Sherman's (St. David's) Union Church, York County, Pennsylvania, 1751-1800

Located in West Manheim Township in York County, Pennsylvania, Sherman's, also called St. David's Union Church, was organized there in the 1750s. The late William J. Hinke originally translated the records from German to English in 1939 and his manuscript has been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. The records in this database span the years 1751-1800 and include the names of over 4,000 individuals. Records for the years 1801-1869 will appear in a subsequent database to be published here later. For researchers of German immigrant ancestors who settled in Pennsylvania, this database can provide valuable vital statistics not available in other records.

Church records rank among the very best genealogical records available worldwide, but they are one of the most under-used sources in American genealogy. Until the advent of vital statistics in the United States, a very late development in most states, church records were the primary source of birth, marriage, and death information. The sheer number of denominations and affiliate churches has made identifying and locating their records a time-consuming ordeal for most genealogists. Church records vary a great deal in content and emphasis according to the basic theology of the religious group that created them.

Early immigrants from England, Scotland, and European countries brought their religious beliefs, institutions and customs with them, including the keeping of church books in which to record births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, communion lists, deaths, and burials. Lutheran and Reformed records in Pennsylvania rank among the very best.