Chester County Genealogy Records
Chester County genealogy records extend to 1682, making Chester one of the three original Pennsylvania counties established by William Penn and one of the oldest continuously documented counties in the United States. Researchers searching Chester County family history can access birth and death registers, marriage licenses, wills, estate records, naturalization records, and land deeds through the Chester County Archives and Records Department. The Chester County Archives maintains extensive online indexes covering births, deaths, marriages, wills, divorce records, naturalization records from 1798 to 1935, and a tax discount index from 1740 to 1865. The archives also holds Freedom Seeker records documenting Underground Railroad activity in Chester County — a unique collection that identifies individuals who sought freedom through this region and the families who assisted them.
Chester County Genealogy Quick Facts
Chester County Genealogy Records Overview
Chester County was created by William Penn in 1682 as one of the three original Pennsylvania counties, along with Philadelphia and Bucks. The county seat of West Chester became the administrative center of one of the most historically significant regions in Pennsylvania. Chester County lies in the southeastern corner of the state and borders Delaware to the south, making it a crossing point for families moving between Pennsylvania and Delaware. The county has a long Quaker heritage, and many of the earliest Chester County families were Welsh and English Quakers who received land grants directly from Penn.
The Chester County Archives and Records Department maintains county government records of permanent historical value. The collection includes birth and death registers from 1852 to 1855 and from 1893 to 1907, marriage license records from 1885 to the present, wills and estate records, deed books and indexes, naturalization records, and tax records including a Tax Discount Index from 1740 to 1865. Civil War Board of Relief petitions, coroner records, poor school children records, peddler's petitions, and World War I servicemen records round out the holdings. Online indexes are available for many of these record series.
The Chester County Archives and the Chester County Historical Society together hold one of the most comprehensive genealogy record collections for any original Pennsylvania county.
Chester County Archives, Recorder of Deeds, and Vital Records
The Chester County Archives Research Room is open to the public for in-person genealogy research. Free online indexes cover births, marriages, and deaths from 1852 to 1855 and from 1893 to 1907, wills indexes, divorce records, and naturalization records from 1798 to 1935. Deeds are also indexed online. Among the most distinctive collections at the Chester County Archives are the Freedom Seeker records documenting Underground Railroad activity and enslaved person manumissions — records that make Chester County a nationally significant repository for African American genealogy research.
The Chester County Recorder of Deeds at 313 W Market Street, West Chester, PA 19380 (phone: 610-344-6330) maintains land records from 1688 to the present. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. An online deed search is available through the county website. Land records from 1688 cover the full span of Chester County's settlement history. Under Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, most courthouse records are presumed public and available to researchers.
| Website | chesco.org/448/Archives-Records |
|---|---|
| Recorder of Deeds | chesco.org/454/Recorder-of-Deeds |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
Chester County Historical Society
The Chester County Historical Society at 225 N High Street, West Chester, PA 19380 (phone: 610-692-4800) maintains an extensive library of genealogical resources for Chester County family history research. The society's collection includes family papers, photographs, maps, and county histories. Special collections focus on Civil War records and Underground Railroad documentation, reflecting Chester County's distinctive role as a major corridor for freedom seekers moving north before and during the Civil War. Research services are available for those unable to visit in person, with fees applying to staff-conducted research. Admission is free for society members and $10 for non-members. An online catalog is available for searching the society's collections before visiting.
Chester County's Quaker heritage means many early genealogy records appear in Friends Meeting records rather than in civil archives. Quaker meetings kept meticulous registers of births, marriages, and deaths from the county's earliest settlement. Many of these records have been microfilmed and are available through FamilySearch and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Researchers with Chester County Quaker ancestry should check these religious community records alongside the civil record collections at the courthouse and archives.
Note: The Chester County Archives Tax Discount Index from 1740 to 1865 is an unusual and valuable genealogy resource that documents property owners and taxpayers across 125 years of the county's history, filling in gaps between the colonial land records and later vital registration periods.
Vital Records in Chester County
Chester County vital records divide by time period. Birth and death registers from 1852 to 1855 and from 1893 to 1907 are at the Chester County Archives, with free online indexes available. For births and deaths after 1906, the Pennsylvania Department of Health maintains statewide vital records. Under 35 P.S. § 450.801, birth records are restricted for 105 years and death records for 50 years. Many early 20th-century Chester County vital records are now publicly accessible at the State Archives.
Marriage records in Chester County date from 1885 at the Register of Wills. For marriages before 1885, Quaker meeting records, other church registers, and newspaper marriage notices are the primary sources. The Chester County Historical Society holds resources helpful for identifying which congregations served specific townships. The Pennsylvania Department of Health does not hold marriage records, which remain permanently at the county courthouse in West Chester.
Pennsylvania Archives and Chester County Research
The Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg holds statewide collections supplementing Chester County courthouse records. Land Warrant Registers from 1682 document the original grants in Chester County territory, going back to William Penn's first land distributions. Military records in the ARIAS database cover Chester County residents in Pennsylvania units from the Revolutionary War through World War II. Under 37 Pa.C.S. § 305.3, records more than 75 years old at the State Archives are open for public research.
The State Library of Pennsylvania maintains census records for Chester County from 1790 through 1940 on microfilm, along with city directories, county histories, and published family genealogies. FamilySearch offers free online access to many Chester County records. Act 127 of 2016 expanded access to adoption records in Pennsylvania, which may apply to some Chester County genealogy searches.
Cities in Chester County
West Chester is the county seat of Chester County. Explore Pennsylvania city genealogy resources below.
Nearby Counties
Chester County borders several southeastern Pennsylvania counties and Delaware. Research may require checking records in neighboring counties for families who relocated across county lines.