PENNSYLVANIA ORIGINAL LAND RECORDS SERIES FOR YORK (AND NOW - ADAMS) COUNTIES, PA

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Original PA Land Records are published for all 35 of the York County townships: some 582,000+ acres! 

NEW !!     ADAMS COUNTY research information.

FREE - view the books' Introductions and complete "General Indexes."

Original PA Land Records are now published for 20 townships in Adams County.

Volume 1: Germany, Conewago, Union, Mount Joy, Mount Pleasant and Straban Townships - some 84,000 acres!

Volume 2: Berwick, Oxford, Hamilton, Reading, Tyrone, Huntington and Latimore Townships - some 82,752 acres!

Volume 3: Menallen, Butler, Franklin, Hamiltonban, Highland, Liberty and Freedom Townships - some 143,927 acres!

Pennsylvania Land Records are some of the most reliable colonial documents available to researchers, genealogists and historians today. Records summarized here are for official Pennsylvania colonial records in York County, beginning 1736  through the end of full land acquisition process (for some tracts as late as 1874.) There are now some 11,400 Colonial surnames listed for York County!

When properly summarized they detail who the settlers were, when they arrived in that area, where they settled, what was the most local colonial era church, and a host of other detail. With a little more effort - you may even find where those colonial properties are located today! Many have been able to "visit the original homestead!"

All research is original work, and was conducted with the full cooperation of the Historical Society of York (PA), and the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, (The Pennsylvania Archives), Harrisburg, PA.

Most books and maps are currently in print and available.

Cartographic connected-survey maps have been produced as companions to the acquisition written summaries for over 4,454+ individual land grants and covering some 582,400 acres (no misprint....five hundred and eighty-two thousand acres), and are a graphic illustration of how all of these early colonial warranted lands fit together; who the neighbors were; local features - roads, streams, etc. are located as closely as possible. Maps are 36 by 48, CAD produced, four-color on bond paper.

but, do these first!

- colonial land policy, "presumptive settlement - squatters", boundary dispute with Maryland, five-fold land acquisition process, etc. Link to an original warrant certificate; link to an original colonial era survey.

 Lists all maps and name indexes for York County, Summarizes 16 books and thirty connected-draft survey maps. Genealogical Bookstores link to order wanted items, is below.

 (dedicated links for the York County Surname indexes for each of the 16 volumes. Altogether, some 11,399 + Colonial Era names!) Just scroll down the alphabetical index listing for each book.

 - just how many family surname variants can there be?

 to see what an old Pennsylvania land survey looks like.

to see what detail is available from an old original land warrant certificate.

- shows what information, detail and sources are available on land records in Dr. Hively's books. Shows one listing, its detail and source listings.

- from one of Dr. Hively's books, and Map #25: The Chancefords.

-  a section on PA sources, locations, strategy, organization, and terminology.

- BEST SELLER book by Dr. Hively.

- The Lesser Seal of PA (used to wax seal colonial land warrants); The Great Seal of PA (1712).

 - graphics of all counties in the state.

- address, phone, fax, hours, fees, listing of records available through the archives.

 - graphic, founding dates, formation history, shows were the townships are located within the county.

 - address + phone, museum and library hours, membership info, and society publications for sale.

- location, hours, address and publications available through the society, including Civil War, Battle of Gettysburg, maps, and other researched works.

 (FRANKLIN COUNTY, PA), museum and library hours, special features, membership information, location, address and phone.

- The South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Inc.

- info page. This is about other folks who have done fine land records work that you won't find anywhere else.

 - especially for Pennsylvania. A few well chosen general genealogy sites are listed, too.

- recommended books for land record research.

- original lithograph map of colonial lands of Benjamin Chambers / Chambersburg, PA

- where the source materials are to be found.

(the official story and such stuff).

(sound off, suggestions, or whatever.)

(Order Dr. Hively's published works, and find where you can see both Adams  and York County land records books and maps for free).