Search over 30,000 names of Dutch, French, German, Swiss and other immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776. Uncover crucial details like their ship's name, when they sailed and their date of arrival in the United States.
Search over 30,000 names of Dutch, French, German, Swiss and other immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776. Uncover crucial details like their ship's name, when they sailed and their date of arrival in the United States.
Each record is available in a PDF format. Use the previous and next buttons at the top of the page to browse through the publication. The PDF search experience can be different from searching transcribed records. Use our search tips below to get the most out of this collection.
To the left of the PDF, you will find the Transcription Box, which includes:
Title – the title of the publication
Publication year
State
Country
Image number
Image Count
Image number and image count – this will tell you where you are in the publication and help you to explore the publication further.
A Collection Of Upwards Of Thirty Thousand Names Of German, Swiss, Dutch, French And Other Immigrants In Pennsylvania From 1727 To 1776 : With A Statement Of The Names Of Ships, Whence They Sailed, And The Date Of Their Arrival At Philadelphia, Chronology is the second edition of the publication, the publication was originally published in 1856 as a monthly serial of 24 pages.
As quoted by Professor I. Daniel Rupp in the preface, ‘The second edition is a carefully revised one and much improved. The names of males, not sixteen years of age, are inserted immediately under those above sixteen years old, instead of presenting them in the Appendix. There have also been added enlarged lists of names of first settlers at Germantown, of early settlers in Lancaster County, in Tulpehocken, Berks County, &c.
This collection contains upwards of thirty thousand names, &c., and some historical and biographical notes. The present descendants of the early German, Swiss and French immigrants, now numbering millions living in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and in the Western States, will be enabled, of they procure this publication, to ascertain the time of their ancestors’ arrival and other facts of value to most of them.’
Searching through a PDF (Portable document format) is different from searching through fully transcribed record sets. Here are some tips to keep in mind while you search for your ancestors:
Direct Search
Name searches
A name search will return results which have the search terms on the same page within the document. This means that searching for John Smith will return pages where the names 'John' and 'Smith' occur. For this reason your search may return the name William Smith or John Brown. By inserting quotations around the full name the search function will locate the terms together; for example, “John Smith.”
To search for your ancestor by their name, write it as it would appear on the document. For example, if your relative was known as ‘Will’ it is likely that the name used for official records was ‘William.’
If you are unable to find your relative on your first search you can try different name variations. A number of register books only use abbreviations for first names. For example, if your search is unsuccessful for William Smith, try W Smith or Wm Smith.
Perusing the PDF
If you wish to read through the whole document you are searching, then order the results by page number. You can start from the beginning of the document and read through to the end using the next button above the image.
Page numbers often correlate with the individual images of the documents rather than the page numbers used within the publication. Therefore page 1 starts with the cover page.