Welcome to the Lancaster County, PA Archives Collections Database

The Lancaster County Archives is committed to the preservation and accessibility of all historical records originally created within a variety of Courthouse offices since the County's formation in 1729. While the records represent a broad function of local government, more importantly they illuminate the individual lives of county residents over three centuries.

Searching the Archives

This database provides descriptions for hundreds of 'record series' or collections kept by a variety of county offices such as the Recorder of Deeds, Prothonotary, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Courts. It's an 'A-Z' guide to every collection upon the shelves of the archives. However, it does not provide access to individual records and is meant as a finding aid for further research. Please check our website for searchable indexes to thousands of individual records Lancaster County Archives website or visit us at 150 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA.

Keyword Search

The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Trust Books will return records associated with Trust OR Books). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type in AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Delayed Birth Certificates"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.). Searches are not case sensitive.

Bridge Photos

The Bridge Photos button allows you to search black & white photographs (c.1915-c.1930s) of historical bridges filed in the Bridge Dockets collection. Bridge Dockets record the history of County-owned bridges including construction dates, court proceedings and repairs to a variety of wooden, iron, concrete, and covered bridges across Lancaster County. Beginning in the 1900s, many of the aging wooden nineteenth century covered bridges were replaced in favor of concrete bridges. Today there are 29 surviving historic covered bridges in Lancaster County, the most in the state of Pennsylvania. Bridge numbers have changed over time when new bridges were built and old ones were replaced. Search by the waterway (ie: “Cocalico Creek”) the bridge crosses or its common name (ie: “Bucher’s Mill”). Request copies of the original bridge docket pages for more historical information.

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.