finger, length of left foot, length of left forearm, height, width of trunk, length of outstretched arms, length of right ear, and length of left little finger. (While working with offenders detained in Paris’s Palais de Justice in 1882, Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914) used statistical methods to devise a system of bodily measurement intended to identify criminal characteristics. Bertillon’s methods involved photographing each subject looking directly at the camera and in profile with the camera centered on the right ear. The subject’s height, length of one foot, arm, and index finger were also recorded. By the 1890s, Bertillon also recognized that fingerprints provided a means for unique identification of individuals. Though many scientists, including Francis Galton, criticized on statistical grounds Bertillon’s system of measuring the hands, head, torso, face and limbs as a method of identifying criminal characteristics, the records generated nonetheless proved useful for identifying and keeping track of specific individuals convicted of crimes.) Images are arranged chronologically by inmate number. This collection is part of the Department of Justice which administers the state correctional institutions for the Commonwealth.

Images of certification records created to comply with registration, training, and examination standards for foremen as specified in the act of June 9, 1911. Information provided from the copies of the certificate includes the name, place of birth, and age of the foreman; a description of the length and nature of his service; the date and number of the certificate; and the name of the Chief of the Department of Mines. The volume entitled "Certificates of Service" provides such information on each foreman as name, place of birth, age, length and nature of service, date of certificate, name of mine and mine operator, inspection district and report number.

Images of certification records created to comply with registration, training, and examination standards for foremen specified in the act of June 9, 1911. The first nine volumes cover the years 1912 through 1923 and include the following information in certificate form: the name, place of birth, and age of the examiner; a description of the length and nature of his service (experience); date and number of the certificate; and the name of the Chief of the Department of Mines. From 1923 on, the volumes are presented in register format and provide the mine district number; the name, residence, place of birth, and age of the examiner; the length and nature of service; the date and number of the certificate; and the report number and date. The last volume also contains RG/045/B/5- Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Electricians, 1939-1963, for the years 1962-1963. Disclaimer: Not all records in this series are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

University catalogs providing information such as a description of class offerings each semester, the name of the instructor, and the dates and times scheduled. These records are arranged chronologically by date of catalog. Bloomsburg University is one of 14 publicly owned state universities which make up the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE) was created by Act 188 of 1982.