All research requests will be classified into one of the following categories.

Photocopies and postage are not included in the fees below.

On this page:

• Information Requests
• Local Newspaper Obituary/Article Searches
• Birth and Death Certificate Searches
• Society Staff On-site Research Service
• Society Staff Off-site Research Service
• Self-directed Research for Members
• Self-directed Research for Non-Members
• Self-directed Student Research for Non-Members
• Access to Special Collections

Information Requests – No Fee

• There is no fee if we know we cannot provide the information requested.
• There is no fee if we know the answer and can provide it without research.

Local Newspaper Obituary/Article Searches – $20 to $40 each

• If day, month, and year of death/article are provided: $20 for the search and first obituary/article and $10 for each additional obituary/article.
• If only month and year of death are provided: $40 for the search and first obituary and $20 for each additional obituary.
• If the month of death is not known, we cannot do an obituary search.
• If the full date of an article is not known, we cannot do an article search.

Harrisburg Birth and Death Certificate Searches – $10 each

• Only City of Harrisburg certificates are available and these only for certain dates. At minimum, the month and year of birth/death must be provided.
• Available in HSDC’s collections: Birth – Jan. 1915 through 1918; Death – Feb. 6, 1906 through 1918.

Society Staff On-site Research Service – $20/hour, $40 minimum

• We will consult our manuscript groups, photograph collections, and library resources to answer your inquiry.
• This service includes genealogical inquiries where we will search HSDC’s church and cemetery records.

Society Staff Off-site Research Service – $25/hour, $50 minimum

• We will search the holdings of the Pennsylvania State Archives, Pennsylvania State Library, or the Dauphin County Courthouse as necessary to answer your inquiry.
• This service does not include on-site research using HSDC’s manuscript groups, photograph collections, and library resources. If your request requires us to search HSDC’s collections as well, you will have to pay both the on-site and off-site fees.
• If you  need only a birth/death certificate, obituary, or newspaper article, and you provide adequate information, you do not have to pay this fee. See instead the per-item fees above for the document you need.

Self-directed Research for Members – No Fee

• Society members who wish to conduct their own research in the Library and/or most of the Archives.
• Membership starts at $35; student membership is available for $15.

Self-directed Research for Non-Members – $10 per day

• Those who are not members of the Society but desire to do their own research in the Library and/or most of the Archives.
• Consider becoming a member if you plan to research for several days.
• An additional fee may apply for certain collections*.

Student Self-directed Research for Non-Members – $5 per day

• All students doing their own research in the Library or Archives if not covered under an agreement between the Society and Penn State or another institution.
• Consider becoming a student member if you plan to research for several days. Student membership is just $15 per year. Contact us to join.
• An additional fee may apply for certain collections*.

Special Collections Fee – $20 per hour

• Applies to all situations (members and non-members) where it is necessary for a staff member to sit with the researcher in order to provide support or monitor handling of archival materials.

*These special collections currently include:

MG 061 – Rutherford Family Collection
MG 062 – Rawn Collection
MG 070 – Elder Collection
MG 198 – John Harris Family Collection
MG 220 – Christian Kunkel Family Collection
MG 405 – Kelker Family Collection
MG 466 – McCormick Family Collection
MG 500 – Cameron Family Collection