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 ... 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. November 6, 2022
Revisiting Online Research of German Ancestors Presented by Richard K. Konkel, Esquire This presentation will examine the vast number of original German genealogical records that are currently available online for the amateur or more advanced researcher. The primary websites examined will be archion.de, matricula-online.eu, familysearch.com, and ancestry.com , as well as websites of regional archives in France and Switzerland. Many of these websites have greatly expanded their records in recent years, and some are actively currently adding new records. Richard K. Konkel is Vice President of the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. December 2022
No meeting |
PAST PROGRAMS ARCHIVE August 2022 - Using Online Deeds in Family History Research 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 |
January 8, 2023
"Show & Tell"
Details pending
"Show & Tell"
Details pending
February 5, 2023
To be determined
Presented by Rodney Barnet
To be determined
Presented by Rodney Barnet
March 5, 2023
Researching Pennsylvania's Civil War Draft Records
Presented by Jonathan R. Stayer, President, South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
Although thousands of men from Pennsylvania served in the Civil War, many others had no military service during that conflict. Some even purposely avoided service for religious or other reasons. Nevertheless, most males between the ages of 18 and 45 living in the Commonwealth between 1862-1865 were subject to conscription at some point. The resulting draft records can provide additional documentation of an ancestor’s life during that period. From a researcher who has been immersed in these records for almost forty years, learn about the implementation of the state and federal Civil War drafts and the records they produced. This program will review the available sources and provide suggestions for accessing them to uncover hidden details about your nineteenth-century ancestors.
Retired from the Reference Section of the Pennsylvania State Archives, Jonathan Stayer is the president of the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, and he is a member of the boards of the York County History Center and of the Friends of Camp Security. A direct
descendant of Civil War conscientious objector Adam Stayer of Bedford County, PA, he has been researching Pennsylvania’s Civil War conscientious objectors for almost forty years. In the spring of 2022, he received a Kreider Fellowship from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College to study the questionable claim of the Brethren in Christ denomination that it registered as a Peace Church during the Civil War in response to the Union draft. More recently, the Sider Institute for Anabaptist, Pietist, Wesleyan Studies at Messiah University, Grantham, PA, awarded him a Sider Grant to continue his research on this topic.
Researching Pennsylvania's Civil War Draft Records
Presented by Jonathan R. Stayer, President, South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
Although thousands of men from Pennsylvania served in the Civil War, many others had no military service during that conflict. Some even purposely avoided service for religious or other reasons. Nevertheless, most males between the ages of 18 and 45 living in the Commonwealth between 1862-1865 were subject to conscription at some point. The resulting draft records can provide additional documentation of an ancestor’s life during that period. From a researcher who has been immersed in these records for almost forty years, learn about the implementation of the state and federal Civil War drafts and the records they produced. This program will review the available sources and provide suggestions for accessing them to uncover hidden details about your nineteenth-century ancestors.
Retired from the Reference Section of the Pennsylvania State Archives, Jonathan Stayer is the president of the South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, and he is a member of the boards of the York County History Center and of the Friends of Camp Security. A direct
descendant of Civil War conscientious objector Adam Stayer of Bedford County, PA, he has been researching Pennsylvania’s Civil War conscientious objectors for almost forty years. In the spring of 2022, he received a Kreider Fellowship from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College to study the questionable claim of the Brethren in Christ denomination that it registered as a Peace Church during the Civil War in response to the Union draft. More recently, the Sider Institute for Anabaptist, Pietist, Wesleyan Studies at Messiah University, Grantham, PA, awarded him a Sider Grant to continue his research on this topic.
April 2, 2023
Pennsylvania Prison Records
Presented by Tyler Stump of the Pennsylvania State Archives
Details pending
Pennsylvania Prison Records
Presented by Tyler Stump of the Pennsylvania State Archives
Details pending
May 7, 2023
Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery
Presented by June Lloyd and Jean Robertson
Details pending
Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery
Presented by June Lloyd and Jean Robertson
Details pending
June 11, 2023
To be determined
To be determined