Like many of the government records in the Pennsylvania Room, the tax records on microfilm are sourced from the originals held at the county courthouse. These records encompass occupation tax, real property tax, and tax on personal property (livestock, possessions like watches and coaches, etc.) The microfilmed tax rolls cover most men over 21, unless they didn’t own any taxable possessions. Widows were also taxed.

These records can be useful in tracking down ancestors in between censuses. Since they are arranged first by township or borough and then by surname, researchers must know where their subject had property at the time the tax rolls were made. (Or be patient enough to comb through the records to find them!)

The following is an inventory of the Tax Records that we have onsite in the Pennsylvania Room. This is not a complete list of what is available from the county. Some sizeable gaps exist. Please visit the Courthouse for more recent records or for those that are missing from our collection.