Delaware County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Delaware County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
 * This article is about a county of southeast Pennsylvania. For other uses, see Delaware (disambiguation)

Description
The county was named for the Delaware River. The county is located in the southeast tip of the state.

County Courthouse
Delaware County Courthouse 201 West Front Street Media, PA 19063 Phone:610-891-4000 Recorder of Deeds Phone: 610-891-4152 Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court Division Phone: 610-891-4400, Email: [mailto:walkm@co.delaware.pa.us walkm@co.delaware.pa.us] Marriages Phone: 610-891-4548 Treasurers Office Phone: 610-891-4273 Delaware County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records 1893-1906, marriage records from 1885, divorce records from 1927, probate from 1790, court records from 1897, land records from 1789, orphan court records from 1865 and delayed birth records 1875-1900

For birth and death records prior to 1906 contact:Delaware County Archives. If you are looking for a birth record between 1893 and 1906, please visit the Register of Wills department located at the Government Center. The Recorder of Deeds processes and preserves records relating to real property dating back to 1789. All records are preserved on microfilm. The Register of Wills is responsible for matters relating to probate and the Orphans Court maintains the records of marriages. Tax records are in the Treasurers Office.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
1641: Swedes and Finns spreading north from Fort Christina (present-day Wlimington, Delaware) first settle in Finland (Chamassungh), now Trainer, Pennsylvania  and Upland (Meckopenacka), now Chester, Pennsylvania. The New Sweden Colony continues to expand northward with new settlements as far as Philadelphia in the following years.

1651-1655: The New Netherland Colony builds Fort Casimir  (now New Castle, Delaware), settle Sandhook,   and abandon Fort Beversrede (now Philadelphia) in 1651. In 1654 New Sweden captures Fort Casimir from the Dutch without a fight and renames it Fort Trinty (Trefaldighets). In 1655 New Netherland returns with a large army and all of New Sweden in presend-day Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey submits to Dutch rule.

1664: As part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War New Netherland including southeast Pennsylvania is surrendered to the English.

1673-1674: A new war breaks out and the Dutch send a large armada to retake New Netherland for a few months. But as the war ends the colony is ceeded to England for the last time.

1680s: William Penn founded the English colony of Pennsylvania after receiving a grant in 1681 from the king of England. His colony offered religious freedom, liberal government, and inexpensive land. Quakers established the city of Philadelphia.

Bible Records

 * Bibles at PA USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images (incomplete)
 * LDS Genealogy

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1620-1991 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

The Museum/Research Library of the History of Delaware County holds a number of Church Records related to Delaware County.

County-wide Database - Multi-denominational


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


 * Contains the church records of:
 * Jonathan Worrall Justice of the Peace Docket
 * W.P.A. Project/Gravestone Inscriptions
 * Chadds Ford: St. Luke's Church, Chadds Ford
 * Chester: Chester Rural Cemetery Association; Madison Street United Methodist Church; Providence Avenue United Methodist Church; St. Paul's Episcopal Church; United Methodist Church
 * Essington: Protestant Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist
 * Gradyville: Record of Pastors
 * Manoa: Bethesda Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Marcus Hook: St. Martin's Episcopal Church
 * Media: First Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Middletown: Wesley United Methodist Church
 * Newtown: Newtown Cemetery Association
 * Norwood: Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church
 * Philadelphia: Benjamin Paschall Justice of the Peace Docket
 * Radnor: St. Martin's Episcopal Church
 * Rockdale: Calvary Episcopal Church of Rockdale
 * Rose Valley: Old Union Methodist Episcopal Burial Ground Also known as: Union Methodist Church Cemetery, Old Union United Methodist Church Cemetery and Union M.E. Cemetery
 * Rosemont: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church; Radnor Methodist Church
 * Springfield: Springfield Friends Graveyard; St. John's Lutheran Church Springfield
 * Thornbury: Stony Bank Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Wallingford: Trinity Lutheran Church
 * Yeadon: Fernwood Cemetery; Holy Cross Roman Catholic Cemetery


 * 1682-1800 Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Delaware County, 1682-1800 Washington, D.C.: Humphrey Publications, 1995..


 * Contains the church records of Chester Monthly Meeting, Chester; Concord Monthly Meeting, Concord Township; Darby Monthly Meeting, Darby; Radnor Monthly Meeting, Radnor Township; St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, Chester; St. David's Protestant Episcopal Church, Radnor Township.

Cyndie Enfinger has compiled a detailed list of Delaware County, Pennsylvania churches at PAGenWeb


 * Delaware County Church Records at Delaware County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives including records for several churches.

Episcopalian St. David's Church, Radnor

Communion lists begin in 1722, baptisms in 1727, marriages and burials in 1800.

St. John's Church, Concord

Early registers are lost.

St. Paul's Church, Chester

Registers begin in 1704.


 * 1704-1733  Marriage Record of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Chester, 1704-1733 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 5) at Ancestry ($); Google Books

St. Martin's Church, Marcus Hook

Vestry books begin in 1724.

Presbyterian First Presbyterian Church of Darby, Glenolden


 * 1842-1885  First Presbyterian Church of Darby, Glenolden, Marriage Index 1842-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Presbyterian Church, Chester


 * 1853-1880  Presbyterian Church, Chester, Baptism Index 1853-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1856-1900  Presbyterian Church, Chester, Marriage Index 1856-1900 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Presbyterian Church, Darby

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1840-1875  Presbyterian Church, Darby, Baptism Index 1840-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1718-1852 (*); Court of Private Sessions and Clerk of Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer at FamilySearch Catalog — images

The Office of the Prothonotary in Delaware County has been merged into a new department called the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. Prothonotary Director: Angela L. Martinez, Esquire Government Center, Room 126 201 W. Front Street Media, PA 19063 610-891-4370 Website

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1798-1828  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Alphabet index then by numbered entry
 * 1900-1923  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1952-1957   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Land and Property Records
Land records in Delaware County began in 1770. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Media, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1770-1914 Deeds, 1770-1866; Deed Index, 1789-1914.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1789-1912 Mortgages, 1789-1825; Index to Mortgages, 1789-1912.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1982–present Delaware County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 1894. By Samuel T. Wiley, revised and edited by Winfield Scott Garner. Richmond, Ind. : Gresham Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 2 volumes. 1932. Ed. by Charles Palmer, Lucile Shenk. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania : National Historical Association, Inc. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 1884. By Henry Graham Ashmead. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : L.H. Everts & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. 1862. By George Smith. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Henry B. Ashmead. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust;.
 * A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its People. 3 volumes. 1914. Ed. by John W. Jordan. New York, New York : Lewis Historical Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 3 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. 1-3 - Hathitrust, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers
United States Geographic Survey Place Names - GNIS for Delaware County (over 1500) (may not always be present in alphabetic order on first try.)

Maps


 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable image from the 1880 Atlas of Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Benjamin H. Smith. This atlas located in the Library of Congress shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date of publishing. 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 Tracks.
 * Delaware County Maps at Delaware County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War Men in what is now Delaware County (then Chester County) served in the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1865-1936  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II
 * 1933-1947  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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
 * 1795-1952   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1931   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and 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 $
 * 1795-1906 Naturalization Papers  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1795-1990 Delaware County: Naturalization Records Index 1795-1990 on Delaware County, Pennsylvania website

Newspapers
Newspapers of Delaware County

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.


 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * The Newspaper Archives of Delaware County Library

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Delaware County.
 * Delaware County Newspaper Articles at Delaware County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts
 * 1947-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Delaware County.
 * Delaware County Obituaries (by surname) at Delaware County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1789-1908 Wills  - Index included: 1789-1973; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1789-1973  at at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county) Includes Delaware County Wills and Administration Record Index (1789-1973), Will Books A-U (1789-1908); Letters of Administration Vols. 1-4 (1789-1917); Orphans' Court Docket Index (1789-1865), Orphans' Court Dockets Vols. A-J (1790-1882); Recognizance Book (1835-1888).
 * 1790-1935  Administrations  online index at the Delaware County Archives
 * 1789-1935  Wills online index at the Delaware County Archives

Online Will Abstracts
 * Wills (by surname) at Delaware County USGenWeb Archives.

School Records

 * Swathmore College: 1883-1956 (Online at the Internet Archive)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).
 * Delaware County Tax Lists for several townships courtesy Delaware County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1854 Birth Records, online index
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1893-1906 Birth Records, Delaware County online index
 * 1889-1906 Chester Birth Records, online index
 * 1941-1976  at FamilySerch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1512-1989  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1677-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1682-1976  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1709-1940  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Marriage Records, Delaware County online index
 * 1885 - Delaware County Marriage Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1885-1940 Marriage Records, Delaware County online index
 * 1885-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death
The following records are available at the Delaware County Archives:
 * 1720-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1852-1854 Death Records, Delaware County online index
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1893-1906 Death Records, Delaware County online index
 * 1893-1906 Delaware County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Archives
Delaware County Archives 340 North Middletown Rd Building 19 Lima, PA 19063 Mailing Address: 201 West Front Street Media, PA 19063 Email: [mailto:archives@co.delaware.pa.us archives@co.delaware.pa.us] Website The archives has will administrations 1790-1935; county home records 1806-1929; birth 1852-1906; marriage records 1852-1854 and 1885-1940; death records 1852-1854 and 1893-1906; court records 1790-1929; veterans' graves registration 1775-2010; prison records 1873-1917; naturalization records 1795-1990; wills 1789-1935; and more.

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Valley Forge Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Philadelphia Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * West Philadelphia Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Gloucester County Historical Society - New Jersey - an affiliate library.
 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Delaware County Library System (DCLS) Administrative Headquarters 340 N. Middletown Rd., Fair Acres Bldg. 19, Media, PA 19063 Phone: 610-891-8622 Fax: 610-891-8641 Online Catalog Website There are 22 libraries in the DCLS library system. They have a sizable genealogy and biography collection. Friends Historical Library Swarthmore College Library Special Collections 500 College Ave Swarthmore, PA 19081 Phone: 610-328-8496 Email: [mailto:friends@swarthmore.edu friends@swarthmore.edu] Website Facebook
 * Located in neighboring Delaware County, but has many resources for the greater area.

Museums
Christian C. Sanderson Museum P.O. Box 153 1755 Creek Road (Old Route 100) Chadds Ford, PA 19317 Phone: 610-388-6545 Email: [mailto:info@sandersonmuseum.org info@sandersonmuseum.org] Website The museum has a family name index "for stories to augment your genealogy research." Pennsylvania Veterans Museum Media Armory 12 East State Street Media, PA 19063 Phone: 610-566-0788 Website

Societies
Delaware County Historical Society 408 Ave. of the States Chester, PA 19013 Phone: 610-359-0826 Website Friends Historical Association (Quakers) Haverford College Library 370 Lancaster Avenue Haverford, PA 19041-1392 Phone: 610-896-1161 Email: [mailto:fha@haverford.edu fha@haverford.edu] Website

Websites

 * The Delaware County PAGenWeb Project, an member of The PAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Delaware 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.