Meetings

Meeting and Events

Monthly meetings are held in the Meeting Room of the new York County History Center facility at 121 N. Pershing Avenue, York, Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Free parking available behind the building. Meetings are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

The business portion of the meeting begins at 2:30 PM, followed by the program.

To register for in-person attendance or Zoom registration, visit
https://www.yorkhistorycenter.org/event/south-central-pennsylvania-genealogical-society
Use Zoom to watch the meetings live or watch later on the SCPGS playlist of the YCHC You Tube channel.
Note: Facebook livestreaming of these meetings in no longer available.

Our upcoming meetings are scheduled as follows ...

March 1, 2026
Using Estate Administration Records in Genealogical Research
Speaker Richard Konkel

This presentation will examine researching Wills, Renunciations, Administration Bonds, Citations, Estate Inventories, Vendue Lists, Administration Accounts, and Orphans' Court records. The information found in these records as well as where to find them in archives and online will be discussed.

Richard Konkel is the vice president of the SCPGS. He is a native of York and is an attorney at law with the CGA Law Firm in York. He is also a cellist in the York Symphony Orchestra.

April 12, 2026
Remembering the Revolutionary War Veterans of Prospect Hill Cemetery
Speaker Alicia Forry

This presentation will review the histories of Revolutionary War Veterans interred at York’s historic Prospect Hill Cemetery.

Alicia Forry is the Administration Supervisor and Foundation Secretary for Prospect Hill Cemetery. In her position at Prospect Hill she conducts history tours of the Cemetery and has done research on all veterans interred at the Cemetery. She began in depth research on the Revolutionary War Veterans about two years ago.

May 3, 2026
Navigating Pennsylvania's Revolutionary War Militia Records
Speaker Aaron McWilliams of the Pennsylvania State Archives

The Pennsylvania Revolutionary War militia records are some of the most popular records at the Pennsylvania State Archives. Even so, few fully understand the records or how to interpret them. Navigating Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War Militia Records will provide an in-depth look at the various militia documents found in the collections of the Pennsylvania State Archives and how to interpret
them. It will also cover how to access and navigate the records online.

Aaron McWilliams is head of the Public Services Section at the Pennsylvania State Archives. He is responsible for handling research inquiries at the Archives and frequently represents the agency at genealogical events. His areas of expertise include Pennsylvania state land records, Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War militia, and genealogy.

June 14, 2026
Henry James Young Awards

July 2026
No Meeting

SAVE THESE DATES FOR FUTURE PROGRAM MEETINGS

August 30, 2026 - Tour of new Revolutionary War exhibit at York County History Center
October 4, 2026 - York County Barns – Greg Huber
November 1, 2026 - History, Beliefs & Practices of the Old Order River Brethren (Yorkers) – John Dietz
January 3, 2027 - Tasting Food Made from Revolutionary War Recipes – Lydia Stayer
February 7, 2027 - Pennsylvania Mennonites & the Revolutionary War – Steven Nolt
March 7, 2027
April 4, 2027 - Show & Tell (Revolutionary War style)
May 2, 2027 -
June 13, 2027- Women & Children at Camp Security – Benjamin Werkley

PAST PROGRAMS ARCHIVE

February 2026 - Mt Pisgah Cemetery

January 2026 - Show & Tell & Ask

November 2025 - A Tour of the Quaker Meeting House

August 2025 - Carnival of Grief: Lincoln Funeral Train

June 2025 - When Peach Bottom Welsh quarried slate to make roofs that seem to last forever

April 2025 - Farview State Hospital: Pennsylvania's Institution for the "Criminally Insane"

March 2025 - History and Genealogy of New Sweden

February 2025 - Veiled Chapters of The Hampton Plantation

January 2025 - Show & Tell & Ask

November 2024 - Not Your Typical Cemetery - Local Native American Burials

October 2024 - Tour of the new PA State Archives

August 2024 - A Visit to YCHC’s New Reading & Research Room

May 2024 - A Visit to Conewago Chapel, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

April 2024 - Research at the New Pennsylvania State Archives Building

March 2024 - How to Find a Needle in a Haystack Without Even Looking

February 2024 - Tracking the Migration of Black Families

January 2024 - Show & Tell

November 2023 - Catharine Ziegler and Her Defense after Being Accused of Witchcraft in 1829
in York County

October 2023 - The 1863 Pennsylvania Campaign

August 2023 - Pennsylvania German Language Heritage

June 2023 - Unearthing Camp Security

May 2023 - Tour of Saint Luke's Union Church Cemetery

April 2023 - Researching PA Civil War Draft Records

March 2023 - Pennsylvania Prison Records

February 2023 - African American Genealogy

January 2023 - Show & Tell & Ask

November 2022 - Revisiting Online Research of German Ancestors

October 2022 - Indian Languages Influence in the Susquehanna Region

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