Editing rights on the English Wiki are changing.
More information.

York County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

From FamilySearch Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Guide to York County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: York
Organized: August 19, 1749
Parent County(s): Lancaster[1]
Neighboring Counties
Dauphin • Baltimore (MD) • Carroll (MD) • Adams • Lancaster • Cumberland • Harford (MD)
See County Maps
Courthouse
York County, Pennsylvania Judicial Center.jpg
Location Map
York County PA Map.png

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

York is located in the southeastern area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

York County Judicial Center (courthouse)
45 North George Street
York, PA 17401
Phone: 717-771-9288
Fax: 717-771-4678
Office of the Prothonotary: 717-771-9611
Recorder of Deeds: 717-771-9608
Orphans' Court: 717-771-9288
York County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records from 1893-1907, marriage records from 1885, divorce, court, and land records from 1749
Register of Wills has probate records[3]

York County, Pennsylvania Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1893 1885 1893 1749 1749 1773 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • Formed from Lancaster County 14 October 1748. [5]
  • County seat: York[6]
  • 22 January 1800: Adams County set off.

For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

The following are locations in York County, Pennsylvania:

York, Franklintown, Codorus Township, Heidelberg Township, Penn Township, York Township, more ...

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Indentured Servants
By searching for the term "servant" at the York County Archives website, you can retrieve a list of indentured servants listed in York County Quarter Sessions.

  • Immigrant Servants Database hosted by Price Genealogy - Includes indentured/imported servants and transported convicts who served labor terms in Colonial York County, Pennsylvania.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of York County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

 

Additional Cemetery Resources

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Federal Census

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 37,535 —
1800 25,643 −31.7%
1810 31,958 24.6%
1820 38,759 21.3%
1830 42,859 10.6%
1840 47,010 9.7%
1850 57,450 22.2%
1860 68,200 18.7%
1870 76,134 11.6%
1880 87,841 15.4%
1890 99,489 13.3%
1900 116,413 17.0%
1910 136,405 17.2%
1920 144,521 5.9%
1930 167,135 15.6%
1940 178,022 6.5%
1950 202,737 13.9%
1960 238,336 17.6%
1970 272,603 14.4%
1980 312,963 14.8%
1990 339,574 8.5%
2000 381,751 12.4%
2010 434,972 13.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Court Records[edit | edit source]

For information about records kept in the Orphan's court, Prothonotary Court, Court of Common Pleas, and other courts in counties of Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Court Records Wiki page.

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

For online resources, passenger lists, and specific groups coming to Pennsylvania, see Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration.

Indentured Servants
By searching for the term "servant" at the York County Archives website, you can retrieve a list of indentured servants listed in York County Quarter Sessions.

  • Immigrant Servants Database hosted by Price Genealogy - Includes indentured/imported servants and transported convicts who served labor terms in Colonial York County, Pennsylvania.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

For groups that came, see People section of the Pennsylvania Emigration page.

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

The Orphan's Court ensures the best interests of those not capable of handling their own affairs: minors, incapacitated persons, decedents' estates, and more.[7]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a specific location and reveal family relationships. Records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, maps and more. For more information, see Pennsylvania Land and Property.

Land records in York County began in 1749. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in York, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records

  • 1749–1943 The York County Archives have deed book indexes online(1749 -1912 and 1913 - 1943).When searching these indexes you will be directed to PDF pages that have the grantee and grantor indexes.Instructions are given on the York County Archives page as to how to use the PDF pages that are generated.The PDF documents are quite large and take some time to download.These indexes provide you with the details needed to search and obtain copies of the original deeds.
  • 1749 -1912 Deeds, 1749-1859; Index to deeds, 1749-1912 FS Library films 22085-22129 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
  • 1981–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.
  • Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Media:York county pennsylvania townships.pngYork county pennsylvania townships.png
About this image

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Maps

Adams CountyCumberland CountyDauphin CountyLancaster CountyHarford CountyBaltimore CountyCarroll CountyPA YORK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

See more databases at Pennsylvania Military Records and US Military Records.


Revolutionary War
Local men served in the York County Militia. A guide at the Pennsylvania State Archives website identifies townships where specific companies recruited soldiers, see Revolutionary War Militia Battalions and Companies, Arranged by County.

York County men also served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment (Revolutionary War). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.[8]

The Camp Security website has a lot of information on this Revelotionary War Prisoner of War Camp that was located in York County.

Military Records

Civil War

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in York County:[9]

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Naturalization records can contain information about immigration and nativity. Prior to 1906, it is rare to find the town of origin in naturalization records. For more information, see Pennsylvania Naturalization

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Newspapers may contain obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings. Newspapers are often found in local or university libraries, historical or genealogical societies, or state archives in the area where the newspaper was published. See Pennsylvania Newspapers for more information.

Newspapers of York County

  • The York Daily Record
  • Weekly Record
  • The York Dispatch
  • Community Courier
  • Dillsburg Banner

Online Newspapers

To learn if there are newspapers online for a specific town or city in Pennsylvania, see news.google.com/newspapers and search for the town or the name of a newspaper.


Online Newspaper Abstracts

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts

  • Sullivan, Raymond B., Newspaper Clippings of York County, Penn., Evening Sun, 1967 (SLC, Utah, 1968) FS Library film 547096 and 547097 item 1
  • Sullivan, Raymond B., Newspaper Clippings of York County, Penn., Gazette and Daily, 1967 (SLC, Utah, 1968) FS Library film 547094-95
  • Compiled by Raymond B. Sullivan, A Collection of Newspaper Clippings of Vital Records from the Evening Sun, Gazette and Daily, Adams Co., York Co., Pennsylvania, Carroll Co., Maryland, 1968-1969; Sykesville Times Caroll County Times, Carroll Co., Maryland, 1967-1968, 1967-1969 (SLC, Utah, 1969) FS Library films 599824-599829 item 1

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died or where family members lived. Local libraries or societies may have indexes or other sources.

Online Obituary Abstracts

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate matters in York County are handled by the Orphans' Court and start when the county was created.

In addition to wills and administrations, the Orphans' Court also handles: audits of accounts of executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians; distribution of estates; appointments of guardians; adoptions; appeals from the Register of Wills; inheritance tax appeals, and various petitions and motions.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Bond Books (1794-1968) There is no local microfilm available. They are indexed and can be searched online at the Archives website. These records originated in the Recorder of Deeds office. Bonds from 1749-1793 are found in Estate Files. After 1968 Bonds are at the Register of Deeds.
Estate Files (1749-1958) There is no local microfilm or index. They originated in the office of the Register of Wills/Orphan's Court.
Estate Files (1959-1967) There is no local microfilm but they are indexed and can be searched online at the Archives website. These records also originated in the office of the Register of Wills/Orphan's Court.
Will Books (1749-1973) There are local microfilms of Dockets A - AA. These records are indexed. They are searchable online at FamilySearch at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county) They originated in the Register of Wills office.

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

The York County Archives house tax records for the county from 1767 (with gaps) to 1988. Prior to the 1950's these tax records were listed under the tax payer's name and township and borough. Records since then are listed by name, address, location of property, account number, etc. These records originated in the Assessment Office of the Court House. They are available locally on microfilm for 1767 -1850 and 1950 - 1988. These records are not indexed nor are they available at the Archives website.

  • 1762 South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society (York, Pa.). An alphabetical listing of the assessed inhabitants of York County, Pennsylvania for the year 1762, York, Pennsylvania : South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, 1978-1979.
  • 1779-1783 York County USGenWeb Project The York County USGenWeb Project has the Returns of Taxables of the County of York for the Years 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783 online.
  • 1779-1783 Returns of Taxables of the County of York: For the Years 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1783. (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 21). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books
  • 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital records are handled by the County Orphans' Court. Between the years 1852-1855 Pennsylvania made a failed attempt to record birth, marriage and death events at the county level. County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Births and deaths, at the county level, were begun in 1893 and kept through 1905. For the most complete set of records, contact the County Orphans' Court.

The following indexes are available for online searches:

  • 1852 -1853, 1893 - 1906 Birth Records
  • Prior to 1906 Delayed Births (recorded after 1941)
  • 1852 -1853, 1885 - 1949 Marriage Records
  • 1852 -1855, 1893 - 1906 Death Records
  • 1877 -1958 Affidavits of Death
  • These indexes reference the original records which can be ordered from the Archives.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Early births 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For more information, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

The following records are available at the York County Archives:

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Pennsylvania marriages were created by county officials. Contact York County Courthouse

The following records are available at the York County Archives:

Death[edit | edit source]

Early deaths 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For indexes and records, 1906 and later, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

The following records are available at the York County Archives:

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in York County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

National Archives at Philadelphia
14700 Townsend Rd
Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Phone: 215-305-2044
Fax: 215-305-2052
Email: philadelphia.archives@nara.gov
Website
Facebook

York County Archives
150 Pleasant Acres Rd
York, PA 17420
Phone: 717-840-7222
Email: archives@yorkcountypa.gov
Website

York County records begin in August of 1749 when York County was formed from Lancaster County. The Archives stores records for over 40 different county offices during various time periods throughout the past 250 years.

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in York County. For state-wide library facilities, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

Guthrie Memorial Library
2 Library Place
Hanover, PA
Phone: 717-632-5183
Email: guthrielibrary@yorklibraries.org
Website
Facebook

The Pennsylvania Room houses an extensive collection of genealogical materials including church and cemetery records, ships' passenger lists, and family histories.

Martin Library
159 E Market St
York, PA
Phone: 717-846-5300
Email: martinlibrary@yorklibraries.org
Website
Facebook

York County Libraries
159 E Market St
York, PA 17401
Phone: 717-849-6969
Email: talkwithus@yorklibraries.org
Website
Facebook

Most libraries in York County have genealogical and local history collections.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Police Heritage Museum
54 W Market St
PO Box 1582
York, PA 17401
Phone: 717-845-COPS (2677)
Website
Facebook

The museum has historic records of police officers, their departments, and the techniques and equipment they used. Limited hours; visit website for information.

York County History Center
250 E Market St
York, PA 17403
Phone: 717-848-1587
Email: info@yorkhistorycenter.org
Website
Facebook

The Historical Society Museum and Library houses exhibits and an extensive research library.

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in York County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Pennsylvania Societies.

South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
PO Box 1824
York, PA 17405
Email: CPAGenSociety@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Susquehanna Trail Genealogy Club
2101 Hollywood Dr
York, PA
Phone: 717-292-0377
Email: mark.gagermeier@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

York County History Center
250 E Market St
York, PA 17403
Phone: 717-848-1587
Email: info@yorkhistorycenter.org
Website
Facebook

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • York County USGenWeb Project The York County, Pennsylvania USGenweb Project has an extensive collection of links for help in performing genealogy in York County. The Project also has many online extracted and original records.
  • York County PA Genealogy
  • FamilyHart Online Database. Large collection of York County family genealogies online.
  • FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_County,_Pennsylvania accessed 2/12/2017
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), p. 593.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at Common Pleas accessed 10 July 2012
  8. ↑ John B.B. Trussell and Charles C. Dallas, The Pennsylvania Line; Regimental Organization and Operations, 1776-1783 (Harrisburg, Pa.: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1977). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  9. ↑ National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.
  10. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/2/20/Igipennsylvaniat.pdf.
v • d• e
Links to Pennsylvania-related articles
Topics
Counties
Extinct Co.
Major
Repositories
American Swedish Historical Museum · Bristol Public Library (Bristol, VA) · Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh · Citizens Library · Erie County Library · Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society · Franklin and Marshall College Library · Free Library of Philadelphia · Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania · German Society of Pennsylvania · Handley Regional Library (Winchester, VA) · Haverford College Library · Historical Society of Pennsylvania · Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania · Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia · Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society · Library Company of Philadelphia · Library of Congress (Washington, DC) · Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia · Luzerne County Historical Society Bishop Library · National Archives at Philadelphia · New York Public Library (New York City, NY) · Pennsylvania Department of Health · Pennsylvania State Archives · Philadelphia City Archives · Presbyterian Historical Society · State Library of Pennsylvania · SUNY Fredonia Reed Library (Fredonia, NY) · Swarthmore College Friends Historical Library · Temple University Urban Archives · University of Pennsylvania Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center · Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, OH)
Migration
Routes

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Retrieved from "https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=York_County,_Pennsylvania_Genealogy&oldid=5753465"