The Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society (JLCHS) has been published continuously since 1896. Early years of the Journal were called Papers Read before the Lancaster County Historical Society and consisted of published versions of papers read during monthly meetings of the historical society. The subject matter of the journal is the history and biography of Lancaster County. Today, the journal is issued quarterly and consists of articles written by both scholars and layman on these same themes. A subscription to the journal is a benefit of membership.

In order to effectively make use of the huge amount of information in the journal, each article has been cataloged in our Library Catalog. When searching the library catalog, citations to individual articles in the journal may be found in the list of items that match your search. Bound copies of the journal are available in our library. It is also possible to order copies of individual articles. At this time, there is not a full text version of the journal online.

Articles in the journal contain many individual names, making this a good resource for historians and genealogists. An Every Name Index has been compiled for the 100+ years of the journal's publication. This index consists of every name that appears along with the volume and page number where the name can be found. Names may be associated with an entire article on an individual, a listing of taxpayers, as a signatory on letters, cemetery burials or a host of different ways. However, while this information may be of value to genealogists, frequently a name appears without enough context to establish any genealogical ties.

A Table of Contents is also available, listing chronologically the titles of all articles published in each volume of the Journal. After checking the Every Name Index, it is wise to look in the Table of Contents for the volume and page to find out the nature of the article in which a name appears. The contents listing can also give you an idea of the kinds of articles that have been published over the years.

The editorial staff of the Journal welcomes submission of papers to be considered for publication. Articles on Lancaster County history, biography, social issues, politics, economics, technology, business, material culture and intellectual history of the county are welcome.