Hi List: This is a rather large email that I will send (2 pages) and I have foreborn doing so, but, 1) there has been a fair amount of activity regarding the East Hanover census, 2) a fair number of our Cumberland ancestors migrated there by way that area of Dauphin/Lebanon/Lancaster Counties, including my HOOVERS, WUNDERLICHS, LEIDIGS/LEIDICHS, HOERNERS, and (I think), MYERS. 3) This can be an awfully confusing area and time due to the rapid expansion of the state. So- I prepared this to help myself and some people that were helping me in my research: Evolution of Hanover Township(s) (Lancaster, Dauphin, and Lebanon Counties) Because the settlement of Pennsylvania was fairly rapid in the 1700's, the formation of counties and townships was subject to a corresponingly rapid serries of subdivisions. Without some knowledge of this, a genealogist can spend time researching in the wrong places and lose track of ancestors' descendants who apparently vanished without moving from the family farm. Hanover township is an excellent example how residents can have records in several repositories and under different townships - some of which are apparently erroneous. Note that this is not a unique example. Close by, there are similar situations regarding Londonderry and Paxtang townships, for example. I. Official political subdivions affecting Hanover Township: 1729 Lancaster County was formed from Chester Co. It was initially a vast area including all of Pennsylvania north and west of Lancaster. Hanover township was not an original township. Adjacent townships that were erected at that time included Peshtank (Paxtang), Derry, and Lebanon.[Note that Lebanon County did not exist-- that general area was called a township of Lancaster County.]. 1737 Hanover Township was formed between Peshtank and Lebanon townships by recombining parts of each. At this point we now have one Hanover township in Lancaster County 1785 1] The Lancaster County court rules that Hanover township should be split in order to provide better representation. The parts are ordered to be called East and West Hanover Townships. This happened in February. 2] March 4, Dauphin County is formed. It includes the former Lancaster County townships of Derry, Lebanon, and Hanover (now East and West) We now have East and West Hanover townships in Dauphin County; none in Lancaster County 1799 Annville Township is formed from Lebanon township. [This was never part of Hanover township but is included to explain from where this adjacent township came.] 1813 Lebanon County is formed from parts of Dauphin and Lancaster Counties. For all practical purposes, East Hanover is now in Lebanon County while West hanover township is in Dauphin Co. At this same time, Swatara township is formed in Lebanon County from part of eastern East Hanover and Belthel townships, reducing the size of East Hanover. This is distinct and bears no relation to the Swatara Township of the original Dauphin County which was erected in 1799. There is now East Hanover township in Lebanon County, reduced in size, and West Hanover Township in Dauphin County. 1842 In Lebanon County, Union township is formed from part of East Hanover township, reducing its size. In Dauphin County, West Hanover is subdivided into West, East, and South Hanover Townships. There is now East Hanover township in Lebanon County, further reduced, and East Hanover in Dauphin County. [Note that the land of East Hanover in Dauphin County at this point was never in the earlier East Hanover Township of Dauphin County.] Also there is now a reduced West Hanover township and a new South Hanover township in Dauphin County. II. Other effects of these changes affecting genealogists. A. Apparently, in the period between the formation of Lebanon County (1813) and the subdiviosn of West Hanover township in Dauphin County (1842), the local people went back to calling West Hanover Township simply "Hanover Township." B. The census subdivions were late in recognizing the changes. The reader may compare the following census districts with the political divisions above. 1790 census Dauphin, Hburg, Lebanon twp, and unknown 1800 census Dauphin, E and W Hanover 1810 census Dauphin, E. Hanover and Halifax, Hanover 1820 census - Dauphin Co. E. Hanover and Bethel, West Hanover, and Hanover Lebanon Co. lists Bethel and Hanover 1830 census - Dauphin Co. and Lebanon Co. are both simply Hanover 1840 - Dauphin Hanover, Lebanon- East hanover and Hanover 1850 - Dauphin - E, W, and S Hanover Lebanon - East Hanover C. Post Office - As late as 1895, the West Hanover Post Office was located in East Hanover twp., Dauphin Co., near Earlysville. D. Courthouse records- they may be in Lancaster, Dauphin, or Lebanon depending on the date or whims of fate. My 4GGF died in 1784, but the records are in Dauphin Co. (formed in 1785.) E. Historical societies - they are as confused as we are. F. Maps can also be confused or erroneous- In Egle's History of Daupin and Lebanon Counties, 1883, the map of Dauphin and Lebanon Counties, based on the Pa. Legislature map of 1816, does not show Swatara Township in Lebanon Co. which was formed in 1813. Tony Hoover