York County, Pennsylvania, 1745-1800: First Reformed (Trinity) Church

Located in the City of York in York County, Pennsylvania, the First (Trinity) Reformed Church was organized in the 1744 and began keeping records in 1745. The late William J. Hinke originally translated the records from German to English in 1937, and his manuscript has been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. The records in this database span the years 1745-1800 and include the names of more than 7,000 individuals. Records for the years 1801-53 appear in the database Records of Trinity Reformed Church, City of York, York County, Pennsylvania, 1801-53. For researchers of German immigrant ancestors who settled in Pennsylvania, this database can provide valuable vital statistics not available in other records.

Church records rank among the very best genealogical records available worldwide, but they are one of the most under-used sources in American genealogy. Until the advent of vital statistics in the United States—a very late development in most states—church records were the primary source of birth, marriage, and death information. The sheer number of denominations and affiliate churches has made identifying and locating each one's records a time-consuming ordeal for most genealogists. Church records also vary a great deal in content and emphasis according to the basic theology of the religious group that created them.

Early immigrants from England, Scotland, and other European countries brought their religious beliefs, institutions, and customs with them, including the keeping of church books in which to record births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, communion lists, deaths, and burials. Lutheran and Reformed Church records in Pennsylvania rank among the very best church records available.