Chester County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
The county is located in the Southeast section of the state.

County Courthouse
Chester County Courthouse 201 W. Market St, Suite 1400 West Chester, PA 19380 Phone: 610-344-6135 Fax: 610-344-4465 Prothonotary Phone:  610-344-6300 Recorder of Deeds Phone:  610-344-6330 Register of Wills/Orphans Court Phone:  610-344-6335 Chester County Website

Populated Places
City


 * Coatesville

Boroughs

Townships

Communities

Biographies

 * Biographies by Surname at Chester County Archives Index, part of USGenWeb Archives.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Indentures from Early Court Records 1697-1700s at PAGenWeb
 * Indentured Servants Complaints, 1700-1855

Slavery and Bondage
 * Fugitive Slave Records, 1820-1839
 * Negro Servant Returns, 1788-1821
 * Slave Manumissions

Census Records

 * 1842 Originals
 * 1857 Originals and Index

Chester County Archives:


 * Septennial Census Returns, 1793-1856

Church Records


County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * 1682-1800 - Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Chester County, 1682-1800 Washington, D.C.: Humphrey Publications, 1994..
 * Contains Quaker monthly meeting records from Kennett, Bradford, Goshen, Nottingham, New Garden, Sadsbury, Uwchlan, Londongrove, Birmingham, and Fallowfield. Includes baptisms from Zion's Lutheran Church in Pikeland Township; East Vincent Reformed Church in Vincent Township; Brownbacks German Reformed Church in Coventry Township; Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church; Faggs Manor Presbyterian Church; and records of Rev. John Casper Stoever.


 * 1708-1985 - Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry $


 * Contains church records of:
 * Chester Springs: St. Matthew's United Church of Christ; St. Peter's Pikeland United Church of Christ
 * Coatesville: Friendship United Methodist Church; Presbyterian Church; The Presbyterian Church of Coatesville
 * Compass: St. John's Episcopal Church
 * Downingtown: Central Presbyterian Church; Messiah Lutheran Church; St. James Church; St. James Episcopal Church; St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church; United Methodist Church
 * East Coventry: Coventry Mennonite Cemetery
 * Elk Ridge: Elk Ridge Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Kerford: Oak Grove Cemetery
 * Landenberg: United Methodist Church
 * New London: New London Methodist Episcopal Church; Protestant Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist; St. John's Episcopal Church
 * Oxford: Oxford Circuit Methodist Episcopal Church; St. Andrew's Church
 * Paoli: Salem Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Parkesburg: First United Presbyterian Church of Parkesburg
 * Philadelphia: Norris Square Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Phoenixville: St. Peter's Chapel; St. Peter's Episcopal Church; United Church of Christ - Hungarian Reformed
 * Salem: Salem Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Spring City: Vincent Mennonite Cemetery
 * West Bradford: Marshallton United Methodist Church
 * West Chester: Church of the Holy Trinity; Oakland Cemetery; St. Agnes' Roman Catholic Cemetery
 * West Marlborough: St. James Church
 * West Nantmeal: Goodwill United Methodist Church
 * West Vincent: St. Matthew's United Church of Christ
 * West Whiteland: Grove United Methodist Church


 * Church Histories, Members and Images at The USGenWeb Archives Includes births, baptisms, marriage, funerals, deaths and burials.
 * Chester County Churches at PAGenWeb. Information and records about Baptists, Christians, Dunkers, Episcopalians, German Reformed, Lutherans, Mennonites, Methodists, Prebysterians, Roman Catholics, and some active churches in the area.

Brethren
 * History of the Coventry Brethren church in Chester county, Pennsylvania, the second oldest Brethren church in America (1898)

Episcopalian The earliest of the Episcopal churches is St. John's Pequra Episcopal church in Compassville.

St. John's Church, New London

Early registers are lost. Surviving records begin in 1824.

Trinity Church, Oxford

Early registers are lost. For a history, see:


 * Fisher, George Harrison. "Trinity Church, Oxford, Philadelphia," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 27 (1903):279-295. For online access, see WeRelate.

Lutheran Zion's or Old Organ Lutheran Church, East Pikeland Township


 * 1760-1875 - Zion's or Old Organ Lutheran Church, East Pikeland Township, Baptism Index 1760-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Presbyterian Brandywine Manor Presbyterian Church


 * 1869-1887 - Brandywine Manor Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1869-1887 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1869-1887 - Brandywine Manor Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1869-1887 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Faggs Manor Presbyterian Church aka New Londonderry Presbyterian Church


 * 1781-1872 - Faggs Manor Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1781-1872 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches.
 * 1790-1793, 1823-1829 - Faggs Manor Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1790-1793 and 1823-1829 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batche.

Fairview Presbyterian Church, Glenmoore


 * 1845-1877 - Fairview Presbyterian Church, Glenmoore, Marriage Index 1845-1877 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church


 * 1761-1781 - Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1761-1781 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1761-1773 - Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1761-1773 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Kennett Square Presbyterian Church


 * 1862-1884 - Kennett Square Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1862-1884 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1862-1884 - Kennett Square Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1862-1884 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Penningtonville Presbyterian Church, Atglen


 * 1852-1875 - Penningtonville Presbyterian Church, Atglen, Baptism Index 1852-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1862-1885 - Penningtonville Presbyterian Church, Atglen, Marriage Index 1862-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Quaker Quakers did exist in the Chester County area prior to the arrival of William Penn. William Edmundson, minister of the Society of Friends, met with Robert Wade in about 1675 and held a meeting. The first official meeting did not occur until 1681 at the home of Mr. Wade. This meeting, held at Mr. Wade's house would eventually become the Chester Monthly Meeting. Meetings were first held in members homes but as the congregation grew separate meeting houses were built. The earliest meetings in what is now Chester County were: Goshen, Uwchlan, Caln, Kennett, Birmingham, Nottingham, West Nottingham, New Garden, London Grove Bradford and Valley.

Early Quaker monthly meetings (with years established):


 * Concord Monthly Meeting (1684) also known as Chichester Monthly Meeting. Hinshaw published the early records:.

Reformed Reformed Church, East Vincent


 * 1784-1798, 1821-1833 - Reformed Church, East Vincent, Marriage Index 1784-1798 and 1821-1833 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Vincent Reformed Church, East Vincent Township


 * 1733-1880 - Vincent Reformed Church, East Vincent Township, Baptism Index 1733-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1784-1880 - Vincent Reformed Church, East Vincent Township, Marriage Index 1784-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Court Records

 * 1697-1710 - Lists of constables 1697-1710 at PAGenWeb

Chester County Court Abstracts
 * Chester County Court Records at Chester County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archvies - online
 * 1681-1761 Dorothy B. Lapp, Records of the courts of Chester County, Pennsylvania (Danboro, Pennsylvania Richard T. and Mildred C. Williams, 1972) . Transcripts with each volume indexed.

Chester County Archive Online Indexes
 * Affidavits, Depositions, Interrogatories, 1781-1834
 * Assigned Estates, 1821-1942
 * Equity Cases, 1844-1940
 * Inquisitions and Executions, 1700-1800
 * Insolvent Debtor's Petitions, 1724-1850
 * Letters of Attorney, 1774-1845
 * Gaol (Jail) Keepers' Docket, 1804-1857
 * Languishing Prisoner Petitions, 1718-1790
 * Oyer &amp; Terminer, 1802-1910
 * Prison Discharges, 1843-1872
 * Quarter Sessions Indictments, 1681-1870

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1680s-early 1700s "Some Early Arrivals: Settlers in Chester County, Pa.," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Mar. 1911):281-304. For online access, see WeRelate; the Family History Library also has this series in its collection:.


 * Hunting, Morgan. "The Names of the Early Settlers of Darby Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25 (1900):182-186. Digital version at Internet Archive. Hunting prepared a map and a list of those who settled in Darby Township up through 1760.


 * Immigration Records of Chester County at Chester County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archives including Early Chester Arrivals; index of names 1681-1687


 * Indentures from Early Court Records 1697-1700s at PAGenWeb
 * Indentured Servants Complaints, 1700-1855

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African Americans
 * Fugitive Slave Records, 1820-1839
 * Negro Servant Returns, 1788-1821
 * Slave Manumissions

Genealogies

 * Genealogical manuscripts up to 1968 (Salt Lake City, Utah Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1968) Chester County Historical Society (West Chester, Pennsylvania).

Land and Property Records
Land records in Chester County began in 1688. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records


 * 1628 -1920 Mortgage Records, 1774-1852; Mortgage Index, 1628-1920. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1688 -1922 Deeds 1688-1903; Index, 1688-1922. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1688 -1875 The Chester County Archives offers the following online indexes:
 * British Depredations, 1777-1782
 * Deed Books, 1688-1850
 * Inquisitions and Land Executions, 1700-1800
 * Letters of Attorney, 1774-1845
 * Mechanics' Liens, 1828-1868
 * Petitions for Sheriff's Deeds, 1728-1835
 * Sheriffs' Deeds, 1773-1875


 * 1733-1858 Warrantees of Land, Chester County PA, 1733-1858 at PAGenWeb
 * 1775 -1905 Sheriff's Deeds. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1960–present Chester County offers online access to records since 1960. Fees may apply. View the website for current records availability and fees.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images from the Breou's Official Series of Farm Maps, Chester County published by W.H. Kirk, 1883 courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. While the physical maps are in the public domain, the images we have taken of the maps belong to us and are not to be used commercially.  We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tacks.
 * Chester County Archives - Atlases and Maps

Military Records
Revolutionary War

Chester County men also served in the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment, the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment.


 * Revolutionary War Regiments, Companies and Pensioners at Chester PAGenWeb Archives
 * Veterans' Burials, 1885-1979

War of 1812
 * War of 1812 Company Rolls at Chester PAGenWeb Archives

Civil War
 * Board of Relief Records (Civil War), 1861-1865
 * Civil War Bounty Records, 1862-1865
 * Civil War Equalization Bounty &amp; Pension Records, 1863-1868
 * Civil War Muster Rolls at Chester PAGenWeb Archives

World War I
 * World War 1 Servicemen Records (County War Aid Association), 1917-1921

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1777-1785 Oaths of Allegiance and Fidelity - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1795-1930 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1522, incomplete for all counties
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $
 * 1795-1931 at FamilySearch
 * 1795-1952 on FamilySearch.org, National Archives publication M1248, browsesable images of card index
 * 1798-1906 Naturalization Records - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1802-1929 Chester County Naturalization Records Index 1798-1935 on Offical Website of Chester County, Pennsylvania

Newspapers
Newspapers of Chester County


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
 * Daily Local News
 * USGenWeb Newspapers
 * Chester County Historical Society - largest extant collection of newspapers

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


 * 1947-2010 at FamilySearch
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Chester County.
 * USGenWeb Newspapers
 * Newspaper Articles of Chester County at Chester County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archives. Includes birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, estate notices, family reunions, military related information, sale notices and other news.
 * Record of Marriages from American Republican, 1815-1845 (SLC, Utah, 1947) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts


 * The Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue' (Malvern, Pennsylvania:Accessible Archives, c1993) Abstracts of newspaper articles from Chester County.
 * Maxwell, Russelle Lane, Aunt Carrie's Scrapbook a collection of newspaper articles covering Chester Co., PA from 1874 to 1910, births, marriages, deaths, and misc.--indexed (Pueblo, Colorado:R.L. Maxwell, c2000)

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts


 * USGenWeb Newspapers
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Chester County.
 * Chester County Obituaries at Chester County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb archives.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * Compiled and arranged by Michael J. Osiol, Pottstown Area Necrology (S.I.:M.J. Osiol, 19--?)

Other Records
Poorhouse, Almshouse
 * Board of Relief Records (Civil War), 1861-1865
 * Poor School Children Records, 1810-1841
 * Poorhouse Records, 1800-1910
 * Poorhouse Bound Apprentices, 1801-1825

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Images


 * 1683 -1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $ - index and images
 * 1700-1924 Chester County Probate Records at FamilySearch - images only, complete collection of probate records
 * 1713-1810 Estate Papers - Index included 1713-1850; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1713-1825 Chester County, Pennsylvania Wills on Ancestry ($). Includes abstracts of the wills. The original records are at the Chester County Archives and Records Service, 117 West Gay Street, West Chester, PA 19380. See also the FamilySearch Catalog for FHL films 20844-20849.
 * 1713-1850 Index to Chester County, Pennsylvania wills and intestate recordson Ancestry ($) Taken from Anderson, Bart. Index to Chester County, Pennsylvania wills and intestate records, 1713-1850. Danboro, Pa.: R.T. and M.C. Williams, "The Pennsylvania traveler", 1970.
 * 1713-1854 Wills - Index included 1713-1923; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1716-1810 Decedants' Estate Papers - Index included: 1716-1880; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1717-1820 Minors' Estate Papers - Index included 1717-1880; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1850-1924 Records of Wills ; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1850-1947 Records of the Orphans Court - Index included 1882-1968; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * Chester County Wills/Estate Records (by surname) at Chester County, Pennsvylvania PAGenWeb Archives.

Tax Records

 * 1677-1890 Tax and Landowner Lists, Petitions, etc at PAGenWeb
 * 1765-1769, 1771 Proprietary Tax Lists of the County of Chester: For the Years 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1771 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 11). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books
 * 1774, 1779-1781, 1785 Proprietary and Other Tax Lists of the County of Chester: For the Years 1774, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1785 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 12). Digital version at Ancestry ($);
 * 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).
 * Provincial Tax Minutes, 1756-1778
 * Tax Discounts, 1785-1865
 * Tax Indexes, 18th Century Tax Records
 * Tax Indexes, 19th Century Tax Records

Birth

 * 1726-1930 index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic index for the years 1726 to 1930. It is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * 1768-1874 Chester County Birth Index 1768-1874 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1852-1855, 1893-1907 Births - Delayed Birth Records (Chester County Archives)

Marriage

 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1677-1950 at FamilySearch
 * 1690-1890 Marriage Contracts, Separations and Certificates, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1725-1976 index. Not complete for all years. This index is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * 1768-1874 Chester County Marriage Index 1768-1874 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1793-1813 Harlan, Geo. Passmore. "Marriages by Moses Marshall, Esq., Marshalton, Pa.," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jun. 1908):190-196. For online access, see WeRelate; the Family History Library also has this series in its collection:.
 * 1795-1832 "Marriages by John Graves, Esquire, West Chester, Pa.," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Mar. 1909):101-113. For online access, see WeRelate; the Family History Library also has this series in its collection:.
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1855, 1885-1930 Marriages, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1885-1950 Extracted marriage records – This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
 * Chester County Marriages (by groom surname) at Chester County PAGenWeb archives.

Death

 * 1720-1957 Coroners' Records, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1768-1907 Chester County Death Index 1768-1907 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1852-1855, 1893-1906 Death Records, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1875-1893 Proof of Death Registers, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1885-1979 Veterans' Burials, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1893-1907 Chester County (Pennsylvania) Register of Deaths, Alphabetized listing of thousands of names including last name, first name, race, gender, age, marital status, place of birth, date and place of death, cause, volume and page number.

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary, Chester County Courthouse.

Archives

 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052 website


 * Chester County Archives 601 Westtown Road, Suite 080 West Chester, PA 19380-0990 Phone: 610-344-6760 Email: [mailto:ccarchives@chesco.org ccarchives@cc.org] Website
 * The Chester County Archives holds birth and death records (1852-1855, 1893-1906), marriage records (1852-1855, 1885-1930), wills and administrations (1714-1923), deed books (1688-1982), tax records (1715-1939), and more. The Chester County Archives has published online indexes to birth, marriage and death records, civil court records, land records, military records, naturalization records, probate records, tax records, and more. It was established in 1982 and holds almost 3,000 volumes and nearly two thousand cubic feet of original records. The Chester County Archives is run by the Chester County Historical Society and the County of Chester.

Family History Centers

 * West Philadelphia Pennslvania Family History Center

Libraries

 * Chester County Library System's Database Access
 * Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College (Quaker) Website
 * The Mennonite Heritage Center - Library & Collections 565 Yoder Road Harleysville PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Website

Societies

 * Chester County Historical Society The History Center 225 N. High Street West Chester, PA 19380-2658 Phone: 610-692-4800 Website
 * The History Center includes a museum, library, photo archives, and museum shop. The Chester County Historical Society also jointly administers the County Archives (see above).


 * Directory of Pennsylvania Genealogical & Historical Societies Website


 * Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania 2100 Byberry Road, Suite 111 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19116 Phone: 267-686-2296 Website


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 Phone: 215-732-6200 Fax: 215-732-2680 Website


 * Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area 204 Church Street Phoenixville, PA 19460 Phone: 610-935-7646 Email: [mailto:hspa@verizon.net hspa@verizon.net] Website


 * Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society - also for Amish genealogy 2215 Millstream Road Lancaster, PA 17602-1499 Phone: 717-393-9745 Fax: 717-290-1585 Email: [mailto:lmhs@lmhs.org lmhs@lmhs.org] Website


 * Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic c/o United Lutheran Seminary 61 Seminary Ridge Gettysburg, PA 17325 Email: [mailto:info@lutheranhistoricalsociety.com info@lutheranhistoricalsociety.com] Website


 * Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 Phone: 215-627-1852 Website


 * The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Website
 * The Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania support the John L. Ruth Historical Library and Museum at the Mennonite Heritage Center. Located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania the records and resources of this center cover the counties of Bucks, Chester, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Philadelphia and provide a comprehensive overview of library resources, online cemetery database, manuscript collections, photo collections, archival collections, and more.
 * The Mennonite Heritage Center includes 86,000 burial records from 125 local cemeteries. Records cover cemeteries in the counties of Berks, Bucks, Butler, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Westmoreland. The database provides transcriptions from Mennonite, Brethren, Lutheran, Reformed, Union, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, community, and private cemeteries. Search the list of cemeteries and the alphabetical surname lists in Adobe PDF format.


 * United Methodist Church Archives P. O. Box 127 Madison, NJ 07940 Phone: 973-408-3189 Email: [mailto:gcah@gcah.org gcah@gcah.org] Website

Websites

 * Chester County PA Genealogy
 * – 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.