Philadelphia Signs Ancestry Deal To Digitize City Archives

20 million historical records from the 1600s to 1950s will be made searchable online through partnership.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 7:04pm

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An abstract, out-of-focus photograph showing a stack of old, yellowed paper documents in warm, hazy light, conveying the concept of digitizing historical archives.The digitization of Philadelphia's historical records will open up a trove of documents that have long been locked away in physical archives.Philadelphia Today

The City of Philadelphia has approved a 10-year concession agreement with Ancestry.com to digitize and index approximately 20 million historical city records, including birth, death, marriage, and property documents dating back to the late 1600s. Under the deal, Ancestry will cover the costs of digitization and indexing, while the city retains ownership and permanent digital copies of the records. During the contract term, Ancestry will host the images on its platform, but the public will also be able to access them for free at over 50 branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Why it matters

This partnership aims to dramatically improve public access to Philadelphia's extensive historical archives, which have previously required in-person visits to the city's archives. The digitization effort will make these valuable genealogical and property records searchable online for the first time. However, the agreement raises questions about data ownership and long-term access that are being debated in ongoing legal battles over similar public-private archive digitization deals.

The details

The 10-year concession agreement between the City of Philadelphia and Ancestry.com will see the genealogy company cover the costs to digitize and index around 20 million historical records from the city's archives, spanning from the late 1600s to approximately 1950. This includes birth, death, marriage, and property records. While Ancestry will host the digitized images on its platform during the contract term, the city will retain ownership of the records and receive permanent digital copies. The public will be able to access the records for free at over 50 branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia, in addition to Ancestry's paid subscription service.

  • The procurement process for the agreement began with an RFP in February 2024.
  • City Council approved the ordinance authorizing the concession in 2026.
  • The digitization work is expected to take about 2 years to complete.

The players

City of Philadelphia

The local government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that owns the historical records being digitized through this agreement.

Ancestry.com

An American genealogy company that has partnered with the City of Philadelphia to digitize and host approximately 20 million historical records from the city's archives.

Free Library of Philadelphia

The public library system in Philadelphia that will provide free public access to the digitized records at over 50 branch locations.

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What’s next

The digitization work is expected to take about 2 years to complete, after which the records will start becoming available online through Ancestry.com and at Free Library branches across Philadelphia.

The takeaway

This public-private partnership aims to dramatically improve access to Philadelphia's historical archives, but the agreement also raises important questions about data ownership and long-term public access that are being debated in ongoing legal battles over similar archive digitization deals.