Berks County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States &gt; Pennsylvania &gt; Berks County

County Courthouse
County of Berks 633 Court Street Reading, PA 19601 Phone: (610) 478-6136 Hours: 8 AM to 5 PM Closed on holidays

Parent County
14 October 1751: Berks County was created from Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Chester Counties.

Boundary Changes

 * 14 October 1728: Future southwestern half of Berks County became part of Lancaster County when it was created; the other half remained in Philadelphia County.
 * 1 March 1811: Schuylkill County was created, giving Berks its final boundaries.

Neighboring Counties
Chester | Lancaster | Lebanon | Lehigh | Montgomery | Schuykill

Census

 * 1964, State Census Transcription - only Rehrersburg
 * 1965, State Census Transcription - only Rehrersburg

Land

 * Ancestor Tracks has published Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Berks County which contains the Township Warrantee Maps on file at the Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg covering about 75% of today's county, thus pinpointing the location of the earliest landowners. Each Township Warrantee Map was painstakingly platted by draftsmen from the original warrants, surveys, and patents.

Maps

 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free, downloadable images from the 1860 Map of Berks County from Actual Surveys published by H.S. Bridgens which can be used in conjunction with the 1860 census to help pinpoint your ancestors.  These images show major landowners on the date of publication.
 * Township maps of Berks County Pennsylvania from the 1876 Historical Atlas of Berks County have been posted online at the genwebarchives.

Probate
| Berks County has placed a searchable Index to their Estate Records on-line.

Vital Records
| Berks County has placed a searchable index on-line for birth, marriage and death records. The marriage records for the county begin in 1885.

Societies and Libraries
The Historical Society of the Berks Countyis located on Centre Street in Reading.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog