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Upcoming Events:

February 11, 2012:
Here Comes the 1940 Census!, Marilyn Cocchiola Holt

March 10, 2012:
"The Throughway" and Other Tales of Pittsburgh, Gary Link

First Families of Western Pennsylvania

The First Families of Western Pennsylvania (FFWP) is open to any WPGS member who can prove their descent from an ancestor who resided before 31 Dec 1810 in what is now the part of Pennsylvania covered by the 26 counties of Western Pennsylvania.

Education / Classes

Spring Seminar with national speakers
Allegheny County Church Records Project
Field trips to Washington D.C. and regional records repositories

Become a WPGS Member:

Membership in the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society opens doors to a wealth of records and friends for those with an interest in the families of Western Pennsylvania. Learn more about membership in WPGS.

About Us

The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society is a non-profit, 501[c]3 tax-exempt organization of amateur and professional family historians and genealogists dedicated to the study and preservation of family history. Since 1974, members of WPGS have helped trace family roots in Western Pennsylvania while preserving important local and regional records.

Our Geographic Area:

The focus of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society are the 26 counties west of Centre County. These western Pennsylvania counties, along with their dates of organization, include:

Allegheny 1788	Armstrong 1800	Beaver 1800
Bedford 1771	Blair 1846	Butler 1800
Cambria 1804	Cameron 1860	Clarion 1839
Clearfield 1804	Crawford 1800	Elk 1843
Erie 1800	Fayette 1783	Forest 1848
Greene 1796	Indiana 1803	Jefferson 1804
Lawrence 1849	McKean 1804	Mercer 1800
Somerset 1795	Venango 1800	Warren 1800
Washington 1781	Westmoreland 1773

Where We Meet:

Carnegie Free Library The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society is based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and maintains its library and offices in the Pennsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The WPGS Library collection is complemented and augmented by the Pennsylvania Department's enormous holdings of local and family history information. This means that we have extensive onsite resources for both in-library research, and out-of-town queries. Planning to visit us? Check out these Tips for your WPGS Library Visit.