Delaware County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Delaware County

Guide to Delaware County, Pennsylvania ancestry, family history and genealogy courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.


 * This article is about a county of southeast Pennsylvania. For other uses, see Delaware (disambiguation)

Delaware County Pennsylvania Historical Facts
Parent Counties: Formed from Chester County 26 September 1789.

County Seat: Media

Neighboring Counties: Delaware County residents may also have records in Montgomery •  Chester  •  York  •  Philadelphia  •  New Castle County, Delaware  •  Gloucester County, New Jersey


 * Named for the Delaware River
 * The County seat prior to 1851 was Chester City and it was county seat for Chester County, too.
 * Since 1851, the county seat has been Media.

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.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Har Jehuda Cemetery, Upper Darby BillionGraves Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia/Yeadon BillionGraves

Census

 * 1671 Transcription and Index

Church Records
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 – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com – $; 7,542,774 entries. This database is incomplete for all counties.


 * 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 Church
 * 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 - free.


 * 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 - free.

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 - free. Batch.

Presbyterian Church, Chester


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

Presbyterian Church, Darby


 * 1840-1875 - Presbyterian Church, Darby, Baptism Index 1840-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Court of Common Pleas
The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of Pennsylvania. Major civil and criminal cases are heard in these courts. Judges also decide cases involving adoption, divorce, child custody, abuse, juvenile delinquency, estates, guardianships, charitable organizations and many other matters. The Common Pleas courts are organized into 60 judicial districts. Delaware County has its own judicial district. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.

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

Orphan's Court (see Vital Records)
If you are looking for a birth record between 1893 and 1906, please visit the Register of Wills department located at the Government Center.

Register of Wills &amp; Clerk of Orphans' Court Division Director: Hugh A. Donaghue, Esquire Government Center 201 W. Front Street Media, PA 19063 Phone: 610-891-4400

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

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

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, and maps. Property records include liens as well as livestock brands and estray records.

The following are examples of available resources:

Online Land Records


 * 1982–present Delaware County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1770–1914 Deeds, 1770-1866; Deed Index, 1789-1914.
 * 1789–1912 Mortgages, 1789-1825; Index to Mortgages, 1789-1912.

Additional Resources

Note that the "Maps" section below includes maps related to land ownership.

See Pennsylvania Land and Property for more information about using land records, especially about original land warrants, surveys, and patents filed at the state land office.

Additional resources can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Delaware County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
 * (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps
Click the image to view an enlarged version


 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)


 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free 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

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

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1795-1952 – on FamilySearch.org - free, National Archives publication M1248, browseable images of card index.


 * 1795-1931 – on FamilySearch.org - free, National Archives publication M1522, browseable images of petitions, no index, use index listed above.


 * 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.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1522.


 * 1795-1990 – Delaware County: Naturalization Records Index 1795-1990 on Delaware County, Pennsylvania website - free

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1795–1906 Naturalization Papers


 * 1777–1785 Oaths of Allegiance and Fidelity

Newspapers
Newspapers of Delaware County


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

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.


 * 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
Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died. However, sometimes an obituary is found in the location from which he or she originated. To find an obituary, see the information under the Newspaper heading

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Delaware County.
 * Delaware County Obituaries (by surname) at Delaware County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records

Many original Delaware County probate records are available free online as digital images at:


 * 1789-1973 - at FamilySearch.org - free. 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).

Probate records can be found at the Delaware County Archives


 * Administrations - 1790-1935 - online index
 * Wills - 1789-1935. - online index

Online Probate Indexes


 * 1683 - 1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1683 - 1994 at FamilySearch — images

Online Will Abstracts


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

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1789-1908 Wills - Index included: 1789-1973

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]

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

Courthouse
Delaware County Courthouse The Courthouse and Government Center Complex 201 West Front Street Media, PA 19063 Phone: (610)-891-4000

Offices of County are found in the Departments link on any of the pages. Departments of interest to genealogists include:


 * Recorder of Deeds - The Recorder of Deeds processes and preserves records relating to real property dating back to 1789. All records are preserved on microfilm.
 * Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court Division - The Register of Wills is responsible for matters relating to probate and the Orphans Court maintains the records of marriages.
 * Treasurers Office - Tax records are here.

Family History Centers
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.


 * Valley Forge Pennsylvania Family History Center (Broomall)

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

There are 22 libraries in the DCLS library system. They have a sizable genealogy and biography collection.

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] The museum also has a family name index "for stories to augment your genealogy research." Founded in 1732. Has Research facilities.


 * Pennsylvania Veterans Museum Media Armory 12 East State Street Media, PA 19063 Phone: 610-566-0788 Education is the main focus. It is also creating a living history database.

Societies
Delaware County Historical Society 408 Ave. of the States Chester, PA 19013 Phone: 610-359-0826

The Delaware County Historical Society has been collecting and preserving items of the county's history. The research library contains an extensive collection of Bible, birth, burial, census, church, court, genealogical, land and marriage records, as well as maps, newspapers, telephone books, city directories, and yearbooks. The museum hosts four exhibits a year.

Taxation

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

Vital Records
For birth and death records prior to 1906 contact:

Delaware County Archives 340 North Middletown Rd Building 19 Lima, PA 19063 Mailing Address: 201 West Front Street Media, PA 19063 Phone: 610-891-5620 Email: [mailto:archives@co.delaware.pa.us archives@co.delaware.pa.us]

See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth

 * 1726-1930 - - free 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.
 * 1852-1854 Birth Records, online index
 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1893-1906 Birth Records, online index
 * 1889-1906 Chester Birth Records, online index
 * 1893-1896 - - free index. Not complete for all years.

Marriage
The following records are available at the Delaware County Archives:
 * 1677–1950 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties. Includes 35,000 marriage records from vol. VIII of of the second series of the Pennsylvania Archives.
 * 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1852-1854 Marriage Records, online index
 * 1885 - Delaware County Marriage Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1885-1940 Marriage Records, online index
 * 1885-1950 - Extracted marriage records – free. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
 * 1887-1907 - - free index. Not complete for all years.

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Death
The following records are available at the Delaware County Archives:


 * 1852-1854 Death Records, online index
 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1893-1906 Death Records, online index
 * 1893-1906 - Delaware County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Yearbooks

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

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Pennsylvania Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Delaware County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Delaware County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * The Delaware County PAGenWeb Project, an member of The PAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Delaware County PA Genealogy

Populated Places

 * City: Chester
 * Boroughs: Aldan . Brookhaven . Chester Heights . Clifton Heights . Collingdale . Colwyn . Darby . East Lansdowne . Eddystone . Folcroft . Glenolden . Lansdowne . Marcus Hook . Media . Millbourne . Morton . Norwood . Parkside . Prospect Park . Ridley Park . Rose Valley . Rutledge . Sharon Hill . Swarthmore . Trainer . Upland . Yeadon
 * Townships: Aston . Bethel . Chadds Ford . Chester . Concord . Darby . Edgmont . Haverford . Lower Chichester . Marple . Middletown . Nether Providence . Newtown . Radnor . Ridley . Springfield . Thornbury . Tinicum . Upper Chichester . Upper Darby . Upper Providence
 * Communities: Ardmore . Boothwyn . Bortondale . Bowling Green . Broomall . Cheyney . Drexel Hill . Elwyn . Folsom . Garden City . Garnet Valley . Garrett Hill . Glen Mills . Glen Riddle . Gradyville . Haverford . Havertown . Lenni . Lima . Linwood . Moylan . Pine Ridge . Radnor . Riddlewood . Rosemont . Rose Tree . Secane . South Media . St. Davids . Strafford . Villanova . Village Green-Green Ridge . Wallingford . Wawa . Wayne . Woodlyn