Jefferson County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Jefferson 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 President Thomas Jefferson. The county is located in the midwest-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse 200 Main Street Brookville, PA 15825 Phone: 814-849-1600 Prothonotary/Clerk of Court Phone: 814-849-1606 Register of Deeds/Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphan's Court  Phone: 814-849-1610 Jefferson County Website Clerk Orphan Court has birth and death records 1893-1906 and marriage records from 1885 Register of Wills has probate records from 1830,br> Recorder of Deeds has land records from 1828 Prothonotary and Clerk Courts has divorce and court records

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:

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

Church Records
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 $

Baptist The Reverend Jonathan Nichols was the first preacher in the Jefferson County area to hold the beliefs of the Baptist denomination. The first Baptist was organized in 1834 in the barn of Henry Keys. The second congregation was established in 1836 in Brookville.

Methodist The Methodist church arrived several years after the Presbyterian church. However, the church records were poorly kept and many have been lost.

The Methodist Episcopal Church in Jefferson County, Jefferson County Genealogy Project

Presbyterian Reverend Robert McGarrough was the founder of Presbyterianism in Jefferson County. By 1850 the number of Presbyterian churches in the county was nine and grew to twenty-one by 1870. Early services were held at various homes in the county and the first organized church in the county was the Bethel Church in 1824. However, it did not have a permanent building until 1842 and the name was changed to Brookville.

The Second Presbyterian Church was organized in 1832 but it too did not have a permanent structure until 1841.

Jefferson County Presbyterian Church, Jefferson County Genealogy Project

Jefferson United Presbyterian Church, Baxter


 * 1842-1880 - Jefferson United Presbyterian Church, Baxter, Baptism Index 1842-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Roman Catholic Catholics were in the county as early as 1832. Services were held in members homes until the church building was dedicated in 1854. St. Ann's Academy was built in 1855-1856 at Corsica. It was used as a chapel and a boarding school for young women.

United Brethren Organized by individuals from Pennsylvania and Maryland, the United Brethren were organized in 1800. The first structure in Jefferson County was erected in 1874 in Knoxdale. List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Land and Property Records
Land records in Jefferson County began in 1818. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds Office in Brookville, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1818 -1910 Deed Books, 1818-1887; Indexes, 1818-1910. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Local Histories

 * History of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. 1888. Ed. by Kate M. Scott. Syracuse, N. Y. : D. Mason. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books;.
 * Jefferson County Pennsylvania, her Pioneers and People, 1800-1915. 2 volumes. 1917. By William James McKnight. Chicago : J.H. Beers. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 Internet Archive;.

Maps and Gazetteers


Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1831 -1906 Naturalization Records – images only; click on the camera icon to view images; declarations and petitions, indexes in volumes 1–2

Newspapers
Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts

Steele, Patricia M. Who, When and Where:Jefferson County, Pennsylvania (Evansville, Indiana:Whipporwill Publications, c1987) ; Volume 2: Newspaper items 1834-1837, 1854-1889. Newspapers of Jefferson County


 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers

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 Star 1892-1946 (Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania).

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * Baggs, Josephine Y. and Leader Vindicator (New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), Obituaries, ca. 1988 (SLC, Utah, 1991)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683 -1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * Jefferson County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives
 * 1832-1944 Jefferson County Probate Records - at FamilySearch
 * 1832 -1917 Probate Records - includes will books, orphans' court dockets, registers' dockets; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1832 -1944 General Index to Probate Records - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

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.

Birth
Birth records for Jefferson County began in 1893. The Jefferson County courthouse maintains birth records up to 1906. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893 -1906 time period contact the Jefferson County courthouse.


 * 1726-1930  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.
 * 1893-1906 Record of Births  The birth records for Jefferson County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be available at a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.
 * 1941-1969 Record of Delayed Births  The delayed birth records for Jefferson County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be available at a local FamilySearch Center.

Marriage
Jefferson County marriages are maintained at the Jefferson County courthouse. Jefferson County began recording marriages in 1885 although some registrations took place from 1852 -1855. Marriage licenses from 1885 are available at the Jefferson County courthouse in Brookville.


 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch
 * 1700-1821  Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1725-1976  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 $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1855 Jefferson County Marriage Index 1852-1855 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1852-1855 Registration of Marriages  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1885-1916 Marriage License Dockets (Jefferson County, Pennsylvania) –  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1885-1950  Extracted marriage records. 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
Jefferson County began recording deaths in 1893, although some were recorded from 1853 -1854. These records are available in the Jefferson County courthouse in Brookville. You may request a death record from the Jefferson County courthouse.
 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1853-1854 Registration of Deaths These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers.
 * 1893-1906 Jefferson County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1893-1906 Record of Deaths  These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers.

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of 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

 * Brookville Pennsylvania Family History Center

Museums

 * Taylor Memorial Museum at Brockway Historical Society 765 Park Street P.O. Box 73 Brockway, PA 15824 Phone: 814-265-8519 Facebook Website

Societies

 * Brockway Historical Society & Taylor Memorial Museum 765 Park Street P.O. Box 73 Brockway, PA 15824 Phone: 814-265-8519 Facebook Website


 * Jefferson County Historical Society 172-176 Main Street P.O. Box 51 Brookville, PA 15825 Phone: 814-849-0077 Website

Websites

 * Jefferson County Genealogy Project access to Biographies, Cemetery Records, Census Records, County History and lots of other great free resources.
 * Jefferson County PA Genealogy
 * USGenWeb May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * – 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.