Library Guides: Pennsylvania History: Biographies

Biographies

The easiest way to locate a biography is to do a Subject search in The CAT. Enter the name of the person as a subject. For autobiographies do an Author search.

Many people are not famous enough to have entire books devoted to them (or you may not want to read an entire book!) In these cases your best bet is to consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia. Typically these sources provide a brief essay (a paragraph to a few pages) summarizing the individual's life and accomplishments. The library has hundreds, if not thousands, of these sources. The ones below will get you started.

Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography
some available online, some in print only.

American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
Offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. Includes many prominent Pennsylvanians.
The American National Biography Online offers portraits of more than 17,000 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation. The online version reproduces the full-text of the original 24 volume set published in 1999, with new and updated entries added regularly. The online edition features thousands of illustrations, hyperlinked cross-references, links to select web sites, and powerful search capabilities.

Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
Many back issues are freely available online. Penn State uses can access additional years on JSTOR.

Personal Papers and Other Primary Source Materials

The library has acquired materials by and about prominent Pennsylvanians including Albert Gallatin, Joseph Priestley, Mary Grew, and William Penn; To determine if the library has sources for the person you are interested in try a keyword search in The CAT using their name as author.

Many personal papers are NOT published and can only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents. The Useful Web Sites section of this guide contains links to libraries focusing on Pennsylvania History.

ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new window
Enables searching for archival materials from over 150 institutions. The records contain detailed information about collection contents, organization and accessibility.
An index produced by the Research Libraries Group to finding aids and other descriptive information about the holdings of manuscript and archival collections in libraries and research institutions throughout the world