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Genealogy & Property Research

Genealogy and Family History Research

Genealogy is the quest to find one’s ancestry. Before planning a trip to a research facility, it is best to begin the journey with yourself. Using a pedigree chart or family group sheet, record all vital information about you and your immediate family, (i.e. births, marriages, and deaths), as well as where the event took place. Include your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

If you have ancestors in York County, the Library & Archives has a wealth of resources to help you with your research. When you visit the library, come prepared with the information you have already gathered.

We currently have over 9,000 family surname files which contain information from church records, estate records, tax records, burial information from a 1930s cemetery survey, and obituaries, wedding and engagement announcements clipped from the local newspapers. The family files also contain materials contributed by researchers and volunteers, which could include research queries, family charts and group sheets, research notes, photocopies of legal documents, and other materials collected by researchers. We also have Family Reports compiled in the 1930s for over 500 families and a large collection of family genealogies that continue to be donated by the authors.

The recording of vital statistics varies from one municipality to another, whether on the county or state level. Pennsylvania did not record births and deaths until 1906 and York County began recording marriages in 1885. Prior to these dates, one must consult other sources, such as church records, newspaper obituaries and cemetery tombstone abstractions to fill in missing information.

Please consult our Family Research Guide to better understand what resources are available at the History Center.

My Family Tree – starter guide
39191.014P Wilson, John Aquilla

The South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society

South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Inc. (SCPGS) is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization of genealogists. As genealogists, they study ancestry and family history, and are interested in preserving family heritage for future generations. Their primary geographic area of interest and coverage is Pennsylvania’s York and Adams Counties.

Their purpose is to encourage and promote an interest in genealogy by collecting and preserving materials related to genealogy, encouraging the compilation and publication of family genealogies and histories, publishing materials of interest and benefit to members, holding meetings for the education of members and the public, and offering financial and volunteer support to the library at the York County History Center. Their publications include valuable name indexes to church, county, and municipal records.

Monthly meetings with speakers on local genealogy topics are held at the York County History Center unless otherwise noted. The business portion of the meeting begins at 2:30 PM followed by the program. Meetings are FREE and open to the public.

For more information on SCPGS membership, meetings, or publications, please visit their website.

Scpgs Publications And Price List

Online Research Orders

Property Research and Land Records

Uncovering the history of your home or business property can be very interesting and rewarding. Discovering this story requires detective work and research that is often beyond the scope of our holdings. Nonetheless, the Library & Archives has numerous sources that may be used to locate property information, including directories and maps. Download our Researching Your Home Guide.

We recommend that researchers begin by developing a lineage of previous owners by researching property deeds. More information on where to access deeds is below. It is important to note that not all York County deed transfers have been recorded and that many unrecorded deeds still remain in private hands. Additionally, the Library & Archives has many unrecorded deeds in its collection.

It is best to begin with recent property transfers and work backwards. If you have recently purchased a property or had it refinanced, request a copy of the title search from your settlement company. It will provide a list of prior owners over the past several decades. The names of the previous owners and their dates of ownership, can be “keys” to access the resources found at the History Center.

All recorded deeds beginning in 1749 are found at the York County Archives located at 150 Pleasant Acres Road, York. The grantor and grantee indexes for the York County Deed Books from 1749 through 1943 are searchable on their website. FamilySearch.com has also made York County deeds available on their website. The York County Deeds Office may also be a helpful resource.

Original Land Record Maps and Books – by Neal Otto Hively

Rev. Dr. Neal Otto Hively, retired Lutheran pastor, donated his life’s work and copyright to maps and accompanying books on original York County land records. Dr. Hively researched 11,400 colonial surnames and 4,545 tracts of land while creating 16 books and 14 maps organized by township. *Please contact the York County History Center Book Store at 717-848-1587 to check the availability of maps and books, as well as occasional updates from the author. More information and Price List for Hively Maps and Books

See also Annotated York County Land Warrant Register – By Neal Otto Hively (This book is only available for research use, not for sale)

After seven years of work, Dr. Neal Hively has produced a new reference for land records, the Annotated York County Land Warrant Register. This volume is a companion to the York County Land Records Series and is cross-referenced with Dr. Hively’s York and Adams County published land research. The York County Warrant Register contains over 5,900 separate name indexed listings. Each county’s original “warrant register” is housed in the Pennsylvania State Archives and details alphabetically and sequentially those persons who applied for a parcel of property, beginning in 1749 for York County.