York County, Pennsylvania, 1773-1901: Lischy's Reformed Church

Jacob Lischy, an immigrant from Switzerland, arrived in Philadelphia in 1742 and became a Reformed minister the following year. He served all of the Reformed congregations in York County at various times between 1745 and 1770. The late William J. Hinke translated Lischy's records from German to English in 1921 and again in 1941. His manuscript has been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. The records in this database span the years 1773-1901 and include the names of more than 6,700 individuals. 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.