Office of Records and Archives Services
WHAT KINDS OF RECORDS ARE KEPT IN THE COUNTY ARCHIVES?
- Non-current records of the Clerk of Courts, Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills are permanently maintained.
- Deeds are recorded beginning on May 10, 1729 (the date of the County s formation).
- Mortgages are recorded in the deed books until 1812, when a separate series of mortgage books begins.
- Testate files (estates with a will) and intestate files (estates without a will) are recorded beginning in 1730.
- Administration bonds begin in 1753.
- Orphan's Court records date from 1742.
- Indices to inventories and accounts are in the County Archives; the original documents are located at the Lancaster County Historical Society.
- Marriage Licenses are recorded continuously from 1885.
- Old birth records from 1881 through 1906 only are kept by the Register of Wills
- Old death registrations from 1894 through 1907 only are kept in the County Archives
- Birth/Death records from 1907 to the present are kept by the Pennsylvania Department of Vital Records at New Castle, Pa. The Lancaster County Register of Wills maintains a 24-hour telephone information line (717-295-2001) which gives specific details about how to access these birth/death records
WHAT IS THE POLICY FOR ACKNOWLEDGING REFERENCE/RESEARCH INQUIRIES AND REQUESTS ?
- Because of the many reference/research inquiries and requests that are received, ONLY one (1) letter at a time from an individual correspondent is accepted for processing. Each letter may include from one (1) to four (4) reference citations. Adherence to this policy facilitates the timely acknowledgment of reference/research inquiries and requests.
WHAT FEES, IF ANY, ARE CHARGED?
- Public archival records may be photocopied at the cost of $0.50 a page.
Office of Records and Archives Services
Director - Dory Crater
(717) 299-8319
Mailing Address :
County of Lancaster
Office of Records and Archives Services
50 N. Duke St
P.O. Box 83480
Lancaster, Pa. 17608-3480
Hours of Operation: M - F 8:30 - 5:00
E-Mail
Records & Archives
