Difference between revisions of "Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy"

Revision as of 18:58, 13 September 2012

United States Pennsylvania Elk County

Elk County, Pennsylvania
Map
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	April 18, 1843
County Seat	Ridgway
Courthouse
Address	Elk County Courthouse 250 Main Street P.O. Box 448 Ridgway, PA 15853 Elk County Website
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Historical Facts

• Parent Counties: Formed from Jefferson, McKean and Clearfield Counties 18 April 1843.^[1]
• County Seat: Ridgway
  
• Neighboring Counties: Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy residents may also have records in ^[2]McKean (north) • Forest (west) • Clearfield (south) • Cameron (east) • Warren (northwest)  • Jefferson (southwest)

Named for the elk that historically inhabited the area.

Boundary Changes

29 March 1860: Part taken along with parts from neighboring counties to create Cameron County. ^[1]

Resources

Bible Records

Cemeteries

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

Census

For tips on accessing Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Federal (or United States) census records online, see: Pennsylvania Census.

There are no county or state census records available for Pennsylvania. County and city tax records can be used as a substitute when census records are not available.

Church Records

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Church Records  in online catalogs like:

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

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. FHL Book 974.8 B2wg. Chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Court Records

Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy court records are housed at the Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Courthouse. For many counties copies of court records may be found at the Pennsylvania State Archives and in the FamilySearch collection. Note that within these collections some films may contain the same records, but have different titles. Other titles are not duplicates. See Finding Court Records at other repositories within this section for links to the online catalogs for these two collections. Films at the Pennsylvania State Archives are not available for inter-library loan. If court records are available FamilySearch films may be available at a local Family History Center. Call ahead for availability.

Court of Common Pleas

Clerk of the Court

Prothonotary

Orphan's Court (see Vital Records)

Finding Court Records at Other Repositories

Additional court records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Court Records in online catalogs like:

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

Emigration and Immigration

For information about emigration into Pennsylvania, see the Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration page.

Ethnic Groups

Germans

Gazetteers

Genealogy

History

Published Histories

Land and Property

Land records in Elk County began in 1844. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Ridgway, 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

• 1972–present Elk County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Land Records on Microfilm

• 1844–1910 Deed books, 1844-1887; Deed Index, 1844-1910 FHL film 870473 (first of 22 films)

Additional Resources

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

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 Elk County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
  
• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
  
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps

Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1855 Map of Elk County.  This wall map located in 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.

Migration

Military

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. See Pennsylvania Naturalization for more information about the types of records and availability.

Naturalizations granted at the county level were kept by the office of the Prothonotary. Naturalizations could also be granted on the Federal Court level.

Newspapers

Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.

To access newspapers, contact public libraries, historical/genealogical societies, college or university libraries, or state archives in the area where the newspaper was published.

For information on state-wide newspapers see Pennsylvania Newspapers

Newspapers of Elk County, Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Newspapers
• Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

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.

• Chronicling America - The Elk Advocate

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Elk County.

Obituaries

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died. However, sometimes an obituary is found in the location from which he or she originated. To find an obituary, see the information under the Newspaper heading

Sometimes the fastest way of finding obituaries is to call or email the local public library in the area where the person died. If the library does not have newspapers, a librarian often will know where they are kept. If a death date is known, and the newspapers are at the library, someone on staff will usually make a search for a small fee, or will indicate someone who will do the search.

Online Obituaries Abstracts

• PA-Roots Obituaries for Elk County.
• Elk County Obituaries at Elk County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Occupations

Indentured Servants

Periodicals

Poorhouse, Almshouse

Probate Records

Probate matters in Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy are handled by the Orphans' Court and start when the county was created. To obtain original probate records, contact the Orphan's Court in the County Courthouse.

In addition to wills and administrations, the Orphans' Court also handles: audits of accounts of executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians; distribution of estates of decedents, incompetents, and minors; appointment and control of guardians; adoptions; appeals from the Register of Wills involving probate matters; inheritance tax appeals and various petitions and motions.

Online Probate Indexes

• 1843–1880's – Elk County Wills at PAGenWeb. Index of the first 100 wills recorded in Elk County, Will Book A. Lists name of deceased, residence, date written, date proved, executors, and witnesses. [Project did not continue on to add all wills recorded in Book A.]

• More Elk County Wills at PAGenWeb links to the North Central Pennsylvania page hosted by Rootsweb with an index and twenty-six transcriptions from Elk County Will Books A and B.

• Elk County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Online Probate Records

Original probate records for some Pennsylvania counties are available free online as digital images at FamilySearch.org. The dates vary significantly for each county and not all counties are listed. Some counties may only have probate indexes. This Pennsylvania collection of images may be browsed through the links listed below:

Complete Collection:

• 1683-1994-Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994at FamilySearch.org
  

Elk County only:

• Elk County Probate Records
  

Original Probate Records on Microfilm

• 1844–1868 Miscellaneous Docket FHL films 870491-870492 – Index included: 1844–1971
• 1844–1971 Index to Estates FHL films 870486–870487
• 1845–1916 Will Books FHL film 870488 (first of 3 films)
• 1851–1896 Accounts FHL film 870490 - Index included
• 1857–1886 Court Docket FHL film 870489

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy probate wills in online catalogs like:

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

Repositories

Archives

• The Pennsylvania Archives collection contains county archive records that can be searched onsite. Currently the Archives' staff cannot provide research or make copies of these records. Their collections include Almshouse Registers; Tax records; Birth, Death and Marriage Indexes and Records; Midwife records; African American records; Wills; Deeds; Naturalizations; Coroner's inquests; and Orphan's Court dockets. A list of the Archive's county holdings are on Microfilm or Manuscript form.

Courthouse

Elk County Courthouse
250 Main Street, P.O. Box 448
Ridgway, PA 15853

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Libraries

Museums

Societies

Rich in history, Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy contains a number of societies dealing with the history of the area.

• Elk County Historical Society
  P.O. Box 361
  Ridgway, PA 15853
  (814) 776-1032

• Elk County Genealogical Society
  P.O. Box 142
  Johnsonburg, PA 15845

Taxation

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. While the records for that time period are available, there were few events recorded. County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Births and deaths, at the county level, were begun in 1893 and kept through 1905. Abstracts and copies of vital records are available for some counties, but most are incomplete. For the most complete set of records, always contact the County Orphans' Court.

Birth

Some birth records exist for the 1852–1853 time period for Elk County. Only a small percentage of births were recorded in this time period. These records are available at:

• 1852-1854- Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – $ Index with images
• 1852-1853– Birth Records FHL film 1317012 Item 1

Birth records for Elk County began in 1893. The Elk County Clerk of the Orphans Court maintains the birth records from 1893–1906. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893–1906 time period you may contact:

Clerk of Orphan's Court
Elk County Courthouse
240 Main Street
PO Box 314
Ridgway, PA 15853

The birth records for Elk County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be ordered into a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.

• 1893-1906 Births - Elk County, Pennsylvania FHL book 974.885 V2cAn alphabetical listing of 1893–1906 births from Elk County was published by Charles Howard Starr. The book is available at the Family History Library.
• 1893-1907 – Birth Records FHL film 1288685

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
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103

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

Marriage

Elk County marriages are maintained by the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. The county began recording marriages in October 1885. A few marriage records were created by the county in the 1853–1854 time period. To obtain a marriage record you may go to or contact the Clerk of the Orphans' Court at:
courthouse building.

• 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
• 1725-1976 - Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940 - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
• Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties. Includes 35,000 marriage records from vol. VIII of of the second series of the Pennsylvania Archives.
• 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
• 1853-1854 – Marriage records FHL film 1317012
  
• 1885-1916 – Marriage License Docket film 1288525 (first of 8)
  
• 1885-1950 - Pennsylvania County Marriage, 1885-1950 Extracted marriage records – free. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
  

Divorce

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

Death

Elk County began recording deaths in 1893 although some were recorded from 1853–1854. These records as well as records from 1893–1906 are available at the County Courthouse in Ridgway. You may request a death record from the Clerk of the Orphans' Court. courthouse building.

These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch.

• 1893–1907 – Death Records FHL film 1288684

Pennsylvania death certificates become public records after 50 years. An annual index is released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Records less than 50 years old are kept by the Division of Vital Records and are not public certificates. Only certain people can request a non-public death certificate. To order a non-public representative you must be:

• Legal representative of decedent's estate
• Immediate family member
• Extended family member who indicates a direct relationship to the decedent
• Power of Attorney (Please note that a Power of Attorney document is no longer valid upon the death of the individual)

See the Pennsylvania Department of Health website to obtain a copy of a non-public death certificate. The cost is $9.

The cost for a non-certified public death certificate is $3.00. Indexes for Pennsylvania public death records are available online through the Department of Health for 1906 through 1961. 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

Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:

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

Web Sites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Family History Library Catalog
• Encyclopedia listing for Elk County, Pennsylvania from Wikipedia

Places

Populated Places

• Benezette Township
• Benzinger Township
• Fox Township
• Highland Township
• Horton Township
• Jay Township
• Jones Township
• Millstone Township
• Ridgway Township
• Spring Creek Township

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), [FHL book 973 D27e 2002]. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "HBG" defined multiple times with different content
2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Adams County, Pennsylvania" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_County,_Pennsylvania (accessed 17 July 2012).