http://www.gripitt.org/?p=1385

Pennsylvania Death Records Accessible

Ancestry has added Pennsylvania death certificates 1906 – 1924,  a search has found 208 death certificates so far.  Many of these records provided information that we did not have.  Also there were death records for many children, infants and still births that we did not know about.   The next installment will be 1925 – 1944 expected in June 2014, 1945 – 1963 in November 2014, 1906 births in March 2015.

Pennsylvania law has a privacy period of 50 years for deaths & 105 years for births.

Pennsylvania residents (and only Pennsylvania residents) have free access to this particular database as they do with other Pennsylvania State Archives records already scanned and made available online by Ancestry. Free access for Pennsylvania residents is accomplished by registering online at no cost through this link (please be sure to read the instructions carefully): http://www.portal.state.pa.us/. Pennsylvania residents that already have a subscription to Ancestry do not need to do anything as long as they continue to have a subscription to Ancestry.

Out of state residents do need a subscription to Ancestry to access these records. However, many libraries and research centers everywhere provide free access to Ancestry. After three years the records will be moved to the Pennsylvania State Archives website and be free to all.

Now is time for Maryland to make their records available on line.  The Maryland State Archives has scanned the death records that are in their collection.  Maryland law has a 10 year privacy period for deaths & 100 years for births.