Greene County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States  Pennsylvania  Greene County

Historical Facts

 * Greene County was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania until the Mason-Dixon Line was finalized in 1763-1767. (source: Wikipedia)




 * Named for General Nathanael Greene, major general in the American Revolutionary War.

Parent County
9 February 1796: Greene County was created from Washington County.

Boundary Changes

 * 27 January 1750: Part of Cumberland County.
 * 9 March 1771: Became part of Bedford County when it was created from Cumberland County.
 * 26 February 1773: Part of Westmoreland County when it was formed from Bedford County.
 * 28 March 1781: Part of Washington County when it was created  from Westmoreland County.

Neighboring Counties
Fayette | Washington | West Virginia counties: Marshall | Monongalia | Wetzel

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

County-wide Database - Multi-denominational

 * 1708-1985 - Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com – $; 7,542,774 entries. This database is incomplete for all counties.

Catholic

 * "100 Years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843–1943," Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1. . Chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Published Histories

 * Over 950 fully-searchable books and published works covering much of Pennsylvania have been posted online at Historic Pittsburgh, nosted by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Library

Land and Property
Land records in Greene County began in 1796. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, and maps. Property records include liens as well as livestock brands and estray records.

The following are examples of available resources:

Online Land Records


 * 1950–present Greene County Recorder of Deeds offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1796–1941 Deed Books, 1796-1888; Index, 1796-1941.
 * 1796–1948 Mortgage Index

Maps


 * MacInnes, Sharon Cook and Angus MacInnes. Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Greene County, PA. Apollo, Pennsylvania : Closson Press, 2005.

Note that the "Maps" section below includes maps related to land ownership.

Additional Resources

See Pennsylvania Land and Property for more information about using land records, especially about original land warrants, surveys, and patents filed at the state land office.

Additional resources can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Greene County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
 * (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps

 * Ancestor Tracks offers an Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Greene County and a Companion Scans of Township Warrantee Maps CD ($). They show precise outlines in metes and bounds of each original tract and all surrounding tracts in the township, giving the names of the warrantee and patentee; dates of the warrant, survey, and patent; and the patent and survey book and page of the recorded patent.
 * Images from the 1876 Caldwell's Atlas of Greene County have been posted online by Jan Slater

Revolutionary War
Men living in what is now Greene County (then Washington and Westmoreland counties) served in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Newspapers

 * Greene County Messenger (Current)
 * Observer-Reporter (Current)
 * Democrat Messenger (1931-1958)
 * Waynesburg Republican (1859-1933)

Courthouse
Greene County Courthouse 93 East High St. Waynesburg, PA 15370 Phone: (724) 852-5210

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Societies

 * Cornerstone Genealogical Society (Cornerstone Genealogical Society Wiki page)

Taxation

 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Birth
Early births 1893–1915 are located at the County Courthouse. See the heading Court Records on this page for contact information.

Beginning in 1906 Pennsylvania birth records are available through the Department of of Health. Birth records become public after 105 years. A statewide index is available. Once an individual is located in the index a certificate can be obtained by writing to:

Division of Vital Records ATTN: Public Records PO Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

The cost for an non-certified birth certificate is $3.00.

Some Greene County births can be found online in Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950.

The births from 1894–1915 have been microfilmed. They are available at the Pennsylvania State Archives and through local Family History Centers.


 * Register of Births, 1893-1915; Index to Birth Dockets, 1893-1968 –

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.

Web Sites

 * Linkpendium - Greene County
 * USGenWeb project
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Populated Places
Boroughs: Carmichaels | Clarksville | Greensboro | Jefferson | Rices Landing | Waynesburg

Townships: Aleppo | Center | Cumberland | Dunkard | Franklin | Freeport | Gilmore | Gray | Greene | Jackson | Jefferson | Monongahela | Morgan | Morris | Perry | Richhill | Springhill | Washington | Wayne | Whiteley