The Pennsylvania Room

Pennsylvania Room Resources

• Reference Services: Reference assistance is available to visiting patrons.  The staff also accepts telephone inquiries. Letter inquiries are also answered, usually within a period of two weeks. Our staff will conduct a basic search of The Ligonier Echo Index and Pennsylvania Room resources for genealogical or historical information. All mail inquiries should include a stamped and self-addressed envelope.

• Heritage Quest - This site can only be accessed by using one of the internet computers at the library.  Database that lets you search in a variety of ways for genealogical information.  Such as, search the US Federal Census Records from 1790-1930, access to some 20,000 local and family histories, search using PERSI, and more. 

• Census: 1790-1880 are available on microfilm. We do not loan our microfilm through inter-library loan.

• Ligonier Echo is available on microfilm from its first issue on September 5, 1888 to the present. We do not loan our microfilm through inter-library loan.

• The Ligonier Echo Index lists obituaries, marriages and births printed in The Ligonier Echo from 1888 to present. The index is currently being converted to computer files. Obituaries and marriage notices before 2000 can be found in the card catalog in the Pennsylvania Room. Obituaries, marriages and births after 2000 can be found in the Echo Index, the computer version of the Ligonier Echo Index. To request an obituary by mail, send a self-addressed stamped envelop to Ligonier Valley Library, ATTN: PA Room, 120 W. Main St., Ligonier, PA 15658; or send an e-mail request to lvlinfocat@ligonierlibrary.org.  There is a printing charge of 15 cents per page.

• Atlases: 1876 Historical Atlas of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; Atlas of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania 1867; Warrantee Atlas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Somerset, 1876.

• County histories and/or biographies: Westmoreland, Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Cumberland, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Fulton, Indiana, Juniata, Lancaster, McKean, Philadelphia, Schuykill, Somerset, Susquehanna, Venango, and Wyoming.

• Vertical Files: The vertical files are divided into three sections:

• The Ligonier Files contain information about different aspects of Ligonier such as biographies of local people or information about local businesses and churches.

• The Pennsylvania Files contain information on places outside of Ligonier such as Fallingwater and State Game maps, biking/hiking trails, etc.

• The Family History Files contain family histories submitted to the library by patrons.

• Cemetery books:

• Cemeteries of Westmoreland County : Cook Township

• Cemeteries of Westmoreland County : Donegal Township

• Coles Cemetery : Founded 1874, Derry Township, Westmoreland County

• Fairmont Church Cemetery : Cook Township, Westmoreland County

• Ligonier Valley Cemetery

• Ligonier Valley Cemeteries : Ligonier Township

• Pleasant Unity Methodist Cemetery, Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County

• Porch Cemetery : Cook Township, Westmoreland County

• Stahlstown Cemetery

• Stahlstown Methodist Church Cemetery : Cook Township, Westmoreland County

• The St. Clair Cemetery : Greensburg, Pennsylvania : an illustrated handbook

• St. Luke's Reformed Presbyterian Cemetery : Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County

• St. Vincent Cemetery Unity Township Westmoreland County Pennsylvania

• Union Cemetery : Greensburg, Westmoreland County

• Unity Presbyterian Church Cemetery : Unity Township, Westmoreland County

• Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania : cemetery records

• Year books: Ligonier High School: 1925-1969; Ligonier Valley High School: 1970-1999.
  We are missing the following years: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1988,  1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Donations for these years would be greatly appreciated. We also have a few Laurel Valley High School yearbooks from the 1970s.

• Magazines: Heritage Quest, Expedition, Everton’s Family History, We Proceeded On, Western Pennsylvania History, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography; and Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine.

• Circulating Genealogy cart: contains circulating books on how to begin family history research.

• Colonial Records: All 16 published volumes plus an index of this valuable research tool are available.

• Pennsylvania Archives: All volumes for the nine series are available.

• Brochures: Brochures are available to help with conducting research in historical and genealogical databases. Brochures from local historical societies are also available.

• Historical photographs: PowerPoint presentations on CD-ROM are available to view the photographs that were displayed in the following Ligonier Valley Library Historical Photography Shows: The Ligonier Valley Rail Road (2002); Churches of the Ligonier Valley (2003); Early Schools of the Ligonier Valley (2004); and Early Hotels of the Ligonier Valley (2005).

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History Links - The Pennsylvania Room also offers books and information on local and state history.  The following are some websites:

• ExplorePAhistory.com - "... your gateway to Pennsylvania, Past and Present. Come explore, visit and teach a rich heritage of the people and events that strengthened America and brought new ideas to light." - from the website.

• The French and Indian War - Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War this website gives viewers the opportunity to visit the places, learn the stories and relive the war.

• Life in Western Pennsylvania - "... allows users to explore hundreds of photographs, each accompanied by descriptive text that provides historical information and insight into diverse aspects of the history and environment of Western Pennsylvania."  - from the website.

• Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association - Visit this website to learn more about the rail road that used to connect the Ligonier Valley to the rest of the world.

• Local History Sites for Westmoreland County - provides links to Western Pennsylvania Coal Mining Sites and more.  Even offers a "Virtual Museum of Coal Mining in Western Pennsylvania."

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Genealogy - The Pennsylvania Room, as well as the main collection, offers many books to guide researchers in their quest.  The following are websites that may also help:

• Local Historical and Genealogical Societies - a list of local societies and their contact information.

• Westmoreland County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project- part of a much larger project called The USGenWeb Project. The Genealogical Computing Association of Pennsylvania (GENCAP) organized the Pennsylvania USGenWeb Project in June of 1996.

• PAGenWeb: Pennsylvania Genealogy - helps people searching for genealogical information in Pennsylvania. The goal of the PAGenWeb Project is to have every county in Pennsylvania represented by an online website and hosted by researchers who either live in their county or who are familiar with their county's resources.

• About.com: Genealogy - features articles, links and discussion forums. Topics include beginners' resources, immigration, family reunions, adoption searches, census records, oral histories and famous ancestors.

• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - the foremost authority of genealogy on the Internet and includes more than 70,000 links to every conceivable genealogical resource on the web.

• Ellis Island - allows you to explore the online records of the Ellis Island Archives. You can find information on any person that immigrated through Ellis Island along with their date of arrival, ship of travel, age on arrival, port of departure, and so much more.

• National Society: Daughters of the American Revolution - links you to the DAR library in Washington, D.C. and their genealogical links.

• Mayflower Society - features genealogies of those descended from the passengers on the Mayflower.

• Family Search - one of the largest genealogical sites on the web (created by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

• RootsWeb.com - the oldest and largest free genealogy site and is supported by Ancestry.com.

• MaidenName.net: The Women's Where Directory - allows you to search for women whose names have changed because of marriage or other reasons.

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Ligonier Valley Library Genealogy Forum

• Genealogy Forum - An organization devoted to learning about family history research. Members meet at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every other month* at the Ligonier Valley Library. For information or to request a brochure and survey sheet, please call the library at 724-238-6451 or send an email to lvlinfocat@ligonierlibrary.org.  For a tentative schedule of meetings and topics, click here to visit the Genealogy Forum Website.  (*Check the website or call the library to verify dates and times.)

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