Pennsylvania State Archives Collection

These images contain counterparts to warrants issued to people to which the state owed money. The counterparts served as the state's copy of the warrant and include such information as the warrant number, to whom the warrant was issued, the amount of the warrant, the date of issue and a corresponding account number. Images are arranged chronologically by date of issue and thereunder numerically by warrant number. This collection is part of the Office of the Comptroller General which was created in 1782.

This series contains several warrant registers which list information about warrants that the state issued in lieu of money which it may have owed to government officials or other persons. Information in entries includes the warrant number, the warrant holder's county of residence, the position he held (if any), the date of issue, when it was redeemed for its cash value, and the amount of redemption. An index is also included in this series which refers to warrants on the Treasury dated May 1782 through July 1782. The index is for a Day Book and Books A, B, C, and D which are not included in this series. Images are grouped chronologically by date of issue and thereunder numerically by warrant number. This collection is part of the Office of the Comptroller General which was created in 1782.

Images of two index volumes documenting the names mentioned in Waste Books, 1776-1792, which is also digitized. In one volume, the folio number of where the person's account information is listed in the Waste Books is given to the right of each name. The other volume contains both the folio number and the statement number to the right of each name. The dates in the title statement are based on the dates for the Waste Books which they index. Images are grouped alphabetically according to first letter of surname of persons listed in the Waste Books and thereunder according to each Waste Book. This collection is part of the Office of the Comptroller General which was created in 1782.

A record of state monetary transactions relating to the payment and settlement of public money, kept for the purpose of auditing, liquidating and adjusting Commonwealth accounts. Although the receipts and payments recorded date from 1776-1792, the books themselves were probably compiled at later times (Vol.A - 1782-1788, Vol.AA - 1788, and Vol.AAA - 1788-1792) for auditing purposes. Entries relate to expenses, revenue, taxes, fines and transactions of individual county officials. Information provided includes a description of each transaction, and the amount involved. The Waste Book Indexes are also digitized. Images are arranged chronologically by date of transaction. This collection is part of the Office of the Comptroller General which was created in 1782.

University catalogs providing information such as a description of class offerings each semester, the name of the instructor, and the dates and times scheduled. Images are arranged chronologically by date of catalog. West Chester 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.

University yearbooks providing names and photographs of graduating seniors, descriptions of significant academic and sporting programs, and news about faculty accomplishments. Images are arranged chronologically by date of yearbook. Disclaimer: The Pennsylvania State Archives provides digital access to a wide variety of historical documents, some of which may be considered offensive by current standards. The Archives does not endorse views expressed in these historical collections, but presents these collections to aid in scholarly research.

Images of record books of wharf licenses granted by the Wardens of the Port of Philadelphia to construct or extend piers and wharves. Information provided is date of license, location of wharf, name of applicant, description of the improvement to be made, and signature of warden.

The origins of the department began with the 1869 creation of the Board of Public Charities, charged with inspection of all charitable, penal, and correctional institutions in the Commonwealth. A Committee on Lunacy, established by the Board in 1883, examined places specifically for the confinement of the insane. In 1921, the Board was abolished, and the Department of Public Welfare was created in its place to coordinate and administer welfare programs. In 1923, the name of the Department of Public Welfare was changed to the Department of Welfare. A State Emergency Relief Board, established as part of the Department of Welfare in 1932, handled unemployment work relief as a result of the Great Depression. In 1937, the Department of Public Assistance was created to centralize relief programs. The State Emergency Relief Board was therefore abolished and its powers and duties, along with those of the Welfare Department's Bureau of Assistance, transferred to this new agency. Public Assistance also administered the State Board of Public Assistance and the County Boards of Assistance. It was also one of the first three state agencies to implement a merit system for employee hiring (the others being the Liquor Control Board and the Department of Labor and Industry). More on that process can be found among the records of the Civil Service Commission (RG/003). Supervision over penal and correctional institutions was transferred in 1953 from the Department of Welfare’s Bureau of Penal Affairs to the Department of Justice (RG/015) and later to the Department of Corrections (RG/058). The Departments of Public Assistance and Welfare merged in 1958 to form the Department of Public Welfare. In 2014, the Department’s name changed to the Department of Human Services. As the primary state agency concerned with the social welfare and financial needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth, the Department administers a wide range of services including: public assistance, medical assistance, aid to the handicapped, mental health and retardation programs and institutions, and the licensing and inspection of nursing homes, day-care centers and hospitals. Originally founded as the Allegheny Hospital for the Insane in 1854, this institution did not come under state ownership until 1941. As one of the state's earliest mental hospitals, Woodville reflected much of the influence of Dr. Thomas Kirkbride who advocated the use of one large structure to house both male and female patients, segregated into blocks located to either side of a central administration building. His system of setback wings promoted maximum access of light and air to patient living areas. When the state took control of the hospital, along with all other county mental hospitals in 1941, the Allegheny County Institutional District continued to manage the "poor" section of this facility. This arrangement continued until 1958 when the state assumed complete control of all administrative duties.The collection, arranged chronologically, contains annual records of removals/releases of deceased patients to funeral directors from the Woodville State Hospital. The register gives the names of deceased patients, the time and date of death, the location of death, the time and date the body was removed, the undertaker's name and address, and the signed authorization from a relative or guardian to remove the body from the hospital.

This collection is of World War I era posters of varying size, color and medium pertaining to the U.S. and Pennsylvania. The posters are manufactured for many different businesses, institutions, and government agencies, and the artwork is by famous, obscure and unknown commercial illustrators. Those printed by various federal agencies were intended to generate patriotic fervor in Americans. Disclaimer: The Pennsylvania State Archives provides digital access to a wide variety of historical documents, some of which may be considered offensive by current standards. The Archives does not endorse views expressed in these historical collections, but presents these collections to aid in scholarly research.

This series was separated out from (RG-033-A-118) Writs of Habeas Corpus and Petitions, 1771-1863. The documents were filed with the Supreme Court, Eastern District, and contain diverse data that vary with each writ. Many of the writs provide the slave's name, place of residency and name of master. In some instances familial relationships are depicted and particulars are entered about where the slave worked and when he or she was purchased. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection. The Pennsylvania State Archives provides digital access to a wide variety of historical documents, some of which may be considered offensive by current standards. The Archives does not endorse views expressed in these historical collections, but presents these collections to aid in scholarly research.