ARCHIVES

The Archives of the Lancaster County Historical Society invites its patrons to travel through history. Read the letters that Sarah Yeates wrote to her husband in the late eighteenth century. Witness the diversity in business and social organizations through minute and account books. Trace the branches of the family tree with estate inventories, court cases, and deeds.

A wide variety of manuscript documents, county records, Lancaster City records, and bound newspapers make up a large portion of the historical society’s collections. The majority of these records date to the incorporation of the county in 1729 and continue to the present.

Archival collections can be located using the Library Catalog, in-house databases, or paper finding aids. Most archival items may be used in the Reading Room and should be requested at the Research Desk. However, the staff may photocopy some documents due to their fragile condition and some items may require staff supervision.

County Records

The historical society has been entrusted with the care of 500,000 original local government records, ranging in date from 1729 to 1965. These records may be accessed via the paper finding aid at the Research Desk, in-house databases, or with the keyword search ‘government records’ to view Library Catalog records.

Document Collection

Contains single documents and pieces of ephemera, donated by individuals or culled from other collections, which do not fit into any Manuscript Group. The documents may be searched on the in-house database.

Jasper Yeates’ Colonial Law Library

Jasper Yeates (1745-1817), originally from Philadelphia, was admitted to the Bar in 1765. He served as a delegate from Lancaster County to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and received a commission as Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1791. The preservation of the 1,043 volumes was stipulated in the will of Jasper’s daughter, Catharine, and the collection was placed into the care of the Lancaster Law Library Association. This Association was later incorporated into the Lancaster Bar Association, which maintained the volumes until the early 1960s when lack of space encouraged them to offer the library to the Lancaster County Historical Society. Jasper Yeates’ Colonial Law Library is available to researchers by appointment only. Please contact the Archivist for more information.

Lancaster City Archives Collection

The historical society is the repository for almost 1,200 city archives records. These records range in date from the late 1700s to the 1980s, and provide insight into the complex workings of city business and government over a period of nearly two centuries. A paper finding aid is available at the Research Desk. Or, use the keyword search ‘City Archives’ to view Library Catalog records. Please read the attached article for more information.

Manuscript Groups

Manuscript Groups (MGs) are collections of materials which have a common theme or origin. They may be the records of a family, an individual, an organization, or a local business. From this link, patrons may view a list of collection descriptions and then a finding aid (the contents list) for each manuscript group.

Click here for Recently Processed Collections.

Newspapers

The Archives houses bound volumes and single issues of Lancaster City and County newspapers. Access to original issues may be restricted due to the poor condition of the newsprint. Patrons will be asked to use a microfilm copy whenever possible. Original newspapers may not be photocopied.