Hi All - For those people who are not aware of it, The Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia maintains archived records of individual Presbyterian churches. They do not research what is in the records but if you know the exact name of the Presbyterian Church you're interested in and its location, they will email a list of the types of records (as well as the years of those records) held for that individual church by the Society - helpful information to have before travelling to research the records. I am forwarding the below email which I received in response to my request to the Presbyterian Historical Society regarding what types of records (and the years of those records) they had for the Upper Octorara Presbyterian Church in Chester Co., PA. I thought some people might be interested to know what records they have for this church. Jeanne ----- Original Message ----- From: Bridget Arthur Clancy To: wcjeanne@sbcglobal.net Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 1:19 PM Subject: Re: Upper Octarara Presbyterian Church June 28, 2006 Via e-mail: wcjeanne@sbcglobal.net Jeanne Delaney Re: Upper Octarara Presbyterian Church Dear Ms. Delaney: Thank you for contacting the Presbyterian Historical Society regarding your search for genealogical information. A search of our catalogs shows our holdings contain records of the Upper Octarara Presbyterian Church, Parkesburg, Pennsylvania: Upper Octorara Presbyterian Church, Parkesburg, PA Session minutes and records, 1810-1944, 6 vols. (call no. Vault BX9211.P49365 U61). v.1. Membership, 1813-1841; Baptisms, 1811-1840; Marriages, 1811-1860. v.2. Membership, 1842-1851; Baptisms, 1842-1851; Marriages, 1842-1851. v.3. Membership, 1850-1886; Baptisms, 1850-1859. v.4. Membership, 1887-1905; Baptisms, 1887-1906; Marriages, 1888-1904. Roll of communicants, 1724-1915 (call no. Vault Folio BX9211.P49365 U622). Registers, 1859-1886; 1906-1924, 3 vols. (call no. Vault BX9211.P49365 U62). Pastoral register of Thomas McDowell, 1883-1905, 2 vols. (call no. Vault BX 9225 .M148 A31). v.1. Membership, 1884-1896; Baptisms, 1884-1892; Marriages, 1883-1899. v.2. Membership, 1896-1905; Baptisms, 1893-1905; Marriages, 1899-1906. Dismission certificate stubs, 1905-1929, 2 vols. (call no. Vault BX 9211 .P49365 U621). List of Members, 1937 (call no. MS P221um). Sexton's cemetery records, 1866-1933, 2 vols. (call no. Vault BX 9211 .P49365 U625). Cemetery Association Treasurer's records, 1943-1968 (call no. Vault BX 9211 .P49365 U6931). Record of lots in the old part of cemetery Upper Octorara Church, 1901, (call no. Vault Folio BX 9211 .P49365 U625). "Annex to cemetery belonging to the Upper Octoraro Presbyterian Church, Chester County, Penna.," (call no. Map Case 58.3) "Annex to cemetery belonging to the Upper Octoraro Presbyterian Church, Chester County, Pennsylvania, John W. Martin," (call no. Map Case 58.2) "Inscriptions on stones in Upper Octorara Cemetery," (call no. MS P229um (8)). Pew rent plans (call no. Map Case 25.13; 25.14). The Presbyterian Historical Society is the national archives of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Due to our duties for the church, our staff does not provide genealogical research. We can only inform you whether or not we have records from a given church. If you cannot come to Philadelphia, the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania maintains a list of its members who are available for hire to perform genealogical research. The list is posted on their website at http://www.genpa.org/profgen.html. We are not responsible for any private research contracts, and we do not specifically recommend any one researcher. You are welcome to visit the society to use our collections, since our materials do not circulate. The reading room is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., closed Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. We will be closed on Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4, in observance of the Independence Day holiday. There is a daily research fee of $5.00. Further information about our services, collections, and locations may be found at our website, www.history.pcusa.org. Please remember to send any e-mail inquiries to our general reference e-mail account, refdesk@history.pcusa.org, which is checked daily and allows us to respond in the most efficient manner. You may also contact us by phone at 215-627-1852. Sincerely, Bridget Arthur Clancy Reference Librarian Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard St. Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 627-1852 (215) 627-0509 www.history.pcusa.org