PA research room in Uniontown opens world of possibility
People who wish to research their genealogy have a fine resource in the Pennsylvania Room of the Uniontown Public Library.
Vickie Leonelli, curator, said that it offers resources for everyone who is interested in genealogy.
"Teachers come here to research history so that they can incorporate local history into their lesson plans," she said. "Paralegals also come here to research their cases. Of course, people come here to research their family trees."
The room got it start when McClelland Leonard, a local geneaologist/historian donated his collection of books and other memorabilia to the Uniontown Library.
"Leonard personally funded the purchase of a vacant church building at the corner of Church and Beeson," Leonelli said. "This new library was opened to the public on Dec. 15, 1928. Out of the 14,000 books on the shelves, a small section of local historical and genealogical books were kept in a set of antique wooden barristers bookcases.
"We salvaged those original barrister bookcases and they now hold our Fayette County yearbook collection. In addition to the many local history books, Leonard donated his membership document to the Sons of the American Revolution, sketches, as well as the original working papers of well known local historian, James Hadden, author of the History of Uniontown."
Leonelli explained that when the library relocated to it's new location on Jefferson Street, the new site included a room for this collection. This room became known as the Pennsylvania Room.
"The new library, the one that exists today, included a Pennsylvania Room," she said. "The library was dedicated and opened May 16, 1970. The former Pennsylvania Room was located on the second floor of the library on the Jefferson Street side of the building, where the meeting rooms are today.
"At this point in time, the Room was already gaining in popularity, as many family researchers were beginning to explore their genealogical research and were visiting the Pennsylvania Room more frequently. People were traveling from many parts of the country to Fayette County for the purpose of conducting research in the Pennsylvania Room."
Leonelli said the late Barbara Peterson served as the library's bookkeeper as well as the curator and in 1994, the Eberly Foundation presented a $1.5 million dollar grant to the library for a major renovation to the building.
The dedication of the library's new addition and renovation took place Sept. 16, 1995. The most noticeable part of the renovation was the addition to the building for the purpose of having a much larger and impressive Pennsylvania Room (the local history department) as we know it today.
The current facility replaced the former meeting rooms. The room is recognized today as having one of the most extensive local historical and genealogical collections in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
When the library was expanded in 1995, this collection, having grown, was moved to an even larger location.
"The collection was growing in size and had to find a newer, much larger home." Leonelli said.
Reasons to go
Leonelli said that many things compel people to research their genealogy.
"Many people want to learn about their medical history," she said. "Other people want to learn about their roots."
She cautions against relying too heavily on the internet for researching family history. "Much of the information on the internet is not supported." she said.
Leonelli also said that researching one's ancestry takes more time than most people realize. "So many people say to me "I researched my whole ancestry in an hour online." Researching ancestry takes time.
She says not to be intimidated by the process.
"You don't have to be a professional writer or a historian to write your family history."
Lynne Theran, member of the library's board of directors, said that she in awe that so many people use the Pennsylvania Room.
"People don't stay put anymore." she said. "We have requests from all over the country and the world from people trying to discover their roots. The reputation of this room and of the resources that is contains has spread."
She said that no other library has anything like it.
"The Pennsylvania Room is one of the best kept secrets in the state," she said. "It's a valuable source of information. I'm proud that the Uniontown Library houses this room. I hope it keeps growing."
The Pennsylvania Room
Requests for information from the Pennsylvania Room may be submitted by mail or telephone.
Resources available at the Uniontown library include county and city histories and directories; newspapers, veteran and cemetery information, church records, correspondence files, specific genealogical resources, maps and atlases, census information, Colonial records and Pennsylvania archives. The Pennsylvania Room also contains many pieces of art, including paintings and glass.
All requests for research by post must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope as well as funds to cover the costs of copies desired (50 cents per copy in advance for copies from books or vertical files and $2.00 for microfilm). All work will be done at the pace dictated by the availability of volunteers.
Telephone requests should also follow the same guidelines as mailed requests.
A library membership is required for everyone who uses the Pennsylvania Room.
For those who are not members of the library, there is a $5 one-day non-member fee that entitles the user to use the resources and facilities only. However, if you will be in the area and plan to use the Pennsylvania Room for a few days or if you will be returning to do more research in the near future, a six-month membership is only $20.
For more information about the Pennsylvania Room, call the Uniontown Library at 724-437-1165 or visit the library at 24 Jefferson St, Uniontown.
