Lancaster Pennsylvania Death Records
Lancaster is a historically significant city in southeastern Pennsylvania, serving as the county seat of Lancaster County. The city briefly served as the nation's capital for one day in September 1777, when Congress fled Philadelphia ahead of British forces. Lancaster County death records reach back to 1852 through the county archives, and an extraordinary collection of Death Affidavits spanning 1874 to 1978 adds more than a century of supplemental documentation. For researchers working on Lancaster family history, this combination of early registrations, long-range affidavits, and deep probate records makes the county one of the richest research environments in Pennsylvania.
Lancaster Quick Facts
Lancaster County Archives Death Records
The Lancaster County Archives holds two distinct death registration periods. Death Registrations from 1852 to 1855 reflect Pennsylvania's first attempt at mandatory death reporting, which was later abandoned before being revived in the 1890s. Death Registrations from 1894 to 1907 cover the period of renewed formal registration that preceded the statewide system. Together, these collections give Lancaster researchers access to death documentation stretching back more than 170 years from the present.
The Lancaster County Archives is a separate division from the county's main government offices. The archives phone number is (717) 299-8319. For researchers planning a visit or submitting a request, contacting this specific division is more efficient than going through the general county government switchboard. Staff can advise on available indexes, research procedures, and copy fees.
What truly sets Lancaster County apart is the Death Affidavits collection covering 1874 through 1978. That span of more than 100 years represents a type of supplemental death documentation that most Pennsylvania counties did not generate or preserve at the same scale. Death affidavits were sworn statements used to establish facts about a death for legal or administrative purposes. They often contain more detail than a standard registration entry, including witness names, addresses, and circumstances of death.
| Office | Lancaster County Archives 150 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603 Phone: (717) 299-8319 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–5:00 PM |
| Records | Death Registrations 1852–1855 and 1894–1907; Death Affidavits 1874–1978; Wills from 1730 |
Note: The Lancaster County Archives Death Affidavits collection from 1874 to 1978 spans over 100 years and may contain more detail than standard death registration entries; researchers should request both types of records when available.
Lancaster County Register of Wills Death Records
The Lancaster County Register of Wills is located at 50 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602. The phone number is (717) 299-8242. This office holds probate records and wills dating back to 1730. For death records research, the Register of Wills provides access to probate filings that follow a death and can help researchers reconstruct family relationships, property holdings, and death circumstances in pre-registration periods.
Wills from 1730 represent nearly 300 years of Lancaster County estate documentation. For ancestors who died in Lancaster before formal death registration began in 1852, the Register of Wills is the primary official source of death-related documentation. A will proves a person died. An inventory of estate proves the approximate date. Combined, these probate records substitute for death certificates in the pre-registration era.
The City of Lancaster at cityoflancasterpa.gov provides current municipal services but does not maintain a separate vital records office. All death records for Lancaster city residents flow through Lancaster County government, either through the Archives or through the Register of Wills depending on the document type.
The image below is from the Lancaster County Archives website, which holds the primary collections for Lancaster death records research including the exceptional Death Affidavits series.
The Lancaster County Archives holds death registrations from 1852, death affidavits from 1874 to 1978, and wills from 1730, making it the most important repository for Lancaster death records research before the statewide system began.
LancasterHistory Research Library
LancasterHistory is located at 230 North President Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603. The organization maintains a research library with death and probate records, obituary indexes, and other genealogical materials for Lancaster County. Its wills index covers 1729 through 1947, providing researchers with a searchable entry point into more than two centuries of Lancaster County estate records.
LancasterHistory is a private historical society rather than a government office, but it holds materials that complement the official county collections. Newspaper death notices, cemetery transcriptions, and family papers that document Lancaster deaths in ways that formal registrations do not are all part of the LancasterHistory collection. For genealogists working on Lancaster families, a visit to this research library is often as productive as a visit to a county office.
The image below is from the Lancaster city government website, providing context on city administration and the PA Dutch and Amish heritage region that makes Lancaster a distinctive research destination.
Lancaster city at cityoflancasterpa.gov provides municipal information for the county seat, where county-level death records, archives, and probate offices are all located within the city center.
Lancaster Death Records After 1907
All Lancaster death certificates from 1907 forward are held by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. Requests can be submitted online at MyCertificates, by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103, or by phone at (724) 656-3100. VitalChek also processes orders. Each certified copy costs $20.
Under 35 P.S. §450.801, certified death certificates are available to qualifying family members, legal representatives, and others with a recognized interest. The state's vital records regulations at 28 Pa. Code Chapter 1 set the standards for registration and certification. Researchers should note that Lancaster County held local records through 1907 rather than the more common 1905 or 1906 cutoff used by other Pennsylvania counties.
The PA State Archives death indices cover Lancaster County from 1906 onward and are free to search online. For deaths between 1906 and 1907, both the Lancaster County Archives and the PA State Archives may hold records, since the county's local system overlapped with the start of statewide registration for one year.
Note: Lancaster County held local death records through 1907, one year beyond the standard 1906 cutoff; researchers should check both the county archives and the state system for 1906 and 1907 Lancaster deaths.
Lancaster Death Records Genealogy and PA Dutch Research
Lancaster County is the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, and many of the region's Amish and Mennonite communities have maintained their own internal records alongside the civil registration system. For ancestors from plain communities, church and congregation records may be the only source of death documentation prior to the formal registration era. The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and Amish community archives hold some of these records.
Researchers should also consider the Lancaster County Government website at co.lancaster.pa.us, which provides current office information, hours, and contact details for county departments including the Archives and Register of Wills. The county government operates from the Lancaster County Government Center at 150 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603, with general phone at (717) 299-8000.
FamilySearch has digitized Pennsylvania vital records collections that include Lancaster County materials. Their collections are searchable at no cost online. The Ancestry PA partnership through the PA State Archives also provides additional access to digitized historical records for Lancaster County researchers.
The image below is from the Lancaster County Government website, which provides information on the county offices that hold Lancaster death records.
Lancaster County Government manages the Archives, Register of Wills, and other county offices that collectively hold Lancaster death records spanning from 1730 through the present state system.
Lancaster County Death Records
Lancaster County provides the full range of death records resources for Lancaster city residents. The County Archives holds death registrations from 1852 and death affidavits from 1874 to 1978. The Register of Wills maintains wills and probate records from 1730. LancasterHistory adds a research library with supplemental genealogical materials.