Click here for a more complete listing of DCHS Research Library resources.

DELAWARE COUNTY COURT HOUSE
Front & Orange Streets
Media, PA

Register of Wills: Births 1893-1906 (610) 891-4405
Deaths 1893-1906
Marriages 1885-present

Wills & Letters of Administration (610) 891-4400
1798 to present

Probate Records

Orphans Court: Adoption Records (610) 891-4419
1789-1865 Docket
* 1865-1921 Docket (missing, maybe in Chester)
1921-present

Recorder of Deeds: Deeds 1789-present (610) 891-4155

Judicial Court Records: * Murder Docket (missing March 2000)
c1940-present

FAIR ACRES (610) 891-5983
Lima, PA Storage for Delaware County Court Records
(best place to look at old marriage records)

September 2002 Update from Helen M. (Webber) Imburgia, (DCGS):

"I want to thank everyone who made phone calls, wrote letters & sent e-mails to the Delaware County Court House (DCCH), in regard to research records -- making it known that the public was not pleased with the few genealogy records made available to us!

I have seen some improvement :) Please read on!

About a month ago, I asked about Naturalization Records & was lead to an area where the following Naturalization Books are stored in the Office of Judicial Support, (near the Passport Office). These records have never been available to the public before. Here is information regarding the Naturalization Books:

Volume: Date:

#1 27 Feb 1860 - 27 Sep 1876 
#2 27 Sep 1876 - 20 Oct 1883
#3 25 Oct 1883 - 23 Sep 1886
#4 23 Sep 1886 - 27 Sep 1888
#5 27 Sep 1888 - 2 Oct 1890
#6 2 Oct 1890 - 3 Oct 1892
#7 3 Oct 1892 - 7 Oct 1892
#8 7 Oct 1892 - 30 Dec 1892
#9 30 Dec 1892 - 13 Mar 1893
#10 13 Mar 1893 - 17 Sep 1894
#11 17 Sep 1894 - 2 Oct 1896
#12 2 Oct 1896 - 22 Sep 1897
#13 22 Sep 1897 - 28 Sep 1899
#14 28 Sep 1899? - 23 Mar 1903? (missing)*
#15 23 Mar 1903 - 23 Sep 1906

*Rumor has it -- this Naturalization Book may be at the Neumann College Library -- sent there by mistake when the Tax Dockets were sent to Neumann, a few years ago.

The information in these books, gives the name & date the immigrant became a citizen, the country they immigrated from & the name(s) of the witness(es). Little else is available in these documents.

Now, for the Petition Books for Naturalization -- these books are just fabulous for genealogy information! :) They contain the following documents:

1. Certificate of Arrival
2. Declaration of Intention
3. Petition of Naturalization

In the above named documents you have: Photo IDs; names; dates of birth; place of birth, (town, city, county, region); date of immigration; wife's name (if married) & some times info on her; occupation; etc. I only had the pleasure of viewing Volume #39 -- the rest are in storage & will be brought to the court house soon -- so I was told. Very soon, I hope, because these books are invaluable.

This could not have been accomplished without your support. 

Many, many thanks!"

Happy hunting, Helen M. (Webber) Imburgia, (DCGS)

MORMON LIBRARY
free
(610) 356-8507
721 Paxon Hollow Road hours: Tues. 11 AM - 4 PM
Broomall, PA 19008 7 PM - 10 PM
Wed. & Thurs. 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
7 PM - 10 PM
Sat. 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Social Security Records (SSDI)
International Genealogical Index (IGI)
Ancestral Files (AF)
Family Histories
Family Registry
Military

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE
(610) 328-8496
The Friends Historical Library
Swarthmore, PA

Quaker Records of Delaware Co., PA c1690-present
Hicksites Records
Quaker Records from across the U.S.A.

WIDENER UNIVERSITY
(610) 499-4066
Wolfgram Library
14th & Chestnut Streets
Chester, PA 19013

New York Times Obit. Index Vol. I 1858-1968
Vol. II 1969-1978

Newspapers New York Times 1851-present
(micro film) Philadelphia Inquirer 1979-present
Washington Post
Los Angels Times & others

Books Delaware Co. History
Pennsylvania History
Surnames & Given Names
Pennsylvania Gazette early 1700s-present

Maps

NEUMANN COLLEGE
(610) 558-5545
Library
Concord Road
Aston, PA 19014

Archives: hours M-F 9 AM-11:30 AM

Tax Records of Delaware Co., PA 1791-1903

Some Indexes, such as: Delaware Co. Wills
Chester Co. Courts
Chester Co. Orphans Court

Family Genealogies (only a few)

Old Atlases (numerous)

Reference Section: regular library hours

Chester Co. Deed Books 1688 until 1789
Chester Co. Grantor Index to Deeds 1688-1922
Chester Co. Tax Transcripts 1715-1753
U.S. Direct Tax 1798-1866
Delaware Co. Wills 1789-1892
Census of Delaware Co. 1790-1910
(all the above on micro film)

DELAWARE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (DCCC)
(610) 359-5146
Library
Media, PA

New York Times (micro film) starts 1850
German & Pennsylvania Genealogy (book)
Passenger Ship List (book)

MEDIA BOROUGH HISTORICAL ARCHIVES COMMISSION
Media Library (610) 566-1918
Front & Jackson Streets
Media, PA

Genealogies of prominent families of Delaware Co., PA (20 books)

Obit’s of people from Media area late 1800s-present

VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY
Library
Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA

The London Times (micro film) starts 1785

Irish Newspapers (micro film)

Passenger Ship List (books)

UPPER DARBY SELLER’S LIBRARY
76 S.State Street
Upper Darby, PA 19082

Genealogical collection (books & maps)

DELAWARE COUNTY DAILY TIMES
(610) 622-8821
Library
500 Mildred Avenue
Primos, PA (Not open to the public)

Chester Times (now the Daily Times) 1876-present

CHESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
(610) 692-4800
225 N High Street
West Chester, PA 19380

Note: In 1789 Chester County split, & Delaware County, PA, was established.