Tioga County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States

Pennsylvania

Tioga County

Guide to Tioga County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Wellsboro Organized: March 26, 1804 Parent County(s): Lycoming Neighboring Counties Bradford  • Lycoming  • Potter  • Chemung (NY)  • Steuben (NY) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: PA Roots and its members who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The county was named for the Tioga River. It is located in the northcentral area of the state.

County Courthouse

Tioga County Courthouse
118 Main Street
Wellsboro, PA 16901
Telephone: 570-723-8191
Clerk of Orphans Court: 570-724-9260
Protonotary Court: 570-724-9281
Tioga County Website

Registrar and recorder has birth and death records from 1893-1905, marriage records from 1885, probate records from 1806, land records from 1807, and military records from 1868
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts has divorce and court records from 1813 and naturalization records from 1818

Tioga County, Pennsylvania Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1893	1885	1893	1813	1807	1806	1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1804--Tioga County was created 26 March 1804 from Lycoming County County seat: Wellsboro For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit [HOMETOWN URL HomeTown Locator]. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Boroughs
Blossburg Elkland Knoxville Lawrenceville	Liberty Mansfield Roseville	Tioga Wellsboro Westfield
Census-designated places
Arnot	Millerton
Townships
Bloss Brookfield Charleston Chatham Clymer Covington Deerfield Delmar Duncan Elk	Farmington Gaines Hamilton Jackson Lawrence Liberty Middlebury Morris Nelson Osceola	Putnam Richmond Rutland Shippen Sullivan Tioga Union Ward Westfield
Ghost towns
Fall Brook

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Tioga County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com HomeTownLocator PAGenWeb Archives BillionGraves (name) USGW Cemetery Project Pennsylvania Genealogy
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com BillionGraves Linkpendium PAGravestones Access Genealogy FamilySearch Places
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

 

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

Additional Cemetery Resources

• ca.1700-ca.1950 - Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950 at FamilySearch — index and images
• PA-Roots
• Names in Stone
• Ancestry($)

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	1,687	—
1820	4,021	138.4%
1830	8,978	123.3%
1840	15,498	72.6%
1850	23,987	54.8%
1860	31,044	29.4%
1870	35,097	13.1%
1880	45,814	30.5%
1890	52,313	14.2%
1900	49,086	−6.2%
1910	42,829	−12.7%
1920	37,118	−13.3%
1930	31,871	−14.1%
1940	35,004	9.8%
1950	35,474	1.3%
1960	36,614	3.2%
1970	39,691	8.4%
1980	40,973	3.2%
1990	41,126	0.4%
2000	41,372	0.6%
2010	41,981	1.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. For members, they may contain: age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage date and maiden name; death/burial date. For general information about Pennsylvania denominations, see Pennsylvania Church Records.

Tioga County religious denominations

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 $

Contains records of:

• Arnot: Arnot Presbyterian Church
• Ash Brook: Ash Brook/Pine Creek Baptist Missionary Society
• Mansfield: First Baptist Church; First United Methodist Church; St. James Episcopal Church
• Millerton: United Methodist Church
• Wellsboro: First Presbyterian Church; United Methodist Church
• Whitneyville: United Methodist Church

Lutheran

Salem Lutheran Church, Hartsfield

• 1831-1858 Salem Lutheran Church, Hartsfield, Baptism Index 1831-1858 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C507021.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sebring

• 1837-1871 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sebring, Baptism Index 1837-1871 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C507031.
• 1838-1846, 1871 Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sebring, Marriage Index 1838-1846, 1871 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M507031.

Presbyterian

First Presbyterian Church, Elkland

• 1834-1842, 1852-1870 First Presbyterian Church, Elkland, Baptism Index 1834-1842 and 1852-1870 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C538681

First Presbyterian Church, Fallbrook

• 1861-1875 First Presbyterian Church, Fallbrook, Baptism Index 1861-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C524371.
• 1861-1874 First Presbyterian Church, Fallbrook, Marriage Index 1861-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M524371.

Presbyterian Church of Farmington

• 1847-1885 Presbyterian Church of Farmington, Baptism Index 1847-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C530841.

Presbyterian Church, Lawrenceville

• 1885 Presbyterian Church, Lawrenceville, Baptism Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C538711.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

For information about records kept in the Orphan's court, Prothonotary Court, Court of Common Pleas, and other courts in counties of Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Court Records Wiki page.

Emigration and Immigration

For online resources, passenger lists, and specific groups coming to Pennsylvania, see Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

For groups that came, see People section of the Pennsylvania Emigration page.

Guardianship

The Orphan's Court ensures the best interests of those not capable of handling their own affairs: minors, incapacitated persons, decedents' estates, and more.

All the records for the Orphan's court are handled by the Prothonotary, who is also the clerk of the courts. All the Orphan's Court records are open except adoptions.

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a specific location and reveal family relationships. Records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, maps and more. For more information, see Pennsylvania Land and Property.

Land records in Tioga County began in 1806. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1806 - present Images are available on-line from 1806 to the present using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

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

Local Histories

• History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania. 1883. New York, New York : W.W. Munsell. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
• History of Tioga County, Pennsylvania. 1897. Harrisburg : R.C. Brown. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• An Outline History of Tioga and Bradford Counties in Pennsylvania. 1885. By John L. Sexton. Elmira, New York : Gazette Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books. Title also known as History of Seven Counties.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

• Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
• Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the County Atlas of Tioga, Pennsylvania from Recent and Actual Surveys and Records under the Superintendence of G.H. Walker and C.F. Jewett (published by F.W. Beers and Company, 1875). This atlas found in the files of the Library of Congress shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date of publishing. While the physical maps are in the public domain, the images we have taken of the maps belong to us and are not to be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• 1861-1865 - Pennsylvania, Register of Military Volunteers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

Naturalization records can contain information about immigration and nativity. Prior to 1906, it is rare to find the town of origin in naturalization records. For more information, see Pennsylvania Naturalization

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1795-1990 Tioga County: Abstracts of Naturalization Records on Tri-Counties genealogy & History website, index and abstracts.
• 1901-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. Circuit and District Courts for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1906-1930; and 1901-1906 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records
• 1901-1930 Middle District, US Circuit and District Courts: Naturalization petitions, 1906-1930 located in U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) database on Ancestry $

Newspapers

Newspapers may contain obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings. Newspapers are often found in local or university libraries, historical or genealogical societies, or state archives in the area where the newspaper was published. See Pennsylvania Newspapers for more information.

Newspapers of Tioga County

• Pennsylvania Newspapers
• Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
• Newspapers of the Area

Online Newspapers

To learn if there are newspapers online for a specific town or city in Pennsylvania, see news.google.com/newspapers and search for the town or the name of a newspaper.

• Tioga County, PA newspapers at the State Library of Pennsylvania: Historic Newspapers Collection.
• Newspaper Archives of the Green Free Library containing a number of newspapers covering Tioga, Bradford and Wellsboro.

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• Tioga county Newspaper Abstracts A very large collection of abstracts from newspapers of the early, mid and late nineteenth century.
• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Tioga County, Pennsylvania.

Newspaper and Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts

• Collected and compiled by Rhoda E. Ladd, Tioga County Pennsylvania Records, Newspaper File (Wellsboro, Pennsylvania:R.E. Ladd, 1981) FHL book 974.856 V2L4 volumes 1 - 9

Obituaries

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died or where family members lived. Local libraries or societies may have indexes or other sources.

Online Obituary Abstracts

• Tioga County Obituary Abstracts including many thousands of transcribed newspaper clippings.
• PA-roots Obituaries for Tioga County, Pennsylvania.
• 1947-2010 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch

Probate Records

Probate matters in Tioga County are handled by the Orphans' Court and start when the county was created.

In addition to wills and administrations, the Orphans' Court also handles: audits of accounts of executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians; distribution of estates; appointments of guardians; adoptions; appeals from the Register of Wills; inheritance tax appeals, and various petitions and motions.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
• 1683-1994 Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994 at FamilySearch
• 1832-1886 Tioga County Probate Records
• 1832-1886 Probate Docket with Index (1806 -1934) FHL film 1287351–1287352 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Vital Records

Vital records are handled by the County Orphans' Court. Between the years 1852-1855 Pennsylvania made a failed attempt to record birth, marriage and death events at the county level. County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Births and deaths, at the county level, were begun in 1893 and kept through 1905. For the most complete set of records, contact the County Orphans' Court.

Birth

Early births 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For more information, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

• 1726-1930 Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950 index. Not complete for all years. This collection is an index for the years 1726 to 1930. It is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $

Marriage

Pennsylvania marriages were created by county officials. Contact Tioga County Courthouse

• 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
• 1677-1950 Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950 at FamilySearch
• 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
• 1725-1976 Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940 index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic database of information. The entries are primarily from the International Genealogical Index (IGI) along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as: Family Records, Church Records, Civil Registration. It may also include indexes generated by the internet indexing project sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
• 1838-1976 Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940 index. Not complete for all years.
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
• 1885-1926 Wellsboro, Tioga County, Marriage Index 1885-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1885-1950 Pennsylvania County Marriage, 1885-1950 Extracted marriage records – free. Most of the records consist of marriage licenses, certificates, applications, docket books, and affidavits. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
• 1947-2010 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch

Death

Early deaths 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For indexes and records, 1906 and later, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

• 1720-1999 Pennsylvania Deaths and Burials, 1720-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
• 1850-1880 Pennsylvania Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
• 1890-1906 Tioga County Death Index 1890-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Tioga County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

• National Archives at Philadelphia
  14700 Townsend Road
  Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
  Phone: (215) 305-2044
  Fax (215) 305-2052

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Williamsport Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Tioga County. For state-wide library facilities, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

• The Green Free Library
  134 Main St.
  Wellsboro, PA 16901
  Phone: 570-724-4876
  Fax: 570-724-7605
  Email: greenlib@epix.net
  Visit Website for hours and services.
  Resources include history books, cemetery inscriptions, vital record abstracts, and historical newspapers.
  With a library card or in person you will have access to Heritage Quest. Also, through the library's website, Newspaper Archives of local newspapers may be accessed.
  
• Knoxville Public Library
  112 E. Main St.
  PO Box 277
  Knoxville, PA 16928
  Phone: 814-326-4448
  Email: kplibrary@verizon.net
  Visit Website for hours and services.
  This library maintains an extensive genealogical section.
  

Societies

Listed below are societies in Tioga County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Pennsylvania Societies.

• Tioga County Historical Society
  120 Main St
  Box 724
  Wellsboro, PA 16901
  Phone: 570-724-6116
  E-mail: tiogachs@gmail.com
  Hours: Monday through Friday: 12:00 PM–4:00 PM (phone for current available hours)
  The society runs the Rhoda Ladd Genealogical Library. There are several books of newspaper clippings, cemetery burials, bibles records, census data, and more.

Websites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Tioga County PA Genealogy
• Tri-Counties Genealogy and History
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

International Genealogical Index (FamilySearch) - free