Research

The Woodlands is pleased to assist you with genealogy and research requests for persons buried at the cemetery before 2003 (we provide information to family members on burials that have occurred within the past 20 years at no charge). There are several ways to request information about individuals buried at the Cemetery:

• Online: Visit our Research Request form. Fill out the request and make a payment using the secure server.

• Email: Review the Research Request form and contact us at research@woodlandsphila.org with the required information. (Please note: payment must be received online or via mail before your request is processed.)

• Mail: Download the Research Request form. After filling it out, send it along with your payment. (Checks must be made payable to The Woodlands Trust) to: The Woodlands, 4000 Woodland Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

• In-person: If you are visiting the Cemetery, the Research Request form may be picked up at the office in the Hamilton Mansion. Payment can be made at the office via cash, check, or major credit cards. (Please note that business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Please call our offices at 215-386-2181 before coming in person to place a research request to ensure a staff member will be available.

A research fee of $35 (per individual request) covers the time and resources required to look for information and will be charged whether or not anything is found. Fees are subject to change. Payment must be received before any requests are processed, and requests must be submitted in writing.

Once your request and payment have been received, a member of our staff will search our records. If the individual or family for whom you are researching is buried at The Woodlands, we will provide you with a copy of the lot card (PDF or via mail) and a site map to assist you in finding the lot location. 

The Woodlands maintains a unique archive containing burial records dating back to 1840. Researchers do not have access to original materials. For privacy reasons, some materials may not be available. Please allow up to 14 days for a response.

For all questions related to research at The Woodlands, contact us via email at research@woodlandsphila.org. 

Resources

A number of significant items that help to tell the story of The Woodlands are located in collections and repositories throughout Philadelphia and elsewhere. The following links will take you to other websites where you can access these documents or learn more.

Looking for a particular location while visiting The Woodlands? Download a PDF of our Section Map and visit the Notables page to learn more about some of the Cemetery's more famous residents.

Architecture

• The Woodlands, Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)

Cemetery Company

• The Woodlands Cemetery Company Papers, 1798-1990 (Collection 3661), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

• The Price Family Papers, 1840-1990 (Collection 3690), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

 Landscape 

• "A different zelkova," David Hewitt, Growing History: The Philadelphia Historic Plants Consortium (2012)

• The Woodlands, Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS)

• The Woodlands: A "Matchless Place," Timothy Long (M.S. thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 1991)

William Hamilton

• Founders Online (a searchable database with historical documents and correspondence between William Hamilton and some of the Founders of the United States of America)

• "The Woodlands," Catharine P. Fussell and Timothy P. Long. Discovering Lewis and Clark (2009)

• "To Make His Country Smile: William Hamilton's Woodlands," Karen Madsen (Arnoldia 49.2, 1989)

• "Some Letters from William Hamilton, of the Woodlands, to His Private Secretary," Benjamin H. Smith and William Hamilton (The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 29.1, 1905)

Horticulture 

• "The Invasive Ailanthus altissima in Pennsylvania: A Case Study Elucidating Species Introduction, Migration, Invasion, and Growth Patterns in the Northeastern US," Matthew T. Kasson, Matthew D. Davis and Donald D. Davis (Northeastern Naturalist 20.10, 2013)