Chester County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Chester County

Chester County, Pennsylvania genealogy and family history research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and 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.

Chester County Pennsylvania Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Created from Colonial Lands 10 March 1682.
 * County Seat: West Chester
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Berks (north) • Montgomery (northeast) • Lancaster (west) • Delaware (southeast) • Cecil County, Maryland and New Castle County, Delaware (south)

Many Scotch-Irish immigrants settled in Chester County in the early eighteenth century.

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

Biographies

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

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


 * Oxford Cemetery, Oxford BillionGraves
 * Revolutionary Soldiers Cemetery, Spring City BillionGraves. May contain burials from late 1700s/early 1800s.
 * Lloyd, Howard Williams. "Inscriptions on Gravestones in St. Peter's Episcopal Church-yard, Great Valley, East Whiteland, Chester County, Pa.," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 15 (1891):440-448. For free online access, see WeRelate.


 * "Great Valley Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Paoli, Chester County, Pennsylvania," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 34, No. 3 (1986):230-238. For free online access, see WeRelate.

The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville PA 19438-1020 215-256-3020 [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Hours: Tuesday thru Friday, 10am–5pm, Saturday, 10am–2pm The Cemetery Database at 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. Visit the Mennonite Heritage Center to search the cemetery database by various criteria. The transcriptions are available for further research at the MHC library.

Census

 * 1842 Originals
 * 1857 Originals and Index

Chester County Archives:


 * Septennial Census Returns, 1793-1856

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 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


 * 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.


 * Church Histories, Members and Images at The USGenWeb Archives Includes births, baptisms, marriage, funerals, deaths and burials.


 * Chester County Churches at PAGenWeb - free. 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 free online access, see WeRelate.

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:.

Court Records

 * 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.

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. 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.

Orphans' Court
Chester County Archive Online Indexes


 * Orphan's Court
 * Affidavits, Depositions, Interrogatories, 1781-1834
 * Assigned Estates, 1821-1942
 * Equity Cases, 1844-1940
 * Inquisitions and Executions, 1700-1800
 * Insolvent Debtor's Petitions &amp; Bonds, 1724-1850
 * Letter of Attorney, 1774-1845
 * Gaol (Jail) Keepers' Docket, 1804-1816
 * Languishing Prisoner Petitions, 1718-1790
 * Oyer &amp; Terminer, 1802-1910
 * Prison Discharges, 1843-1872
 * Quarter Sessions Indictments, 1681-1870

Chester County Court Abstracts Online


 * Chester County Court Records at Chester County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archvies

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

History
Hunting prepared a map and a list of those who settled in Darby Township up through 1760:


 * 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 - free.

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


 * 1733-1858 - Warrantees of Land, Chester County PA, 1733-1858 at PAGenWeb - free.
 * 1960–present Chester County offers online access to records since 1960. Fees may apply. View the website for current records availability and fees.
 * 1688–1875 The Chester County Archives offers the following free online indexes:


 * British Depredations, 1777-1782
 * Deed Books, 1688-1830
 * 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

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1688–1922 Deeds 1688-1903; Index, 1688-1922.
 * 1628–1920 Mortgage Records, 1774-1852; Mortgage Index, 1628-1920.
 * 1775–1905 Sheriff's Deeds.

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 Chester County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


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

Maps

 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free, 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

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

War of 1812

 * War of 1812 Company Rolls at Chester PAGenWeb Archives

Civil War

 * Civil War Muster Rolls at Chester PAGenWeb Archives

Chester County Archives

 * Board of Relief Records (Civil War), 1861-1865
 * Civil War Bounty Records, 1862-1865
 * Civil War Equalization Bounty &amp; Pension Records, 1863-1868
 * Veterans' Burials, 1885-1979
 * World War 1 Servicemen Records (County War Aid Association), 1917-1921


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

Naturalization and Citizenship
Naturalization records available for Chester County, Pennsylvania include the following:

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1795-1952 – on FamilySearch.org - free, National Archives publication M1248, browsesable images of card index
 * 1795-1931 – on FamilySearch.org - free, National Archives publication M1522, browsesable 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
 * 1802-1929 – Chester County Naturalization Records Index 1798-1935 on Offical Website of Chester County, Pennsylvania - free

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1798-1906 Naturalization Records
 * 1777-1785 Oaths of Allegiance and Fidelity

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


 * 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.

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts


 * The Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue' (Malvern, Pennsylvania:Accessible Archives, c1993) Abstracts of newspaper articles from Chester County.
 * Record of Marriages from American Republican, 1815-1845 (SLC, Utah, 1947)
 * 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
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


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

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


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

Indentured Servants

 * Indentures from Early Court Records 1697-1700s at PAGenWeb - free.


 * Indentured Servants &amp; Apprentice Records, 1700-1855

Officials

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

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

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 Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) 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.

Online Probate Records

Original probate records for some Pennsylvania counties are available free online as digital images at FamilySearch.org. The dates vary significantly for each county and not all counties are listed. Some counties may only have probate indexes. This Pennsylvania collection of images may be browsed through the links listed below:

Complete Collection:


 * 1683-1994- at FamilySearch.org

Chester County Only:


 * 1700-1924 Chester County Probate Records at FamilySearch.org

Online Probate Abstracts


 * Chester County Wills/Estate Records (by surname) at Chester County, Pennsvylvania PAGenWeb Archives.

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1716-1810 Decedants' Estate Papers - Index included: 1716-1880
 * 1713-1810 Estate Papers - Index included 1713-1850
 * 1717-1820 Minors' Estate Papers - Index included 1717-1880
 * 1850-1947 Records of the Orphans Court - Index included 1882-1968
 * 1850-1924 Records of Wills
 * 1713-1854 Wills - Index included 1713-1923

Archives
Chester County Archives 601 Westtown Road, Suite 080 West Chester, PA 19380-0990 Phone: 610.344.6760 E-mail: [mailto:ccarchives@chesco.org ccarchives@cc.org]

The Chester County Archives 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.

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, court records, land records, military records, naturalization records, probate records, tax records, and more.

Courthouse
Chester County 313 West Market St P.O. Box 2748 West Chester, PA 19380-0991 Phone: 610-344-6000 Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm M-F

The Archives (see above) holds birth and death records, marriages records, early deeds, wills and administrations, and more.

Recorder of Deeds 313 W Market Street, Suite 3302 P.B.Box 2748 West Chester, PA 193801-0991 Phone: 610-344-6330 E-mail: [mailto:rodinfo@chesco.org rodinfo@chesco.org] Hours:8:30 am - 4:30 pm

The search room (located on third floor, suite 3502) is open from 8:30 am - 4:15 pm). Older deeds can be found in the County Archives.

Prothonotary 201 W. Market Street Suite 1425 P.O. Box 2746 West Chester, PA 19380-0989 Phone: 610-344-6300

Register of Wills/Orphans' Court 201 W Market Street Suite 2200 West Chester, PA 19380-0989 Phone: 610.344.6335

Libraries
The Mennonite Heritage Center - Historical Library and Archives 565 Yoder Road Harleysville PA 19438-1020 215-256-3020 [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Hours: Tuesday thru Friday, 10am–5pm, Saturday, 10am–2pm

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 treasure also cover the counties of Bucks, Chester, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Philadelphia. The website provides a comprehensive overview of library resources, online cemetery database, manuscript collections, photo collections, archival collections, and more.

Societies
Rich in history, contains a number of societies dealing with the history of the area.

Chester County Historical Society The History Center 225 N High Street West Chester, PA 19380-2658 610.692.4800 E-mail Hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm, W-S

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). Membership costs $45 for an individual or $55 for a family and comes with free access to the museum and library.

The Historical Society also jointly administers the County Archives (see above).


 * 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

Slavery and Bondage

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

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


 * 1677-1890 - Tax and Landowner Lists, Petitions, etc at PAGenWeb - free.


 * 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 - free.


 * 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 ($); - free.


 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).


 * Provincial Tax Minutes, 1756-1778
 * Tax Discounts, 1785-1823
 * Tax Indexes, 1715-1799
 * Tax Index, 1805
 * Tax Index, 1890

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.
 * 1852-1855, 1893-1907 Births Delayed Birth Records (Chester County Archives)
 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Marriage

 * 1690-1890 Marriage Contracts, Separations and Certificates, (Chester County Archives)
 * 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.
 * 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 free 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 free online access, see WeRelate; the Family History Library also has this series in its collection:.
 * 1852-1855, 1885-1930 Marriages, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1885-1930 Marriages License Applications, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1885-1950 - Extracted marriage records – free. 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.

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

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1852-1855, 1893-1906 Deaths, (Chester County Archives)
 * 1720-1957 Coroners' 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.

Populated Places
City


 * Coatesville

Boroughs

Townships

Communities