Chester County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Chester County

County Courthouse
"Scenic, Historic, World Class" Chester County 2 N. High Street PO Box 2748 West Chester, PA 19380-0991

Chester County Archives &amp; Records Services - main home page 601 Westtown Road, Suite #080 PO Box 2747 West Chester, PA 19380-0990

Parent County
1682 -- Chester County was created 10 March 1682, from the Colonial Lands, one of three original counties (Bucks and Philadelphia are two others) by William Penn.

Boundary Changes
14 October 1728: West part set off to form Lancaster County.

26 September 1789: Southeast part set off to form Delaware County.


 * Chester County Archives: Township and Borough Boundary Changes

Populated Places
City


 * Coatesville

Boroughs

Townships

Communities

Neighboring Counties
Berks | Delaware | Lancaster | Montgomery | New Castle County, Delaware | Cecil County, Maryland

Census

 * 1842 Originals
 * 1857 Originals and Index

Church

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

Court
Chester County Archives - Orphan's Court

Maps

 * Ancestor Tracks has posted Breou's Official Series of Farm Maps, Chester County published by W.H. Kirk, 1883
 * Chester County Archives - Atlases and Maps

Naturalizations
Chester County Archives - Naturalizations

Newspapers

 * Chester County Historical Society - largest extant collection of newspapers


 * Daily Local News

Probate
Chester County Archives - Probate Records (Wills and Administrations)

Taxation
Chester County Archives - 18th and 19th century tax lists

Vital Records

 * Chester County Archives
 * Births, 1852-1855, 1893-1907, Delayed Birth Records
 * Marriages, 1852-1855, 1885-1930
 * Deaths, 1852-1855, 1893-1906

Societies and Libraries

 * Chester County Historical Society
 * Chester County Library System's Database Access
 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
 * Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area
 * Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College (Quaker)
 * Archdiocese of Philadelphia - unable to locate link to the archives.
 * Presbyterian Historical Society
 * Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society - also for Amish genealogy.
 * Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic
 * United Methodist Church Archives

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Chester County PAGenWeb Project, an member of The PAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Linkpendium - Chester County
 * USGenWeb Archives Project for Chester County.
 * USGenWeb Archives Project for Chester County. (backup site)