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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.
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