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Lancaster County, is located in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. The city of Lancaster is the county seat.  

       The area was rapidly settled after 1709 by a mix of peoples: Swiss Mennonites, French Huguenots, Scotch-Irish, English, Welsh, and Rhineland Germans  who came to Pennsylvania  for the freedom of religion offered by William Penn.  Theses settlers were attracted by the rich soil and mild climate of the area.  Freedom from poverty and political uncertainty also was a major factor.

Lancaster County was created on May 10, 1729 from part of Chester County and named for Lancashire, England.  Lancaster, the county seat, also named for its English counterpart, was laid out in 1730.  It was chartered as a borough on May 1, 1742 and as a city on March 10, 1818.  This was the first new county in Pennsylvania since the original three of 1682.  Before 1776, Lancaster was the largest inland city in Britain’s American colonies.  The decade 1800–1810 was stagnant, but then new enterprises began: gristmills, lime-burning, and iron. A turnpike linked Lancaster to Philadelphia in 1800, and the Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad opened in 1834. The Conestoga Slackwater Canal facilitated trade with Baltimore. In the late nineteenth century there was a a great deal of factories manufacturing: cigars, cotton and silk cloth, beer, stoves, watches and clocks, and farm tools.  Today, Lancaster County is a popular tourist destination, due mostly to the many plain sect residents, known as the Amish or Pennsylvania Dutch. The term 'Pennsylvania Dutch' comes from the earlier use of "Dutch" to apply to all immigrants from Europe speaking German.  They are the descendants of the aforementioned Germans ("Deutsch") who immigrated in the 18th and 19th centuries.   

     Lancaster County is bounded to the north by Lebanon County, to the northeast by Berks County, and to the east by Chester County (the southeastern boundary with Chester County is formed by Octoraro Creek). To the south are Cecil and Harford Counties, Maryland (across the Mason-Dixon line).  To the west is York County (the boundary is the western shore of the Susquehanna River). To the northwest is Dauphin County (the boundary is formed by Conewago Creek).

gen tool-kit

·             Lancaster County Register of Wills/ Orphan's Court Clerk has Marriage Records from 1729 and Probate Records from 1729 and is located at Register of Wills, 50 N. Duke St., P.O. Box 83480, Lancaster, PA 17608-3480; (717) 299-8242, email: Jay Toms - [email protected].

·             Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds has Land Records from 1729 and is located at 50 N. Duke St.
P. O. Box 83480; Lancaster, PA 17608-3480; Office: 717.299.8238, Fax: 717.299.8393.

·             Lancaster County Prothonotary / Clerk of Courts has Court Records from 1729 and is located at Office of Prothonotary, 50 N. Duke St, P.O. Box 83480, Lancaster, Pa. 17608-3480; Phone (717) 299-8282, Fax (717) 293-7210, email: [email protected] .

The Americana Museum of Bird-in-Hand 
Amish Village  Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Amos Herr House and Foundation 
Elizabethtown College Collections     
Family History Library Holdings     

Genealogy Collection  Lancaster Public Library
Genealogy Collection  Lititz Public Library
The Heritage Center of Lancaster County 
James Buchanan's Wheatland 

Lancaster County Libraries     

Landis Valley Museum 

Lititz Historical Foundation and Museum 
Lititz Springs Park 
Local History  Moores Memorial Library, Christiana
Office of Records and Archives Services 
PERiodical Source Index Search  Lancaster Co., PA
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania  Strasburg, PA
USGenWeb Archives      (Source: USGenWeb)

The Conestoga Area Historical Society 
East Petersburg Historical Society 
The Evangelical & Reformed Historical Society 
Heritage Preservation Trust of Lancaster County 
The Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley 
Lancaster County Historical Society 
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society 
Lancaster Township Historical Commission 

Lititz Historical Foundation 
The Manheim Historical Society 
Mount Joy Historical Society 
Octorara Chapter  Quarryville     (Source: DAR)

Southern Lancaster County Historical Society 
Strasburg Heritage Society 
Tri-County Heritage Society 
Washington Boro Society for Susquehanna River Heritage 

Your LINK to the Historical Places and Districts in LANCASTER County

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

National Park Service

National Historic Landmarks

National Battlefields

National Historic Sites

National Historical Parks

National Memorials

National Monuments

surnames

The following are names of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding Link.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

Christman;   Douglass;   Heckendorn;   Kerr;   Kreamer;   Lineberger;   Pickens

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

Amstutz;   Arnold;   Bard (Barth);   Chateau (Schatto);   Ellis;   Faircloth;   Gerber;   Gilbert;   Gohn;   Hoog;   lges;   Keller;   Kieffer;   Kinard;   Kitzmiller;   Klein;   Kline;   Krafft;   Lebkecher;   Leiphart;   Leithiser;   Pfeffer;   Schneider;   Shaeffer;   Silar;   Sterner;   Ulrich;   Weinhold;   Young

Additional information regarding these and other surnames may also be found at:

Surname Locator Resources

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches  using tips or "tricks"

that will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about  this  or  any  other  Surname. 

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of any surname.  You can

get greater detail for any of the maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

ancestral gen-sites

Anna Barbara Klein Birth:  1696 in Kirchardt, Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Marriage:  26 Nov 1715 in Sinsheim, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Death: 08 Apr 1762 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Anthony Keller II Birth: Abt. 1744 in Tulpehocken, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

Marriage: 1769 in York, York Co., Pennsylvania

Death: 01 Jan 1817 in Lower Windsor Twp., York Co., Pennsylvania

Johan Georg Barth Birth: 01 May 1686 in Tiefenbach, Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Marriage: 26 Nov 1715 in Sinsheim, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Death: 1768 in Lampeter Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

Johann Paul Ilges Birth: Abt. 1706 in Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Marriage: 23 Feb 1745 in Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Death: 1761 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

John Arnold I Birth: Aft. 1761 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Marriage: Abt. 1790 in Chanceford Twp., York Co., Pennsylvania

Death: 1845 in Chanceford Twp, York Co., Pennsylvania

Barbara Kraemer Marriage: 11 Dec 1758 in First Reform Church, Lancaster, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

Death: Abt. 1805 in Reedy Fork, Guilford Co., North Carolina

George Lineberger Birth: 13 Jun 1741 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Marriage: Abt. 1770

Marriage: Abt. 1790 in Guilford County, North Carolina ?

Death: 1826 in Guilford County, North Carolina

Jacques "Jacob" Christman Birth: 04 May 1720 in Rothau, Molsheim, Bas-Rhin, France

Marriage: 01 Oct 1742 in First Reform Church, Lancaster, Lancaster Co.,Pennsylvania

Marriage: 11 Dec 1758 in First Reform Church, Lancaster, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

Death: 1785 in Reedy Fork, Guilford Co., North Carolina

Lettica Kerr Birth: 07 Jan 1724 in Donegal Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania

Marriage: 14 Jan 1749 in Augusta County, Virginia

Death: 15 Jul 1773 in Staunton, Augusta Co., Virginia

The following gen-sites have been identified as places located within this county where our direct ancestors are known to have been, born, married, died or resided.

First Reformed Church of Lancaster;   Lampeter Township; 

 Lancaster (city);   Tulpehocken

First Reformed Church of Lancaster

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Pennsylvania;   County: Lancaster;  

Place: First Reformed Church of Lancaster; Coordinates/Map: 40° 2′ 23″ N, 76° 18′ 16″ W

Steeples of the First Reformed Church at 30 E. Orange St., Lancaster, PA

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 for larger image

DESCRIPTION:  Some time between around 1725 Reformed people of the community began worshipping in each others' homes. The First Reformed Church of Lancaster was formed in 1729 by a congregation of German, Swiss, and French settlers.  In the year 1736, a log church was built upon the lot at Orange and Christian Streets where the present building stands. By 1753 a stone building was constructed to be followed by the current brick church built in 1854.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   Jacques "Jacob" Christman married his first wife Barbara Heckendorn here on 01 Oct 1742.  On 11 Dec 1758 he married our 6^th great-grandmother Barbara Kreamer at this church.

INTERNET WEB LINK(s): 

Lampeter Township

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Pennsylvania;   County: Lancaster;

Place: Lampeter Township; Coordinates/Map: 40° 4′ 0″ N, 76° 15′ 23″ W

Willow Hill Covered Bridge, East Lampeter Township

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 for larger image

DESCRIPTION:   The Township of Lampeter was one of the original townships of Lancaster County, its boundaries being clearly defined in the year of the County’s separation from Chester County in 1729. Earlier, from 1718, it was part of Conestoga Township, which embraced practically the entire portion of Chester County taken to form Lancaster County. In 1841, this rather large township, then known as Lampeter, was divided equidistantly down the center forming the Townships of East and West Lampeter.  See the map below for boundaries of the original township in 1750.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:  Johan Georg Barth passed away here in 1768.

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):   About West Lampeter Township

Lancaster (city)

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Pennsylvania;   County: Lancaster;

Place: Lancaster; Coordinates/Map: 40° 2′ 23″ N, 76° 18′ 16″ W

Historical homes in Lancaster

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 for larger image

DESCRIPTION:  Lancaster is a city in the South Central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is the county seat of Lancaster County. Originally called Hickory Town, the city was renamed after the English city of Lancaster by native John Wright. Its symbol, the red rose, is from the House of Lancaster. Lancaster was part of the 1681 Penn's Woods Charter of William Penn, and was laid out by James Hamilton in 1734. It was incorporated as a borough in 1742 and incorporated as a city in 1818.  Lancaster was capital of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1812, after which the capital was moved to Harrisburg.   

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:    

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):

Tulpehocken

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Pennsylvania;   County: Lancaster;  

Place: Tulphocken; Coordinates/Map: 40° 26′ 27″ N, 76° 15′ 12″ W

A hewn log cabin, on the estate of Conrad Weiser, Tulpehocken Creek, Womelsdorf, Pa.

Christ Evangelical Luthern Church in Stouchsburg, Pennsylvania

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 for larger image

DESCRIPTION:  The first settlers in the Tulpehocken section of Lancaster County were Germans from the Palatinate, who entered by way of the western boundary in 1723, nine years before the territory was released by the Indians. They migrated from New York by way of the Susquehanna river and the Swatara creek to the headwaters of the Tulpehocken creek and settled in the vicinity of what is now Womelsdorf and Stouchsburg.       In 1729 Conrad Weiser and his family also migrated from New York to the Tuipehocken settlement and his presence was a great help to the Penns in pacifying the Indians and preventing them from slaughtering the settlers. He was an accomplished interpreter and a very useful man in various ways.       In 1732 The Proprietaries in 1732 secured a release for the land from the local Native-Americans. By that time numerous settlers were in every part of the section.  By 1740, the townships of Tulpehocken, Heildelberg, Bern, and Bethel had been established by the court at Lancaster, which embraced the entire section.   The area of the original Tulpehocken Township now lies in Berks County.

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   Anthony Keller II was born here about 1744.

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):  The Tulpehocken settlement;  Tulpehocken Settlement Historical Society;  History of Conrad Weiser Homestead;  The Migration of the Schoharie Germans to Pennsylvania and the History of Tulpehocken Township

Research by location

Map of

This County

Gazetteer of Places in This County

Link to State-Wide Resources

Where in the World

are My Ancestors?

map

The Red Star in the map designates the location of the seat of government for this county.  Yellow Stars designates county seats in adjacent counties.   A Purple Dot shows the location of identified ancestral Gen-Site(s).

from the keyboard you can increase or decrease the zoom value in 10% increments. To zoom , press  and the   button. To zoom , press  and the   button.  To restore the zoom to 100%, press  and the  button.

gazetteer

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestor’s birth, marriage, death dates and the place(s) within this locality at which these events may have occurred.

Map of Lancaster County Pennsylvania

Lancaster County Physical, Cultural & Historic Features

Lancaster County ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Lancaster County Land - Property, Farms & Ranches

Profiles for 309 cities, towns and other populated places in Lancaster County Pennsylvania

Links To Populated Places Within This County

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Lancaster County:

City

• Lancaster

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the United States Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Other communities

Find Physical Features* Within This County

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales,

Military Installations;  Populated Places, Post Offices, Schools, Streams, and Trails

State-Wide Resources

For more information about the U.S. State in which this county is located  click  on  these  LINKS:

Where in the world

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK

to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and other helpful  resources  that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations. 

resources

This search engine may

provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

• Website & Webpages We Like
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Free Genealogy Search Help For Google
• Linkpendium > Genealogy > USA
• The USGenWeb Project
• GenealogyLinks.net
• United States Research Wiki – Family Search

·         Our Genealogy Reference Library (USA Locations)

·         Genealogy Forum: U.S. States

·         Family Search, IGI Batches, Localities

·         Genealogy.com: Resources by county

·         Rootsweb.com – U.S. Message Boards

·         Cyndi's List - General U.S. Sites

·         Access Genealogy

• Lancaster County - Wikipedia
• Lancaster County Genealogy Links
• Lancaster County (Family History 101.com)
• Lancaster County USGenWeb

·         Lancaster County, Genealogy Forum

·         Lancaster County, at Rootsweb

·         Cyndi's List - U.S. – Pennsylvania - Localities

·         Linkpendium > Genealogy> Lancaster County

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you may find books about the history and records of this county and other places such as towns and churches.  The collection also contains research works about military units and personnel during America’s wars, in addition too resource texts about the ethnic and religious groups who may have settled in this locality.

Research Library – Table of Contents

Gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a variety of localities.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

One of the 29 covered bridges in Lancaster County.

If you have any photographs or other images relating to this ancestral

location, we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Use the following LINK to ascertain whether we have any images that pertain to this location.

ANCESTRAL LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS and IMAGES

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images Search  page.   Enter  the

topic you are searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the  website to  which it is linked.

Contact information

Email

Snail mail:

Fred
889 Dante Ct.
Mantua, NJ 08051

USA

Email

Pony Express:

Tom
27 Christopher Dr.
Burton, NB E2V3H4
Canada