Pennsylvania County Resources
This entry was originally written by Roger D. Joslyn, CG, FUGA, FGBS, FASG for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
The township is the basic political unit in the county and may have within its boundaries incorporated towns, boroughs, and cities, although these would have their own local governments.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is comprised of sixty-seven counties and here may be found records of land, estates, taxes, vital records, divorces, naturalizations, voter registration, court records, and so forth. In 1952 an archives was started in Philadelphia, the oldest city archives in the country. John Daly compiled a Descriptive Inventory to its holdings in 1970. The first county archives was established in Chester County in 1982 and is considered the model for the Commonwealth. A number of other county archives are underway at various stages throughout Pennsylvania. For more detail about county office holdings, see the County Records Survey, Record Series Inventory, 1985'86, available on microfiche from the state archives, although Philadelphia is not included, and Monroe County follows Montgomery out of alphabetical sequence. This survey updates the inventories prepared by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), although the latter have greater detail. See also Stevens and Kent's County Government Archives cited under Vermont Court Records.
The first column below indicates the map coordinates. In the second column is the name of the county. The third column is the mailing address of the recorder of deeds, where deeds and mortgages are found. The fourth column shows the date of county formation, with the name or names of the parent county or counties. The fifth column gives the date the earliest deed was recorded. The last column gives the mailing address of the register of wills, if different from the recorder. Estate records are found in the register's office or orphans' court. (See Pennsylvania Court Records for other county offices.)
| Map | County | County Address | Date Formed | Parent County(ies) | Deeds | Register of Wills | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G6 | Adams | Courthouse, Gettysburg 17325-2398 | 1800 | York | 1800 | 1800 | ||||
| A5 | Allegheny | County Office Bldg., 542 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh 15219 | 1788 | Washington/Westmoreland | 1788 | 1789, City-County Building, Pittsburgh 15219 | ||||
| B4 | Armstrong | Market St., Kittanning 16201 | 1800 | Allegheny/Lycoming/Westmoreland | 1805 | 1805 | ||||
| Armstrong was attached to Westmoreland County until 1805. | ||||||||||
| A4 | Beaver | 810 Third St., Bldg. B, Beaver 15009-0537 | 1800 | Allegheny/Washington | 1803 | 1800, 801 Third St., Beaver 15009 | ||||
| Beaver was attached to Allegheny County until 1803. | ||||||||||
| D6 | Bedford | 200 South Juliana St., Bedford 15522-1714 | 1771 | Cumberland | 1771 | 1771 | ||||
| J5 | Berks | 633 Court St., 3d Floor, Reading 19601-3594 | 1752 | Chester/Lancaster/Philadelphia | 1752 | 1752, 633 Court St., 2d Floor | ||||
| There are unrecorded deeds back to 1717 on microfilm at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. | ||||||||||
| E5 | Blair | 423 Allegheny St., Hollidaysburg 16648-2022 | 1846 | Huntingdon/Bedford | 1846 | 1846 | ||||
| H2 | Bradford | 301 Main St., Towanda 18848-1824 | 1810 (as Ontario) | Luzerne/Lycoming (renamed and formally organized, 1812) | 1812 | 1812 | ||||
| K5 | Bucks | 55 East Court St., Doylestown 18901 | 1682 | original | 1684 | 1683 | ||||
| B4 | Butler | 124 West Diamond St., P.O. Box 1208, Butler 16001-1208 | 1800 | Allegheny | 1804 | 1804 | ||||
| Butler was attached to Allegheny County until 1803. | ||||||||||
| D5 | Cambria | 200 South Center St., Ebensburg 15931 | 1804 | Somerset/Bedford/Huntingdon | 1846 | 1819, P.O. Box 298, Ebensburg 15931-0298 | ||||
| Cambria was attached to Somerset County until 1807. | ||||||||||
| E3 | Cameron | 20 East Fifth St., Emporium 15834-1469 | 1860 | Clinton/Elk/McKean/Potter | 1860 | 1863 | ||||
| J4 | Carbon | Hazard Sq. and Rt. 209, P.O. Box 87, Jim Thorpe 18229-0087 | 1843 | Monroe/Northampton | 1843 | 1843, 1 Hazard Sq., P.O. Box 286, Jim Thorpe 18229-0286 | ||||
| E4 | Centre | Willowbank Co. Office Bldg., 414 Holmes St., Bellefonte 16823-1488 | 1800 | Lycoming/Mifflin/Huntingdon | 1801 | 1800, Willowbank Co. Office Bldg., 414 Holmes St., Ste. #2, Bellefonte 16823 | ||||
| J6 | Chester | 235 West Market St., Ste. 100, P.O. Box 100, West Chester 19380 | 1682 | original | 1688 | 1924, 1714'1923*, 2 North High St., Ste. 109, P.O. Box 2748, West Chester 19380-0991 | ||||
| *Located at Chester County Archives and Records Service, Government Services Bldg., Ste. 80, 610 Westtown Rd., West Chester, PA 19382. | ||||||||||
| B3 | Clarion | Main St., Clarion 16214 | 1839 | Venango/Armstrong | 1840 | 1840 | ||||
| D4 | Clearfield | 230 East Market St., P.O. Box 361, Clearfield 16830-0361 | 1804 | Lycoming/Huntingdon | 1805 | 1823 | ||||
| Not organized for judiciary purposes until 1822, Clearfield functioned as a part of Centre County. | ||||||||||
| F3 | Clinton | Water and Jay Streets, P.O. Box 943, Lock Haven 17745-0943 | 1839 | Lycoming/Centre | 1839 | 1839 | ||||
| H3 | Columbia | 35 West Main St., Box 380, Bloomsburg 17815-0380 | 1813 | Northumberland | 1813 | 1813 | ||||
| A2 | Crawford | 903 Diamond Sq., Meadville 16335 | 1800 | Allegheny | 1800 | 1800 | ||||
| G6 | Cumberland | 1 Courthouse Sq., Carlisle 17013 | 1750 | Lancaster | 1750 | 1750 | ||||
| H5 | Dauphin | Front & Market Sts., Rm. 102, P.O. Box 1295, Harrisburg 17108-1295 | 1785 | Lancaster | 1785 | 1785, Front & Market Sts., Rm. 103, Harrisburg 17101 | ||||
| K6 | Delaware | Govt. Admin. Bldg. #107, 201 West Front St., Media 19063 | 1789 | Chester | 1789 | 1789 | ||||
| D2 | Elk | P.O. Box 314, Ridgway 15853-0314 | 1843 | Jefferson/McKean/Clearfield | 1844 | 1844 | ||||
| A1 | Erie | 140 West 6th St., Rm. 121, Erie 16501 | 1800 | Allegheny | 1823 | 1823 | ||||
| Erie was attached to Crawford County until 1803. A courthouse fire destroyed pre-1823 records. | ||||||||||
| B6 | Fayette | 61 East Main St., Uniontown 15401-3514 | 1783 | Westmoreland | 1784 | 1784 | ||||
| C2 | Forest | 526 Elm St., P.O. Box 423, Tionesta 16353-0423 | 1848 | Jefferson/(part of Venango;annexed 1866) | 1857 | 1855 | ||||
| Forest was attached to Jefferson County until 1857. | ||||||||||
| E6 | Franklin | 157 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg 17201-2211 | 1784 | Cumberland | 1784 | 1784 | ||||
| E6 | Fulton | North Second St., McConnellsburg 17233 | 1850 | Bedford | 1850 | 1851 | ||||
| A6 | Greene | 93 East High St., Waynesburg 15370 | 1796 | Washington | 1796 | 1796 | ||||
| Huntingdon | Huntingdon | 1787 | Bedford | |||||||
| C4 | Indiana | 825 Philadelphia St., Indiana 15701-3934 | 1803 | Lycoming/Westmoreland | 1806 | 1803 | ||||
| Indiana was attached to Westmoreland County until 1806. | ||||||||||
| C3 | Jefferson | 200 Main St., Brookville 15825-1236 | 1804 | Lycoming | 1828 | 1832 | ||||
| Jefferson was attached to Westmoreland County until 1806 and to Indiana County until 1830. | ||||||||||
| F5 | Juniata | P.O. Box 68, Mifflintown 17059-0068 | 1831 | Mifflin | 1831 | 1831 | ||||
| J3 | Lackawanna | North Washington Ave., Scranton 18503 | 1878 | Luzerne | 1878 | 1878 | ||||
| J6 | Lancaster | 50 North Duke St., Lancaster 17602-2805 | 1729 | Chester | 1729 | 1729, 50 North Duke St., Lancaster 16702-3480 | ||||
| Some early court records have been transferred to the Lancaster County Historical Society, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA 17603. | ||||||||||
| A4 | Lawrence | County Government Center, 430 Court St., New Castle 16101 | 1849 | Beaver/Mercer | 1849 | 1849 | ||||
| H5 | Lebanon | 107 Municipal Bldg., 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon 17042-6794 | 1813 | Dauphin/Lancaster | 1813 | 1813, 105 Municipal Bldg., 400 South 8th St., Lebanon 17042-6794 | ||||
| J4 | Lehigh | 17 S. 17th St., Rm. 350, Allentown 18101-2400 | 1812 | Northampton | 1812 | 1812, 455 W. Hamilton St., Rm. 124, Allentown 18101-1614 | ||||
| J3 | Luzerne | 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre 18702-2685 | 1786 | Northumberland | 1787 | 1786 | ||||
| A flood in 1972 destroyed some estate files. | ||||||||||
| G3 | Lycoming | 48 W. 3d St., Williamsport 17701-6519 | 1795 | Northumberland | 1795 | 1795 | ||||
| D2 | McKean | 500 West Main St., P.O. Box 3426, Smethport 16749-3426 | 1804 | Lycoming | 1827 | 1827, P.O. Box 202, Smethport 16749-0202 | ||||
| Attached to Centre County until 1814 and to Lycoming County for judicial and elective purposes, McKean was not fully organized until 1826. | ||||||||||
| A3 | Mercer | Box 109, Courthouse, North Diamond St., Mercer 16137-0109 | 1800 | Allegheny | 1803 | 1804, Box 112, Courthouse, Mercer 16137-0112 | ||||
| Attached to Crawford County until 1804. | ||||||||||
| F5 | Mifflin | 20 North Wayne St., Lewistown 17044-1770 | 1789 | Cumberland/Northumberland | 1789 | 1789 | ||||
| K3 | Monroe | Courthouse Sq., Stroudsburg 18360 | 1836 | Pike/Northampton | 1836 | 1836 | ||||
| K5 | Montgomery | P.O. Box 311, Norristown 19404-0311 | 1784 | Philadelphia | 1784* | 1784' | ||||
| * Some early deed books are in the county archives (see below) and the county historical society. ' Most records through the mid-1980s are in the Montgomery County Archives Center, 1880 Markley St., Norristown 19401. - This facility has been relocated to 2000 Old Arch Road, Norristown, PA, 19401 (see http://www2.montcopa.org/montco/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=14582) | ||||||||||
| H3 | Montour | 29 Mill St., Danville 17821-1945 | 1850 | Columbia | 1850 | 1850 | ||||
| K4 | Northampton | 7th and Washington Streets, Easton 18042-7401 | 1752 | Bucks | 1752 | 1752 | ||||
| G4 | Northumberland | 2d and Market Streets, Sunbury 17801-3408 | 1772 | Lancaster/Berks/Bedford/Cumberland/Northampton | 1770 | 1771 | ||||
| Ontario | (renamed Bradford, 1812) | |||||||||
| G5 | Perry | Center Sq., 25 W. Main St., P.O. Box 223, New Bloomfield 17068-0223 | 1820 | Cumberland | 1820 | 1820 | ||||
| K6 | Philadelphia | City Hall #154, Broad and Market Streets, Philadelphia 19107-3200 (for deeds from 1952; earlier at City Archives) | 1682 | original | 1684 | 1682, City Hall, Rm. 180, Philadelphia 19107 (for indexes), 3101 Market St., Philadelphia 19104 (for records) | ||||
| The city and county of Philadelphia were combined in 1854 and city and county offices merged in 1952. The orphans' court is in Room 415 of City Hall, and the City Archives is located at 3101 Market St., Ste. 150, Philadelphia 19104 <www.phila.gov/phils/carchive.htm>. E-mail: [email protected]. | ||||||||||
| K3 | Pike | 412 Broad St., Milford 18337 | 1814 | Wayne | 1814 | 1814, 506 Broad St. | ||||
| E2 | Potter | 1 East Second St., Coudersport 16915 | 1804 | Lycoming | 1806 | 1836 | ||||
| Attached to Lycoming County until 1814 and to McKean County for judicial purposes, Potter was not fully organized until 1835. | ||||||||||
| H4 | Schuylkill | 401 North Second St., Pottsville 17901 | 1811 | Berks/Northampton (parts of Columbia andLuzerne added 1818) | 1811 | 1811 | ||||
| G4 | Snyder | P.O. Box 217, Middleburg 17842-0217 | 1855 | Union | 1855 | 1855 | ||||
| C6 | Somerset | 300 North Center St., Ste. 400, Somerset 15501 | 1795 | Bedford | 1795 | 1795, 111 North Center Ave., Ste. 170, Somerset 15501 | ||||
| H3 | Sullivan | Courthouse, Main St., Laporte 18626 | 1847 | Lycoming | 1848 | 1847 | ||||
| J2 | Susquehanna | 11 Maple St., P.O. Box 218, Montrose 18801-0218 | 1810 | Luzerne | 1812 | 1812 | ||||
| Susquehanna was attached to Luzerne County until 1812. | ||||||||||
| F2 | Tioga | 116 Main St., Wellsboro 16901-1410 | 1804 | Lycoming | 1806 | 1806 | ||||
| G4 | Union | 103 S. 2d St., Lewisburg 17837-1903 | 1813 | Northumberland | 1813 | 1813 | ||||
| B3 | Venango | 1168 Liberty St., Franklin 16323-1252 | 1800 | Allegheny/Lycoming | 1805 | 1806 | ||||
| Venango was attached to Crawford County until 1805. | ||||||||||
| C2 | Warren | 204 4th St., Warren 16365-2318 | 1800 | Allegheny/Lycoming | 1819 | 1820 | ||||
| Attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango, Warren was formally organized in 1819. | ||||||||||
| A6 | Washington | 100 W. Beau St., Washington 15301-4402 | 1781 | Westmoreland | 1781 | 1781, 1 S. Main St. #1002, Washington 15301 | ||||
| K2 | Wayne | 925 Court St., Honesdale 18431-9517 | 1798 | Northampton | 1798 | 1798, 925 Court St., Honesdale 18431-1996 | ||||
| B5 | Westmoreland | 2 North Main St., Ste. 503, Box 160, Greensburg, PA 15601 | 1773 | Bedford | 1773 | 1773, 2 N. Main St., Ste. 301, Greensburg 15601-2405 | ||||
| J2 | Wyoming | 1 Courthouse Sq., Tunkhannock 18657-1216 | 1842 | Luzerne | 1842 | 1843 | ||||
| H6 | York | 28 East Market St., York 17401-1501 | 1749 | Lancaster | 1749 | 1749 | ||||
