I can't really tell you where to look or anything about this family. But
I can tell you that records were not kept at the courthouse until starting in
th 1870s, and not regularly until about 1900. Sometimes you will have luck if
you go looking for a will of a relative. The wills date back to the 1700s
there.
Also, if he was in fact PA German and of a reformed church such as
Mennonite or Brethren, you will not find church records. Those records are usually
found in a family Bible.
Obituaries in the local newspapers are haphazard prior to 1900 unless a
person was of some significance in the community.
Seems to me, your best bet is looking for census records, which I you may
already have. I have found that really it is best just to look at the census
records themselves. There are so many errors in transcriptions or indexes done
by people who are not familiar with the area and names and the local culture.
It is tedious, but well worth it, if you discover that the surrounding area
is populated with relatives you didn't know you have!
Also, while a unique name may help with seraches, it can often hinder it.
Since it is unusual, it may be misunderstood by the census taker or record
keeper and be recorded incorrectly for posterity.
Lastly, you may want to inquire with Lancaster County Historical Society.
They have surname folders where people have deposited records or research to
share with others. Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society may be able to help
also.
Best wishes,
Tina Miller
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~millergonzalez/index.html
Hi list,
I am in need of some very bad help.
I have a grandfather named David L. Schwrtz, Swartz and who knows what
other ways it was spelled.
He was born between 1849-1851 perhaps in the Lancaster area of Pa. I
have checked with various court houses in the area to see what I could
find about his birth and marriage. They tell me that these records don't
much exist because of the time period.
He came from a family of about 14 children spoke both high and low German
and was a stone mason by trade and in later years a farmer with his son
Herman and Will in Hector, Pa. I was also told he was Pennsylvania
Dutch.