Research

In an effort to bring renewed attention and interest to our collection and to the study of Moravian history, the Moravian Historical Society welcomes research and image publication requests. Our research facilities include our:

Library & Archives

The Society has a research library of over 5,000 books and other materials, focusing primarily on Moravian church history, music, locations and people, and on local history.

Genealogy Collection

The research collection includes extensive records on local genealogy, including over 200,000 Lehigh Valley obituaries, files and family charts, family history books, and cemetery records.

There are two ways to do research at the Moravian Historical Society:

Research in Person

Visiting the Moravian Historical Society and doing your own research has a minimal fee of $5.00 per person.

Please call ahead to schedule your visit.
Let us know what materials or titles you are interested in. If you do not have specific information, please let us know what you are researching so we can prepare appropriate material for your visit.
We ask that you use pencils when working with collections. Pens are not permitted.
Limited photography is allowed in certain instances. Please ask a staff member before taking any photographs.

Research by Mail

If you are unable to visit in person, research requests may be performed by MHS staff, billed to the according following rates.

Standard research fee for the first half hour: $50.00
Every 15 minutes thereafter:. $25.00
Postage fees may also be added.

Please make all requests in writing or email and include a check or money order (payable to the Moravian Historical Society) for all applicable fees. Credit cards are also accepted by calling the Society at 610-759-2080, Please send your written request, including all pertinent information as described below, and payment to:

Research
Moravian Historical Society
214 E. Center Street
Nazareth, PA 18064

Or e-mail us at:

Responses will be sent 8-10 weeks from receipt of payment. We cannot guarantee our investigation will produce any results, but we will make every effort to aid you. Included in our response will be list of the sources consulted in the course of our research.

In order to expedite your request and to prevent repetition, please include the following when inquiring:

Your name, address, phone number, email address, and other useful contact information
What you hope to find
Specific names, dates, locations, etc. (if known)
List of sources already consulted
Initial payment covering first half hour's research (you will be informed if more is required)

Inquiries that include the request, "Please send everything you have on..." will not be answered.

You will receive your information only after the research fees have been paid in full. The research fees are again as follows:

Standard research fee for the first half hour: $50.00
Every 15 minutes thereafter:. $25.00
Postage fees may also be added.
Fees for photocopies or photography may apply. See fees listing below.

Image Publication & Usage Fees

Photographs, black & white negatives, color negatives, transparencies, and slides of objects in our collection are available. Digital files are also available for most of the collection. Please send your written request or by email for images to the address listed above. Payment must be received before imaged are sent. Requests are subject to approval by the MHS. Please allow eight to ten weeks to process your request.

Reproduction fee for publishing images from the holdings of the Moravian Historical Society is $25.00 per image and the Society must recieve a complementary copy of the publication in which the image was used.

REPRODUCTION FEES WHICH MAY APPLY:

Set up fee $ 10.00
Set up fee (for rush orders) $ 20.00
Photocopy (From Originals) $ 0.50
Photocopy (non-archival material)$ 0.20
Scan (without prints) $ 2.50
Digital images from originals $ 0.50
For burning a cd-rom $ 15.00
Simple b&w print (letter size) $ 1.00
Simple non-glossy color print (letter size) $ 2.50
Glossy color print (4 x 6’) $ 7.50
Glossy color print (5 x 7”) $ 10.00
Glossy color print (8 x 10”) $ 15.00
Glossy color print (11 x 14”) $ 25.00
Glossy color print (16 x 20”) $ 40.00
Glossy color print ( 20 x 30”) $ 50.00

Prices for other reproduction services on request

Fees are per image. Cost includes any and all image reproductions, including photography (if needed). If requestors already have a copy of the image or will be photographing it themselves, all costs are waived, but all appropriate publication and use fees apply.