Tax lists in Pennsylvania can help you establish where an ancestor lived prior
to and between federal censuses.
Some good general Pennsylvania Tax information can be found by viewing the
following records:
Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Land Office, has Rent Rolls, 1703-1744
which offer information on locating those who owned land during this time
period. (See LDS FHL 1035090, item 2 and 1032840 items 1-2; computer number
5956).
The Pennsylvania Archives, 3rd series, volumes 11-22, contains tax
lists for varying years between 1765 and 1791, covering the 14 counties formed
prior to 1788. Indexes to these volumes can be viewed on microfilm through
the LDS church (FHL 824436-37)
The eleven colonial counties are also indexed in John D. and Diane Stemmons
book, Pennsylvania in 1780: A Statewide Index of Circa 1780 Tax Lists,
1978. You can view this book through the LDS FHL call number 974.8 R42p.
The US Secretary of the Treasury has the United States Direct Tax of
1798: Tax List for the State of Pennsylvania. See LDS FHL 351594-617.
The US Commissioner of Internal Revenue has the Internal Revenue Assessment
Lists ofr Pennsylvania, 1862-1865. See LDS FHL 1549103-209.
The LDS FHL also has microfilmed copies of most county tax lists. These
lists are from the date the county was formed through the 1800's.
In Somerset County, copies of assessment lists may be viewed through the
Historical Center Library as well as in many of the larger local libraries.
The following assessments have been transcribed and are available online. If you have Assessment records
and would like to share them with our visitors, please email. Thank you!
