Meetings

Meeting and Events

Monthly meetings are held in the Meeting Hall of the York County History Center at 250 East Market Street, York, Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. The business portion of the meeting begins at 2:30 PM, followed by the program.

IMPORTANT: COVID 19 Considerations
The York County History Center reopened to the public on April 1, 2021, with limited reservations. In addition to limited in-person seating, our meetings will also be live-streamed online via Facebook and Zoom.
To register for in-person attendance or Zoom registration, visit
https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society
To attend via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/YorkCountyHistoryCenter/

Our upcoming meetings are scheduled as follows ...

August 28, 2022
Using Online Deeds in Family History Research
(Note: This presentation is an in-person only event and will not be available online or recorded)

Deeds are one of the most valuable but underutilized resources for family history research! These days, with the wide availability of deeds online, you can research them from the comfort of your own home. Learn how deeds can break down brick walls, reveal your ancestors’ stories, help you trace the history of your property, and more. An overview of deeds, tips for using them, and a live, step-by-step demonstration using York County deeds online will show how easy it is to use this wonderful resource to grow your family tree.

Presenter - Lynn Nelson, Certified Genealogist®, specializes in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Italian research. A former IT professional with decades of personal family history research experience, she turned her favorite hobby into her early retirement job. Lynn is an associate of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and other groups. She volunteers at the library and archives of the York County History Center, where she was a 2020 Volunteer of the Year.

October 2, 2022
Indian Languages Influence in the Susquehanna Region
Presented by Charles "Chip" Kauffman

From the first inhabitants who migrated into the Susquehanna River area thousands of years ago to the period of European settlement in the 1600s to1800s, many American Indian languages were spoken by diverse tribes who made the area their home or passed through on trade or exploratory ventures. Although most early languages are dead, their legacy lives on in the Susquehanna Valley through place names from Iroquoian and Algonquian languages once spoken in the area. This presentation will cover 17th century European contact with the region’s early inhabitants and how those contacts shaped place names we take for granted in York and Lancaster Counties. Highlighting this will be origins and meanings of such names as Susquehanna, Codorus, Chickies, Turkey Hill, Conewago, Accomac, Tuckahoe, Conestoga.

Charles “Chip” Kauffman is an adjunct faculty member at York College of Pennsylvania where he teaches languages and language-related courses. Over many years at several colleges in the region, he has taught Italian, German, Russian and other languages. He is a retired certified U.S. Government linguist and author of various articles on languages and linguistics.

More programs coming soon . . .

PAST PROGRAMS ARCHIVE

June 2022 - Henry James Young Awards

May 2022 - Researching the History of Institutionalized People in Pennsylvania

Apr 2022 - The Challenges Facing the Continental Congress in York

Mar 2022 - 18th Century Gunsmithing in Eastern PA

Feb 2022 - PA’s Celtic Language Heritage

Jan 2022 - The Architecture of the Dempwolfs

Nov 2021 - The Churches and Chaplains of York County During the Civil War

Oct 2021 - Genealogical Resources of the York County History Center’s Library and Archives

Aug 2021 - Pennsylvania State Archives’ Online Resources

Jun 2021 -History of the Henry James Young Award

May 2021 - MA & PA Railroad Heritage Village visit

Apr 2021 - Cumberland County Records

Mar 2021 - PA State Archives Moves Into the Future

Feb 2021 - York County Coroner's Office

Aug 2020 - Using Online Newspaper Collections in Research

Oct 2020 - Genealogical Adventures During the Pandemic

Nov 2020 - Using Oral History in Genealogical Research