Please add profiles of those who were born, lived, or died in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Official Website

Reading developed during the 1740s when the inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County.

It was named after the English county in which William Penn's family home lay - Berkshire, which is often abbreviated to Berks. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.

In 2016, former Strausstown borough merged with Upper Tulpehocken township. Strausstown is now a village within Upper Tulpehocken Township.

Adjacent Counties

• Schuylkill County
• Lehigh County
• Montgomery County
• Chester County
• Lancaster County
• Lebanon County

For a list of Cities, Boroughs, Townships & Communities, please see Wikipedia.

Links

Wikipedia

Berks County Genealogical Society

Genealogy Trails

Hopewell Furnace

National Register of Historic Places

PA Gen Web

Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania - Berks County