 This web site
is intended for the serious and casual researcher.
Click on the Municipalities bar above and select the
township or boro you want to look at. There you will
find 18th and 19th century tax records, early censuses,
cemeteries lists, town directories, maps etc. Then
visit the Genealogical Resources link above where there
are numerous books on Delaware County history from the
19th and early 20th century. Records are added
regularly so please check back often. Most of what you
see here and what will be added comes from the
forty-five year accumulation of Delaware County
Historical memorabilia amassed by Keith Lockhart.This
web site has been made possible through the combined
efforts of former Delaware County State Representative
Ron Raymond, who obtained funding for the web site, and
historian Keith Lockhart. Keith is a lifelong Ridley
Township resident and a graduate of Penn State
University. He has written numerous booklets on the
history of the area and for many years penned a history
column for Town talk. He has also shared his vast
knowledge of local history through articles for both
the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily Times
Newspapers. Through the dedication and hard work of
numerous typists the transcription of the tax and
census records took over two years of work to complete.
My sincere gratitude goes out to these people. A
special thanks to my wife, Mary Lockhart, Donna
Greenbarg of Hatboro, Janice Daleandro of Morton, Ethel
Dougherty of Norwood, Dawn Beck of Springfield. Keith
Lockhart's collection contains many rare books and
booklets on Delaware County Pa. History that are not
available anywhere else. These booklets run the gamut
from theDelaware County
Society toDetect Horse
Thieves in 1850toProspectus's
for Delaware County Businesses. ContactKeith Lockhart
today.
What
is new on the site:
December
25, 2019- finally got some work done
today. Added several new maps from 1941 to the
Rutledge, Ridley Twp. pages. etc. Have a great Holiday
Week!! January 1, 2020- I have added a
history of Morton and Rutledge Boros from 1901 to their
pages. The newspaper article is by Frederick Calvert, a
great local historian. Calvert's History of Ridley on
the Delaware has been added to that page. Newspaper
articles have been added to Folcroft and Chester
Heights. Also a history of Chester City Schools has
been added to that page under booklets done by Chester
Baker. A brief History of the Tyler Arboretum by
Charles Whitaker is now on the Middletown Twp. page.
January 18, 2020-More marriages from
the 1880's from the Delaware County American Newspaper
have been added to the Genealogical page.
January 19, 2020- a history of the
Upper Darby Schools has been added to that page, plus a
history of some mills in Springfield Twp.
February 2, 2020- Two articles have
been added to the Chester page, Chester as George
Washington knew it and a history of Chester's
Industries in 1890.
February
9, 2020- More marriages from the 1880's from
the Delaware County American Newspaper have been added
to the Genealogical page. March 25,
2020- Been very busy and can not do much
research with everything closed. Added more marriages
from the 1880's from the Delaware County American
Newspaper. To all my readers
Please be safe and healthy!!!
This link is to let everyone know what new books and
booklets that are out, dealing with Delaware County
history. If you would like to make people aware of any
new books please let me know.
Haverford
Township police officer, Matt Hufnal has written a new
book, about
the making of the first police chief in Haverford and
the problems that were involved. It was not easy
creating and running a police department 100 years
ago!! The book which just came out in late August 2018
is available on Amazon.
Click on Amazon to go to the link to purchase
the book.
This
month, July, 2018, a book on growing up in Chester
during WW2 is just out. by
David
Komarnicki is out and available from Amazon. People who
have read it, love it!! Check face book !
April, 2017 is another Arcadia Book, , all about the great history of
that Delco institution. The book is by Andrew Miller
who teaches history at Neumann College.
Just in time for Christmas 2016, Ed Stewart has
published, the story of
Grover Bergdoll whose well to do family lived in
Delaware County. Bergdoll fled to Germany during the
First World War rather than be drafted. The story
caused national head lines in the day. Read this well
done book about a family crisis and what happend to
them.
Another new book
is out this Spring, 2016 the story of James 'Ted" Meredith by
Jack Lemon. Meredith a Delco native set two world and
Olympic records in Stockholm, Sweden. The book is by
Jack Lemon from Media class of 1964. Click on the link
above to order the book and for more
information.
The
page as it states is to announce upcoming meetings,
lectures and historical events throughout Delaware
County. If your group is planning something special, or
just a meeting, please pass the information on to me
and it will be posted on this new page. E-mail
keith106@rcn.com
Stan Bowman of Chester
County was born and raised in Delaware County and began
taking pictures of trolleys in his teens. In the past
50 odd years he has amassed the largest collection of
trolley pictures and information around. Stan has been
kind enough to share some of his pictures and
information with my site and over the next month or so,
maps, pictures and information will be added about all
the trolley routes and companies that once operated in
Delaware County.
A new mill
page has been created, to go to it, click the link
above. It features the 1826 mill survey, the report of
the 1843 flood and a rare mill map for the entire
county also from 1843. More will be added to this site
in the next few months.
One of my pet
projects for a number of years is Delaware County
covered bridges. I have been researching when they were
built, where etc. I made a google map with locations,
pictures of before and the site today. In a number of
cases ruins could still be seen. I still have a few
more bridges to add, but click on the above link to see
what I have done. I'm indebted to Celia
Caust-Ellenbogen of Friends Library in Swarthmore for
guiding me thru google maps.
This page
has been opened for Delaware County Newspapers. The
link for the Chester Times to search it, is now here.
The good news after numerous scanning and experimenting
the first year of the Morton Chronicle from 1880-1881
is now on the site and can be searched. More years will
be added next week most from my personal collection. It
has taken allot longer than I thought to do this but it
will be well worth it. Take a look and let me know what
you think.
The Delaware County Realty
News was a column first published in the Chester Times
in April of 1912. It was a weekly column that talked of
new buildings, developers, architects etc. Even
building permits etc. Take a look!
In 1936 the
W.P.A. did a historic Site Survey of Delaware County by
township. They put basic info down only and NEVER used
addresses only approximate locations. I have begun to
update it by adding addresses, taking pictures and
correcting some wrong information. Please have a look.
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