Crawford County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Colonel William Crawford. The county is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Crawford County Courthouse Judicial Center, 2nd Floor 359 E. Center St. Meadville, PA 16335 Phone:814-333-7442 Fax:  814-333-7349 Prothonotary Phone: 814–333-7324 Email:  [mailto:earnett@co.crawford.pa.us earnett@co.crawford.pa.us] Orphans' Court Phone:  814-333-7442  Fax:   814-333-7349 Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds 903 Diamond Park Square # 104, Meadville, PA 16335 Phone: 814-333-7324 Crawford County Website

County Clerk has birth, death, and burial records 1893-1905, marriage records from 1885, divorce records, probate, court, and land records from 1800 Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds has land records, wills, and estate adminstration records from 1800. Office of the Prothonotary has divorce records form 1811 and litigation records from 1800.

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

 * Columbia County Biographies at Columbia County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images (incomplete)
 * Crawford County, Pennsylvania Cemeteries - partial index
 * LDS Genealogy

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1620-1991 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images



County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry $

Catholic List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * "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.
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1798-1828  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Alphabet index then by numbered entry
 * 1900-1923  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1952-1957   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Guardianship

 * 1814-1869 Orphans' Court dockets . Indexes are found at the beginning of each volume.

Land and Property Records
Land records in Crawford County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Records
 * 1800 -1925 Deeds, 1800-1825; Index, 1800-1925. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1800 -1925 Mortgages, 1800-1828; Indexes, 1800-1925. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Local Histories

 * History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. 1885. By Samuel P. Bates and Robert C. Brown. Chicago, Illinois : Warner, Beers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * Crawford County, Pennsylvania Publications

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Crawford County, Pennsylvania - Includes maps of Pennsylvania, maps of Crawford County, and Sanborn Maps of Crawford County.
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images from the 1876 Historical Atlas of Crawford County, Pennsylvania published by J.C. McDowell. This atlas located in the files of the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, PA, shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date of publishing. While the physical documents 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: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Civil War
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1865-1936  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II
 * 1933-1947  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Miscellaneous

 * Indexes to Miscellaneous Crawford County Record Collections at A Genealogical Tour of Crawford County, Pennsylvania

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1952  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1802-1906 Naturalization Dockets, v. 1-3  - 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 $
 * Naturalization Index  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Newspapers
Newspapers of Crawford County

Online Newspapers


 * Chronicling America, US Newspaper Directory
 * Meadville Tribute
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Crawford County.

Obituaries

 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Obituary Abstracts
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Crawford County.
 * USGenWeb Obituaries for Crawford County, Pennsylvania.
 * Crawford County Obituaries at Crawford County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives.

Probate Records

 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)

Online Probate Index and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1800-1970 Crawford County Probate Records  at FamilySearch
 * 1800-1889 Register's Dockets  - Index included: 1800-1970; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1813-1906 Will Books  - 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

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1941-1976  at FamilySerch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1512-1989  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at Findmypast$
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1682-1976  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1709-1940  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * Pre-1810  Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1825-1865 Methodist circuit rider marriages including Crawford County in USGenWeb.
 * 1852-1854 Crawford County Marriage Index 1852-1854 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1893-1905 Meadville, Crawford County, Death Index 1893-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

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

 * Franklin Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Meadville Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Monongahela Area Library - an affiliate library.
 * New Castle Public Library - an affiliate library.

Museums
Cambridge Springs Historical Museum 26 Federal Street Cambridge Springs, PA 16403 Phone: 814-398-1827 Facebook

Societies
Crawford County Historical Society P.O. Box 411 Meadville, PA 16335 Phone: 814-724-6080 Website Crawford County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 514 Meadville, PA 16335-0514 Conneaut Valley Area Historical Society 1625 Main St. P.O. Box 266 Conneautville, PA 16406 Phone: 814-587-3782 Website Linesville Historical Society 120 Erie St Linesville, PA 16424 Phone: 814-683-4299

Websites

 * Crawford County PAGenWeb
 * Crawford County PA Genealogy
 * A Genealogical Tour of Crawford County, Pennsylvania
 * – 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.