Hi Bill, I do genealogy professionally. That means I've had training in how to do research. I not only own but have read a number of books/articles on researching in PA. Also I've actually DONE the work, analyzed the results, etc. Not only for my family but a number of others. So.... >Unless things have changed radically since the last time I looked, >very little of the Pennsylvania Archives are on-line, OOPS, that's WRONG. The largest part (the genealogically interesting parts according to the State Library of PA, too) are ON LINE AND FREE. Been there for a couple years now. You just need to read our website or our archives to access them. Our website is at http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~merle . I did a lot of research on them for a client and published the results FREE on my website, explaining two things (FREE, I might add <grin>). 1. What is in the confusing published PA Archive series. 2. What is free on line. To find that out, read the website. The reason finding aids is required is because the published PA archive series ARE CONFUSING. Also you don't often find a whole set of them, but to repeat, the genealogically interesting stuff is on line now and FREE. If you have not spend a few hours with the published series of PA archive material than you don't know why they are confusing. SO maybe you won't appreciate the guides on my website and provided by the State Library of PA. What is in them? Warrants, militia lists, tax lists, etc, the KEY RECORDS for colonial and post colonial PA. While they got a lot more stuff in their big windowless tower in Harrisburg, its not the key records. You go there after you get the easy stuff, the stuff you start with. >What is on line is probably only about 1% of the materials available! What is important is if it is the KEY information that is on line or not. the KEY information IS on line. All you have to do is read our website. It's been there now for 2 years. Here we talk about PENNSYLAVANIA records, not county records. Not records in Philadelphia, but records whose unpublished originals are in Harrisburg. Such as militia records, the warrant registers for key counties. What is on line at the state archive's website are index cards that are an index to the Revolutionary war collection. As all able bodied men under I think it was 59 had to register, these are almost a census of all men in PA. Wonder if your ancestor was in PA during the Revolution? Check the cards. It's pretty dumb to argue over whether or not the published PA Archives series is confusing or not. Instead go use them, either with the finding aids or not. Doesn't matter at all. If you don't find them confusing, don't use the finding aids. If you don't use the Published PA Archives Series -- well that's not too smart -- or so said MY teachers <grin>. CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE and follow the link to the free material Maybe it'll help out. Maybe not. Linda Merle ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net