Washington County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the George Washington. The county is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 1 South Main St. Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-228-6787 Clerk of the Courts: 724-228-6787 Prothonotary: 724-228-6770 Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court: 724-228-6775 Washington County Website

Register of Wills has birth and death records 1893-1906, marriage records from 1885, probate and land records from 1781 Recorder of Deeds has land and military records from 1781 Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts has divorce and court records from 1781 and naturalization records from 1802-1964

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

Biographies

 * Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens...1893, by J. H. Beers.Volume 1 Transcription from chartiers.com.

Cemeteries

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

Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry($)

Church Records



 * Linkpendium
 * Washington County "Little Washington" Pennsylvania Genealogy and Family History
 * Churches of Washington County PA Rootsweb

Roman Catholic County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843 -1943". Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, 17:1. FamilySearch Library book 974.8 B2wg. Contains chronolgy, map, county-by-county information.
 * 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 the church records of:
 * Canonsburg: Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church
 * Finleyville: Mingo Presbyterian Church
 * Peters: Center United Presbyterian Church
 * Washington: Covenant United Presbyterian Church; Faith United Presbyterian Church; First Presbyterian Church; First United Methodist Church; Jefferson Avenue United Methodist Church

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Genealogies

 * (Walton) Walton, John. "Job Walton of Fleming County, Kentucky," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Mar. 1964):15-24. 973 B2ng v. 52
 * Some pioneers of Washington County, Pa A family history, 1902 by Francis Smith Reeder. Digitized book from archive.org.

Guardianship
Orphans Court
 * 1781-1868 Orphans' Court Docket with Index (1781 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Land and Property Records
Land records in Washington County began in 1781. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds in Washington, Pennsylvania. If your ancestor lived in the area which became Washington County, they may have filed land claims with Virginia when the area was know as the District of West Augusta.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1781-1924 Deed Books, 1781-1886; Deed Index, 1781-1924 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1781-1925 Mortgages, 1841-1854; Mortgage Index, 1781-1925 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1967–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.
 * Warrantees of Land in the Washington County courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Maps
 * MacInnes, Sharon Cook. Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Washington County. Apollo, Pennsylvania Closson Press, 2004.

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

Local Histories

 * 20th Century History of the City of Washington, and Washington County, Pennsylvania. 2 volumes. 1910. By Joseph F. McFarland. Chicago, Illinois : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). Some of preceding are in 2-in-1 volume format. Vol. 2 contains "Representative Citizens" portion.
 * History of Washington County from its First Settlement to the Present Time. 1871 (2nd edition). By Alfred Creigh. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania : B. Singerly. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Washington County, Pennsylvania. c1882. Ed. by Boyd Crumrine. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : L.H. Everts & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive;.


 * The centennial celebration of the incorporation of the borough of Washington, Pa., in its Old Home Week of October 2-8, 1910 from GoogleBooks
 * Centennial anniversary of the founding of Monongahela City, Pa. : celebrated November 15th, 1892 by C. W. Hazzard.Digitized book at Historic Pittsburgh.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has an Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Washington County and a Companion Scans of Township Warratee Maps CD($). They show precise outlines in metes and bounds of each original tract and all surrounding tracts in each 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.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War

Men living in what is now Washington County (then Westmoreland County) also served in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment.


 * Washington County Muster Rolls and Papers courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1802-1906 Naturalization records, 1802-1906; Index, 1802-1962,  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1820-1906 Index to Declarations and Petitions in the Western District of Pennsylvania, US Circuit and District Courts located in US Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 database on Ancestry $
 * 1820-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1537, incomplete for all counties
 * 1820-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $

Newspapers
Newspapers of Washington County

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 US Newspaper Directory.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * The Reporter August 22, 1808 - Dec 19, 1825
 * The Washington Observer January 4, 1878 - November 6, 1967
 * The Washington Reporter March 29, 1845 - September 16, 1985
 * The Washington Sem-Weekly Reporter October 5, 1889 - December 25, 1891
 * The Washington Weekly Reporter November 10, 1883 - February 29, 1888
 * Washington Daily News January 1, 1918 - May 11, 1919
 * Washington Daily Reporter March 25, 1884 - December 31, 1896

Online Newspaper Abstracts

Miscellaneous Newspaper Items] A part of a Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Washington County, Pennsylvania.
 * rootsweb
 * Newspaper Articles by year.
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch

Newspaper Abstracts


 * Compliled by Bonnie Malmat, Abstracts of the Washington, PA Reporter:Washington County, PA (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c1990-2008)

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Washington County, Pennsylvania.
 * Links to the Dixon Collection Death Notices for 1880 Washington County, PA. A full list of 1880 Deaths from the Washington Reporter or Washington Observer.
 * Washington County Obituaries courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch
 * Compiled by Yvonne L. Blair Morgan, Index of Census, Newspaper Obituary Files and Microfilm:Fayette, Green, Washington and Westmoreland Counties (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c2003) ;
 * Compliled by Bonnie Malmat, Abstracts of the Washington, PA Reporter:Washington County, PA (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c1990-2008)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch
 * 1781-1796 Estate Records in Washington County ($) on Ancestry. Taken from Bell, Raymond Martin. Estate Records and Deed Records
 * 1781-1850 Washington County Probate Records
 * 1781-1872 Wills, includes index 1781 -1935. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1781-1850 Probate Files, includes index 1781 -1924. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1781-1868 Orphans' Court Records, includes index 1781 -1952. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1786-1830 Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project – incomplete Extract of Washington County Partitions, Estate Divisions. Includes name, wife, children with spouses.

School Records

 * A century of education; or, The history of the schools of Burgettstown, Washington County, Pennsylvania, for one hundred years, 1898, by William Melvin. Digitized book at archive.org.


 * Washington County Education Records courtesy USGenWeb Archives
 * 1877 Common School Report
 * Donora High School, 1919
 * East Bethlehem Senior Annual, 1919
 * West Bethlehm "Last Will and Testament for 1929"
 * Pennsylvania Reform School, 1893.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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.

Tax Records

 * 1781 Washington County Tax Lists courtesy USGenWeb Archives
 * 1783 The 1783 Tax Lists and the 1790 Federal Census for Washington County, Pennsylvania at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1786 Returns of Taxables for the Counties of Bedford (1773 to 1784), Huntingdon (1788), Westmoreland (1783, 1786), Fayette (1785, 1786), Allegheny (1791), Washington (1786) and Census of Bedford (1784) and Westmoreland (1783) (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 22). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books
 * 1786 A Duplicate of the State Taxes for the Year 1786 at PAGenWeb
 * 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).
 * 1809-1810 Anwell Township Tax List at PAGenWeb
 * 1822-1824 West Bethlehem Township Tax Lists at PAGenWeb

Birth

 * 1852-1930  index. Not complete for all years.
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $

Marriage

 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
 * 1677-1950 at FamilySearch
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1752-1976 index. Not complete for all years.
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 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.

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1893-1906 Washington County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Divorce
Divorce records are handled by the office of the Prothonotary. While no on-line indexes or records are available, records may be obtained by visiting or writing to the Prothonotary.

Archives

 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052 website

Family History Centers

 * Monongahela Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Washington Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

 * Washington County Library System website
 * This system consists of 14 public libraries in Washington County. Each library has access to genealogical databases - especially newspaper sites. Many are accessible with your library card from home. Visit main website (above) for all library locations, hours, services and available resources.

Museums

 * David Bradford House 175 S. Main St. P.O. Box 537 Washington PA 15301 Email: [mailto:bradfordhouse@verizon.net bradfordhouse@verizon.net] (for general inquiries) or [mailto:bradforddirector@verizon.net bradforddirector@verizon.net] (Historical Director) website
 * They publish a newsletter about the history of the area.


 * Washington County Historical Society Museums 49 East Maiden St. Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-225-6740 Email: [mailto:wchspa@verizon.net wchspa@verizon.net] website
 * The Society offers tours of the museums throughout downtown Washington. One house, the 199-year old LeMoyne House, was an Underground Railroad.

Societies

 * Washington County Historical Society 49 East Maiden St. Washington, PA 15301 Email: [mailto:wchspa@verizon.net wchspa@verizon.net] Phone: 724-225-6740 Visit website for hours and services
 * The Research Library has some tools to help the researcher in the area of Washington County.


 * Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania c/o Citizens Library 55 South College St. Washington, PA 15301 Website Email: [mailto:gsswpa55@yahoo.com gsswpa55@yahoo.com]
 * The Keyhole is the Society's quarterly publication; the index is archived on the internet.


 * Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society (WPGS) c/o PA Department, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 4400 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080 Website
 * The focus of the WPGS is the 26 counties west of Centre County, including Washington County. They are based out of Pittsburgh, PA in the Pennnsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library.
 * Visit website for research services and fees.

Websites

 * Washington County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Linkpendium - Washington County
 * Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project
 * USGenWeb
 * Washington County PA Genealogy
 * – 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.