Pennsylvania State Archives Collection

Images of cash books, daybooks, ledgers, journals, receipt book, vouchers, payroll requisitions, and related types of records kept by the Wardens of the Port of Philadelphia. Information provided varies with type of record but generally documents revenue received and expenditures made by the Wardens in the course of carrying out their duties. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of lists of attorneys granted permission to practice in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In order to practice at this level, attorneys were required to have a sponsor. Information given includes names of attorney and sponsor, and date of admission. From 1903 on, either the county of residence or the place of admission of the attorney are also noted. At the end of the first volume (1742-1902) is a "List of attorneys of the Supreme Court of the Province of Pennsylvania admitted at various times previous to the Revolution," which is noted as having been copied from "Sheriff's Deed Book B," and which shows the names of the attorneys, and their dates of admission. For related records, see link below. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of three types of certification recordings for mine foremen and assistant foremen: certificate books, certificate receipt books, and registers. The certificate books contain copies of the certificates issued to eligible applicants, spanning the years 1886-1923 for foremen and 1891-1940 for assistant foremen. Information provided includes the certificate number and date issued; the name, residence, age, and place of birth of the applicant; length and nature of the applicant's service; mine district; and the report's number and date. The certificate receipt books, which cover the years from 1938-1963, contain only the receipt portion, not the actual certificate, and show the applicant's name, age, place of birth and length of service; the examining board's name; certificate number and date issued; and the applicant's test score. Finally, the registers list the name, residence, place of birth, and age of the applicant; the report's number and date; the certificate number and date issued; and length and nature of the applicant's service. The registers for foremen cover the period 1923-1955, and for assistant foremen from 1923-1968. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of dockets of appeals petitioned to the Supreme Court, Eastern District. Information given for each case includes the dates of returnable papers; arguments and opinions; the decision rendered; the names of the plaintiff(s), defendant(s), and their respective attorneys; and the corresponding case number. For eighteenth and nineteenth century dockets, the date that an original writ was issued by the Supreme Court, and whether it was a summons, capias or writ of error, is also noted. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of appointments and commissions issued for civil officers. Information given is name of appointee, name of Governor or commission making the appointment, the position to which appointed, date of appointment, and the term of the appointment. Microfilm covers the period through 1944. For names of applicants who applied for positions for the period 1775-1790 see "Guide to the Microfilm of the Records of Pennsylvania's Revolutionary Governments, 1775-1790," by Roland M. Baumann. Related records will be found in the following series in Record Group 27, Records of Pennsylvania's Revolutionary Governments: Appointment Book, 1777-1790 series 27.19; Appointments File, Military, 1775-1790 series 27.20; and Appointments File, Political, 1775-1790 series 27.21. For more related and duplicate records, see also, Commission Books, 1775-1842 series 26.46. See internal links below. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of certification registers for the Assistant First and Second Grade Foremen. Information provided about each foreman includes name, place of birth, place of residence, age, inspection district, date and number of certificate, name of mine and mine operator, length and nature of service, the mine district number, and the report number and date. Second Grade Foreman registers begin in 1923, and First Grade Foreman registers begin in 1938. First and Second Grade registers are found within the same volumes for 1938-1951 and 1962-1963. Disclaimer: Not all records in this series are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of certification records created to comply with registration, training, and examination standards for foremen specified in the act of June 9, 1911. Information is presented in register format and includes the mine district number; the name, residence, place of birth, and age of the electrician; 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/6- Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Fire Boss Examiners, for the years 1962 and 1963. Disclaimer: Not all records in this series are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of certification books required to be kept of foremen under statutes designed to protect the health and safety of persons employed in and about bituminous coal mines. From 1903 to 1923 data is presented in certificate form and includes the name, mine district, place of birth, and age of the foreman; a description of the length and nature of his service (experience); the date and number of the certificate; and the name of the Chief of the Department of Mines. After 1923, the information is recorded in register format with internal indexes, and includes the mine district number; the name, residence, place of birth, and age of the applicant; the length and nature of the person's service; the date and number of the certificate; and the report number and date. The last volume also contains Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Second Grade Forman, 1903-1963 {series #45.8} for the years 1962-1963. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.

Images of a record of cases brought before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Middle District. Information provided about each case may include names of parties; a brief description of the case; an explanation regarding its origin; by what means it reached the Supreme Court (by writ of error, certiorari or appeal); where the case was filed; and amounts of court costs incurred. After 1810, the final decision of the court is also noted. The dockets also contain entries giving the location of the court for various sessions, and the names of the justices who presided; as well as notations of adjournment motions, rules adopted concerning payment made to the Court, and other court actions.

This group of certificate stubs and cards is grouped into four separate batches as follows: Miners' Certificate Cards and Stubs, which date from 1937 and 1938; Machine Runner and Cutting, Loading, and Drilling Machine Operators Certificate Stubs, dating from 1938 through the late 1950s, possibly the early 1960s; Miners' Certificate Stubs which date from the late 1930s; and Miners' Certificate Stubs dating from 1939 through roughly 1965. The bulk of the stubs and cards date from 1937 through 1955, and all provide excellent genealogical data on rank-and-file miners and other mine workers who labored in the bituminous fields of western Pennsylvania. Specific information found in each batch of material includes the following: Miner's Certificate Cards and Stubs, 1937, 1938 (81 boxes): name of miner, age of miner (not found on all cards), address of miner, certification number, application number, date of issue, employer, and mine number. Index cards constitute the bulk of this series, however, for some reason the run of index cards becomes a run of certificate stubs after Box 68, beginning with the stub for John Sagan. These stubs are stylistically different from the ones described below, but convey the same type of information; Machine Runner and Cutting, Loading, and Drilling Machine Operators Certificate Stubs, 1930s-1960s (12 boxes): stub number, name of miner, address of miner, place of birth, date of birth, mine where employed at the time of exam, company name, mine experience (some stubs provide a specific number of years of machine experience), place of examination, date of examination, date of certificate issuance, and bituminous inspection district number. Miner's Certificate Stubs, late 1930s (6 boxes): stub number, name of miner, address of miner, place of birth, date of birth, mine where employed at the time of exam, company name, mine experience, place of examination, date of examination, and date of certificate issuance; Miner's Certificate Stubs, 1939-1965 (25 boxes): stub number, name of miner, address of miner, place of birth, date of birth, mine where employed at the time of exam, company name, mine experience (in years), place of examination, date of examination, date of certificate issuance, and bituminous inspection district number. Also present are twenty-six microfilm rolls. All refer to the bituminous coal region of western Pennsylvania, with the first sixteen rolls apparently duplicating the Miners' Certificate Cards (1937, 1938) and the last ten containing original data, specifically: four rolls of Mine Foreman certification stubs and certificates, dating from roughly 1939-1966 (bulk 1940s), organized numerically by mining district then alphabetically by surname; four rolls of Mine Foreman certification stubs and certificates, dating from roughly 1966-1987 (bulk 1970s), organized numerically by mining district then alphabetically by surname; and two rolls of Shot Firer Certifications, 1938-1983, arranged alphabetically by surname. The cards and stubs on these rolls are NOT in precise alphabetical order; it is recommended to check throughout the run of a specific surname letter if an individual cannot be found in the normal alphabetical sequence.