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Pennsylvania Families
of
Lancaster and York County
My research finds all my family trees, after coming from Europe, settling in either Lancaster or York County from the 1700's to the late 20th Century. It was not until my parents' generation that anyone decided to leave Pennsylvania to see what other states had to offer. But we did not stray very far. We migrated to Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, a few to Colorado and just recently to Arizona.
My research has not always been easy because we used the same first names for a few early generations and no middle initials. A few were married more than once and having children with each new wife. Sometimes the husband died with the wife remarrying, and you ask yourself "Where did she go?". The BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF LANCASTER COUNTY have been very useful as a research tool. A number of my BENDERs are listed in the books providing me with valuable information to check out. Through these books I have been able to find new relatives. But I do caution that any information in these books must be not accepted as gospel, since all the information provided was given by relatives or distant relatives in 1903 when the books were first published. I myself have found errors from one biography to the next.
When my son, David Alden Kyes, was born 33 years ago my Grandmother Blanche (Wilson) Bender questioned me on why I had named him David; of course I had no idea at the time that my GGGG Grandfather's first name was David. I answer, "No one, we liked the name". You see the name had not been given to any child since then. The Alden was given because his father's side of the family is descendant from John Alden, The Pilgram.
I now wish my Grandmother had told me about David Bender and his family. I had so many questions when I first started my research. My Mother has been an encyclopedia of information, telling me all that she can remember. For years she was telling me stories and I would listen but forget; not anymore. So ask for the stories of your family and don't just listen, write it down.
This web site will always be under construction as there are always new families
to be found so please keep checking back for any new updates. I will be adding
biographies, death notices, and what ever I can find about my families or other
families I find who are associates with Lancaster and York County. If you have a
family from this area and are not sure how to get your information on the web
you are more than welcome to send me the information and I will post it to this website.
© Cheryl Grove McCosker, 1999, 2000. Last update 07/09/2000
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