Petitions from landowners to the Court of Common Pleas requesting an order to the sheriff to issue deeds for property purchased at the previous sheriff's land sales. Petitions show names of petitioner, former owner, and former sheriff; signature of petitioner; a brief description of the property; location; purchase price; and date. Most are handwritten on printed forms.
System of Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year, then alphabetically by purchaser's name.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection, Title and Object ID, Box #, Folder #, LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Petitions to Make Sheriff's Deeds may be searched in the online collection database. https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please request at Reference Desk or Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Copyright
Copies of historic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania government records held by LancasterHistory may be published without special permission. There is no fee for publication. Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation.
Credit
Courtesy of Lancaster County Archives and LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The Mayor's Court was established at the incorporation of the City of Lancaster in 1818, and was composed of the mayor, recorder, and aldermen with powers and jurisdiction analogous to the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Jail Delivery. It was abolished on 6 February 1849.
System of Arrangement
Organized by court term.
Arranged with general materials first, then constables reports, tavern licenses, un-numbered cases, and numbered cases.
Signers of Petition: Samuel Milner, Joseph Paxson, Benjamin T. Harrar, John McCommon, Samuel McCommon, John Gable, Jesse Davis, Andrew Bayer, John Alexander, Vincent King, Henry Paxson, Milton Scott, Ezekiel Webb, Henry Gable, Christopher Hastings, Henry Webb, J. C. Taylor, J. McCommon, George T. Dare, Robert Whiteside, Samuel Whiteside, Abraham McConnel, Robert Biers.
1 item, 1 piece
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Request at Reference Desk; photocopy made by staff member.
Petition for appointment of viewers; order and report of viewers
Description
Court term: August 1840.
Location: On a public road laid out from a stake near the mouth of Middle Creek, in a public road leading from Lititz, Warwick Twp., to Ephrata, Ephrata Twp., to a stake one perch east of Cocalico Bridge.
Document types: Petition for appointment of viewers.
Order and report of viewers.
System of Arrangement
Records are arranged by township, then chronologically within each township.
Petition for appointment of inspectors; order for inspection and inspection report
Description
Court term: April 1845.
Location: On public road from Mount Joy, Mount Joy Twp. and East Donegal Twp., to Manheim. [Harrison Twp. was formed from Mount Joy Twp. and Rapho Twp. and existed for only a short time].
Document types: Petition for appointment of inspectors.
Order for inspection and inspection report.
System of Arrangement
Records are arranged by township, then chronologically within each township.
Papers filed for construction and repair of bridges. The types of petitions presented to the Court of Quarter Sessions include: petitions for bridge construction and repair, petitions for inspections, and petitions for bridge funds. Other types of items include: specifications, proposals, and contracts for bridge construction and repair; bridge blueprints and plans; correspondence; bills for materials; and bridge condition reports. Many papers show date; court term and case number; names of petitioners, viewers, inspectors, and contractors; costs and fees; location of bridge; and name or number of bridge. The order and report of viewers documents are of particular interest as they usually include a copy of the original petition; the order and names of viewers to inspect the site; the public announcement for the viewers meeting; the report and recommendation of viewers, often with a drawing of the site and surrounding area; and the court decision.
