The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society is pleased to announce that, for the first time, members are able to read all of the back issues of Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage online. Every page of every issue from 1978 to 2013 is now accessible (for members only) via the Online Resources page of the LMHS website. Log in and browse the wealth of information on genealogy, local history, church history, and Pennsylvania German culture.

Thanks to the diligent work of our volunteers, our genealogical database now contains more than 100,000 individuals! Our volunteers have been systematically abstracting genealogical content from past (and current) issues of Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage. This data is now available via the members-only section of the website .

If you are a member and would like access to online resources, please send an email to Peggy Erb: . Become a member here.

Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society is one of Pennsylvania's best genealogical libraries and host of the annual Lancaster Family History Conference. In 2013, we are proud to welcome genealogist Dr. John Philip Colletta at "Family History for Smarties (and Others, Too!)." Beat the rush (or give the conference as a gift) by signing up now.

Ancestry.com is the world’s largest online family history collection. Access is restricted to persons at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. 

• Census & Voter Lists
• Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates
• Military Records
• Immigration & Travel Documents
• Family Trees 
• Newspapers & Publications 
• Schools, Directories & Church Histories 
• Stories, Memoirs & Personal Histories 
• Tax, Criminal and Land Records and Wills
• Reference Books, Dictionaries & Almanacs 
• Pictures 
• Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers

An online forum has been set up for the discussion of DNA research as it relates to Mennonite family history. Our hope is that this discussion forum will become a place to discuss many topics of interest to the Historical Society and our constituents but for the present the discussions will be limited to the subject of DNA research. (When you first visit the discussion board, you likely will see a message warning that there is a problem with the website's security certificate. Please be assured that you can safely continue to the website.)

June 6-8, 2013 at the Young Center at Elizabethtown College. An international conference featuring presentations on many aspects of Amish life. Visit www.etown.edu/amish2013.

Remember the Metzlers' arrival in the New World in 1738. June 14 & 15, 2013, Metzler Mennonite Church and Jacob Metzler homestead, Lancaster, Pa. Send genealogical information to . For additional information or to assist with this event, contact .

Saturday, July 13, 9:00 AM at Susquehanna Mennonite Church (1810 McNess Road, Port Trevorton, Pa.) Program: Stauffer Mennonite and Other Related Groups of Snyder County by Luke H. Weaver, The Brubaker Story by Lester Brubaker, Aaron's Civil War by Romaine Stauffer, artifacts and photos of the Susquehanna Mennonite Church, etc. Lunch provided; donations appreciated. Afternoon tour including local cemeteries, Stauffer Homestead and more. Questions: call Richfield History Center at (717) 694-3211 or Betty Ann Landis at (717) 444-3466.

Friday and Saturday, July 19 and 20. Friday: dinner address by author S. Duane Kauffman at Locust Grove Mennonite Church, Belleville, Pa. Saturday: pastor Robert R. Hostetler, nine seminars, display of 1787 "Hostetler" New Testament, exhibits, lunch and dinner at Mifflin County High School, Lewistown, Pa. For more information, go to www.2013gathering.com.

Sep. 29-Oct. 8, 2013. Sponsored by the Schürch Family Association of North America; arrangements by MTS Travel, Ephrata, Pa. Includes visits to Schürch ancestral homesteads in the Swiss Emmental, tours of Zurich, Luzern, Interlaken and Bern, and much more. For more information click here or contact Sue Shirk—suesbugmsn.com, (717) 394-2947—or Tom Sherk—tsherkcomcast.net, (610) 589-1888.

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Bring your family and celebrate the Grand Opening of the Lancaster Longhouse, featuring Native American crafts demonstrations, food, educational talks, walking through the longhouse, and a dedication.  It will take place on Saturday, May 18, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the grounds of the 1719 Hans Herr House and Museum (1849 Hans Herr Dr., Willow Street, PA  17602.

View an interview featuring the longhouse by WGAL channel 8 here.

Come and enjoy a panel of Mennonite and Old Order Amish and Mennonite historians who will discuss the topic of “Amish and Mennonite: History of Growing Faith Communities” on Monday, June 10, 7:00 PM at Martindale Mennonite Fellowship Center (352 Martindale Rd., Ephrata, Pa., about a mile east of Hinkletown). The event will feature Steven M. Nolt, Mennonite historian, and three Old Order Mennonite and Amish historians. It is co-sponsored by Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and the Swiss Pioneer Associates.

About Lancaster Roots 2013

Lancaster Roots is an ongoing series of community cultural events organized by Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and the 1719 Hans Herr House. For a complete list of events, go to www.LancasterRoots.org

Sponsors
Four Seasons Produce, Inc.
Good Books
Landis Homes
Triangle Refrigeration Co.