ESGR Research Resources

ESGR Research Resources and Publications

If you are looking for records in Erie County we are here to help! Whether you live in the Erie area, or out of town, we ask you to first consider joining our Society. An individual membership is only $15 per member year.

Our website contains records and publications that are NOT available on the internet or anywhere else. And we continue to digitize and upload new resources as fast as we can. See the following:

Start with our collection of Roadmaps to Resources in Erie County developed to help self-guide your research.
Our records collection includes early vital records for the City of Erie, Almshouse records, Naturalization abstracts and more.
Previously sold ESGR publications are uploaded and provided now as a benefit of membership.
Review 54 plus years of our Keystone Kuzzins bulletin, containing considerable research guidance, research tips and extracts from local resources!

ESGR is a 100% volunteer organization of people interested in family and local history in Erie County, the surrounding area, and beyond. Our members strive to nurture and foster an interest in genealogy by providing instruction, education and information resources to others. In keeping with our mission to preserve and perpetuate the genealogical and historical heritage of Erie County and the surrounding area, we also focus on volunteer initiatives to make more local information and records accessible for public use.

For instructions on how to join, see https://www.genealogyerie.org/p/How-to-Join-ESGR. Still have questions? Contact Us on our website, or email to [email protected] and a volunteer team member will help point you in the right direction. Once a member, you will also have access to our online directory of active members as well as Community Resource associates in the Erie area, including historical societies, the courthouse and library. It updates in real time.

Roadmaps to Resources:

Erie County: Key Resource Centers

The Erie County Courthouse, February 2023
Erie County Public Library's Heritage Room Roadmap, May 2023
Heritage Room, How to Search their Holdings, Nov 2022
The Erie County Historical Society's Hagen History Center Library & Archives, February 2023
Erie County Township Historical Societies, May 2023
Erie County & Surrounding Area Historical Society Guides, August 2023

Erie County: Research Guidance

Erie County Historical Reference Books, August 2023
Formation of Erie County, Its Townships and their Boundary Changes, August 2023
City of Erie - Map of Boundary Changes, November 2023
Guide to Erie County Newspapers, November 2023
PA Soldier & Sailors Home and Veterans Memorial Cemetery, November 2023
PA Archives & Researching Pre-1823 Settlers in Erie County, February 2024
History of Funeral Services & Locating Burial Records in Erie County, February 2024
Finding Birth Records in Erie County, November 2024
Methodist Church Records in Erie County, February 2025
Roman Catholic Church Records in Erie County, Nov 2025
Finding Naturalization Records in Erie County and beyond, February 2026
Lutheran Church Records in Erie County, May 2026

Digital Record and Index Collection on ESGR Website

Vital Records:

Erie City birth registers , 1888 to 1905. (vital records for the Erie County, outside the City of Erie are on familysearch.org)
Reports of Birth from St. Vincent's Hospital, 1888 to 1905
Erie City Proof documents for Delayed Birth Certificates
City of Erie, Index of Birth Records, 5/1/1888-1/31/1905, compiled by ESGR
City of Erie, Index of Death Records, 7/5/1875-1/24/1908, compiled by ESGR

Naturalizations and Immigration:

Erie County Naturalizations 1825 to 1906, extracts from all naturalization records at the Erie County courthouse, with an every-name index, including sponsors' names.
Naturalizations 1907 to 1927, extracts from declarations including birth date and place, spouse's name and birthplace, current and previous residence, place of emigration, name of vesssel, port, and date of arrival.
Germans to Erie County, compiled by Linda Waha

Almshouse Records:

Erie County Almshouse Records, digitized copies of registers from 1859 to 1944, including entries for the destitute and insane.

Cemetery Records and Readings:

Wemple Funeral Home Records 1917-1954; Albion, PA pub. 2000
Extensive collection of Cemetery Readings, including a Guide to Burial Sites and Cemeteries, pub. 2006

Church Records

ESGR has published significant guidance on churches within Erie County. This includes ESGR Roadmaps and church records published in our Keystone Kuzzins quarterly bulletin. We have also uploaded church publications about their history and members. We are actively working to digitize and upload church records from the 1800s for historically significant churches in Erie County.

ESGR Publications: Guides to Church Records of Erie County, PA, published in the Keystone Kuzzins

Roadmap to Resources and Directory, Finding Lutheran Church Records in Erie County, pub. May 2026
Roadmap to Resources and Directory, Finding Roman Catholic Church Records in Erie County, pub. Nov. 2025
Roadmap to Resources and Directory, Finding Methodist Church Records in Erie County, pub. Feb. 2025
Church Records of Erie County, PA, compiled by ESGR member Tom Hutzelman, pub. 2012.
German Genealogical Resources in Erie County, PA and German Churches of Erie County, PA and vicinity, and their records, compiled by ESGR member Tom Hutzelman, was published in the August 2021, Keystone Kuzzins.
Erie Polonia History, written by ESGR member Bobby J. Sulecki was published in the Nov. 2024 edition of the Keystone Kuzzins. This article includes historical information on the four Polish Catholic Parishes in Erie County.
Guide to the Churches of Erie County, compiled by ESGR members, released in multiple issues of the Keystone Kuzzins, from August 1974-August 1978.

Churches Histories - uploaded to the ESGR website
Pittsburgh Congregational Histories, pub. 1959 - pages copied for Erie County Lutheran churches

St. Paul's RC Church History, established in 1891, was the first Italian American Catholic in Erie County. We have uploaded their 100th Anniversary Commemorative booklet.
St. Mary's RC Parish History, established in 1837 was the first German speaking Catholic Church in Erie County. We have uploaded a five part article, based on a 1940 history by Bishop Alfred M. Watson. It appeared in ESGR's Keystone Kuzzins newsletter, starting with Vol. 45, No. 1.
St. Joseph's Parish, 1867-1917
St. John The Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 1870-1970

Erie County Historical Reference Books
We have also attached the church history chapters from three Erie County historical reference books - published in 1884, 1896 and 1925. County history books were very popular in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. They provide a lot of useful information on county history, including details on the formation of the various townships, their politics, churches, people, etc. All of these works are now in the public domain. A great place to view scanned copies, with the ability to do an OCR search of the contents, is on the free Internet Archive site at www.archive.org. All are in the card catalog for Erie County, PA at www.familysearch.org. You can also find hard copies of the books at the Heritage Room at Erie’s Blasco public library and at the Hagen History Center’s reading room. At times, you can also buy copies on Ebay, Amazon, etc.

Atlas Index

Index to the Erie County 1876 Atlas, first ESGR publication compiled in 1972.

Tax Assessment Records

Erie County Tax Assessment Records - 1834, 1835, 1836

Keystone Kuzzins, ESGR Quarterly Bulletin

The ESGR's quarterly bulletin has been published quarterly since 1972! It is a treasure trove of resources, including family bibles, church histories and records, educational articles and much more.

Research Tips by Connie Edwards: Church Records, Ful-Text Search by FamilySearch, Tips to Share with Beginners, Tax Records, Cyndi's List, Mastering Genealogical Proof, The Allen County Library, Wills and Probate; Guardianships; Land Records; Finding Civil War Photos; Tidying Up Genealogy Records, What's New Online; A Walk in the Cemetery; What to Do with Family Treasures; Divorce Records; Making the Most of Family Search; Ethics in Genealogy - To Tell or Not to Tell; Obituaries; Flattening Curled Photos from the 1950's; Genealogical Timelines; Searching the Census; Writing Your Family History; Genealogy Road Trips; Research Logs; Finding Family Photos; Don't Overlook Libraries; Hiring a Professional Genealogists; Interview with Michael D. Lacopo, DVM; Interviewing Your Relatives; Local Historical Societies; DNA Finds Lost Relatives.