Welcome to Adams County Pennsylvania
History and Genealogy

Presented by

Genealogy Trails History Group

Pennsylvania College, 1913, Gettysburg, PA

Welcome to Genealogy Trails
Volunteers working to put free historical data online.

My name is Vicki Hartman and as your Adams County, Pennsylvania host I try to post as much data online as possible in order to make it freely available to all. We gratefully accept contributions of raw data such as census information, marriage/birth/death records, obituaries, county histories, biographies, old newspaper items - anything that would help someone build their family tree!!

Feel free to email me with your contributions - every little bit helps.

January 22, 1800: Adams County was formed out of the western part of York County. The county is bounded by Franklin county on the west, Cumberland County on the north, York County on the east, and on the south by the state of Maryland.

The area is 24 miles by 27 miles and consists of 531 square miles or 339,840 acres of land, with over 56,133 acres in forest. The population in the county at the time consisted of some 13,172 souls.

The following townships, now of Adams County, were formed before York was separated from Lancaster county: Berwick, Cumberland, Germany, Hamiltonban, Huntingdon, Menallen, Mount Joy, Mount Pleasant, Reading and Straban.

Surrounding Counties

Franklin County (West)

Cumberland County (North)

York County (East)

Adams County Data Online

BIOGRAPHIES AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

•  Biographies:

CEMETERIES:   Click here for the Headstone Submission Form to contribute a headstone for this site.

CHURCHES:   & Their Histories when available.

DEATH RECORDS & OBITUARIES:   Click here for the Obituary Submission Form to contribute an obituary or death notice for this site.

• Obituaries are alphabetically indexed    Updated 03/28/2012:  

• Adams County Justices of the Peace 1800-1821

• Sheriff's Estate Sales (Includes Inquests) Updated 04/05/2010

MILITARY

• The Burning of the McLean House  On The First Day's Battle of Gettysburg - Donated by Susan Alexander Llauget

• Korean War Casualties  - Donated by Tammy Clark

• Vietnam War Casualties  - Donated by Tammy Clark

MARRIAGE RECORDS

• Marriage Notices and Wedding Announcements  Updated 03/28/2012:  

NEWSPAPERS AND LOCAL NEWS

• Miscellaneous News Paper Articles From the Past   (News  from  1801, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1819, 1820, 1822, 1823, 1824 and 1827)

• Adams County Keystone Family Tree Articles by Harold Ditzler from the mid 1980's in the Gettysburg Times

WILLS AND PROBATE RECORDS

• Wills, Probate Records, Orphan's Court and Posted Notices, Estate Sales of Deceased  
  (1801, 1802, 1803, 1822, 1825)

Boroughs and Census Designated Places and Their Histories
(Most include listings of residents and/or officials)

Abbottstown

Bonneauville

Gettysburg

York Springs

Lake Heritage

Arendtsville

Carroll Valley

Littlestown

Bendersville Station-Aspers

Lake Meade

Bendersville

East Berlin

McSherrystown

Cashtown-McKnightstown

Midway

Biglerville

Fairfield

New Oxford

Hampton

Orrtanna

Townships

Berwick Township

Franklin Township

Hamiltonban Township

Liberty Township

Oxford Township

Butler Township

Freedom Township

Highland Township

Menallen Township

Reading Township

Conewago Township

Germany Township

Huntington Township

Mount Joy Township

Straban Township

Cumberland Township

Hamilton Township

Latimore Township

Mount Pleasant Township

Tyrone Township
Union Township