Erie County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Erie 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 Lake Erie. The county is located in the northwest corner of the state.

County Courthouse
Erie County Courthouse 140 West 6th Street Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814-451-6000 or 814-451-6237 Clerk of Courts Phone: 814-451-6250 or 814-451-6237 Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court Phone: 814-451-6260 Erie County Prothonotary, 814–451-6250 or 814-451-6237 Email: [mailto:prothonatary@eriecountypa.gov prothonatary@eriecountypa.gov] Erie County Website Courthouse burned in 1823; all records destroyed County Clerk has birth and death records 1893-1906, and marriage records from 1885 Prothonotary Office has divorce and court records from 1823 Register of Wills has probate records from 1823 County Recorder has land records from 1823

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

 * 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)

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
 * "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843 -1943," Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1. . Chronology, map, county-by-county information.
 * Baptism Register - St John’s Catholic Church, December 1869 -1908, Erie County (PA) Genealogy
 * Catholic Church Records &amp; Directory, Erie County (PA) Genealogy

Methodist
 * Marriage Records of Rev. George Stuntz Methodist Circuit Rider, Erie County (PA) Genealogy

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Record of Members, 1929-1942 (Erie District), –
 * Rediscovering History: Mormons in Erie County, Pennsylvania, 1832-1833
 * 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

 * 1822–1868 Court Dockets

Land and Property Records
Land records in Erie County began in 1823. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1815-1919 Mortgages, 1815-1836; Mortgage Index, 1823-1919. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images; Earlier records are for what would later become Erie County that fell within the boundaries of the parent counties.
 * 1823-1946 Deed Books, 1823-1886; Deed Index, 1823-1946. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1976–present Erie County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Local Histories

 * History of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 2 volumes. 1925. By John Elmer Reed. Topeka, Indiana : Historical Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive;.
 * The History of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 1862. By Laura G. Sanford. [S.l.] : J. B. Lippincott. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books;.
 * The History of Erie County, Pennsylvania, From its First Settlement. 1894. By Laura G. Sanford. [Erie, Pennsylvania] : L.G. Sanford. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); . Revised edition of 1862 version.
 * History of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 1884. By Samuel P. Bates, et al. Chicago, Illinois : Warner, Beers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * A Twentieth Century History of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 1909. By John Miller. Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive;.
 * History of Erie County 1843 from GenealogyTrails.
 * Internet Archive Erie County, from An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1876.
 * Nelson's Biographical Dictionary &amp; Historical Reference Book of Erie County, 1896. Internet Archive
 * Popular History of Erie County, Pennsylvania by D. P. Robbins. Internet Archive
 * Images of America: Erie County, PA by Erie Yesterday. Limited preview at GoogleBooks
 * Souvenir of Erie, Penna. 1888, Illustrated. Also called: The City of Erie, PA, 1888.
 * Lost Erie: The Vanished Heritage of City and County, 1991, by John R. Claridge
 * Historic Erie County: An Illustrated History, 2004, by Edward T. Wellejus
 * Erie: a Guide to the City and County, 1938. Internet Archive

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)

Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images from the Map of Erie County, Pennsylvania from Actual Surveys by under Supervision of J. Chace Jr. (Troy, NY: McLeran &amp; Morris Publishers, 1855). 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.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from Erie County included:


 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike(aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by the 1750s; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Forbidden Path, 1767 from Athens, Pennsylvania to Salamanca, New York
 * Lake Shore Path 1792 from Buffalo, New York to Sandusky (OH)
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths 1766 from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpiketo the Great Valley Road.
 * Ulster and Delaware Turnpike 1802 from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bainbridge, New York

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

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

Newspapers
Newspapers of Erie County

Newspapers Available on Microfilm


 * Several different newspapers are available on microfilm in the Heritage Room at the Blasco Memorial Library in Erie, PA. Some of the titles include the Erie Gazette, the Erie Observer, the Erie Dispatch, Erie Dispatch-Herald, the Erie Daily Times, the Erie Morning News and the Erie Times-News. Some of the Erie County newspapers that are available on microfilm include the Cosmopolite (Girard, PA), the Corry Evening Journal and the Edinboro Independent. The library also has one German language newspaper on microfilm.

Online Newspapers


 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers

Newspaper Indexes and Abstracts


 * USGenWeb Erie County Newspaper and Obituary Index
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Erie County.

Obituaries

 * 1947-2021  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Obituary Index and Extracts
 * The Erie County Library has compiled and maintains an paper and online obituary index for Erie County from 1822 to the present. The index comes from Erie newspapers and covers 1822 to the present. Microfilmed copies of the newspapers are located in the Heritage Room of the Blasco Memorial Library. The Information Services staff of the Library will do limited genealogical research or requests for obituaries by mail. There is a fee for this service.
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Erie County.
 * USGenWeb Erie County Newspaper and Obituary Index
 * Smith, Gary V. and Corry Weekly Herald (Corry, Pennsylvania) 3000 Death Notices Covering Northwestern Pennsylvania and Southwestern New York Extracted from the Corry Weekly Herald (Corry, Pennsylvania) (Montgomery, Alabama:G.V. Smith, c1992)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1822-1971 Erie County Probate Records at FamilySearch  - images only
 * 1822-1868 Court Dockets  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1823-1916 Will Books  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1823-1958 Proceedings Index  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1823-1971 Estate Index  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1839-1864 Registers Dockets  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * Erie County Estate Indexes at PAGenWeb for surnames M, N, O, S, T
 * Erie County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

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.

Vital Records
Birth records for Erie County began in 1893. The Erie County Clerk of Records maintains birth records through 1905. Erie County marriages are maintained by the Clerk of Records. Erie County began recording marriages in 1885.

Death records for the city of Erie exist beginning July 5, 1875. Erie County began recording deaths in 1893. Records from 1893-1905 are available at the Clerk of Records office in Erie City. You may request a death record from the Clerk of Records.

Death certificates become public records after 50 years. 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.

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1893-1906 Birth Records  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 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 $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885 Erie County Marriage Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch; Batch
 * 1885-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885-1968 Marriage License Dockets (Erie County, Pennsylvania), 1885-1950; index, 1885-1968
 * 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
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1892-1906 Death Records  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1893-1906 Erie County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at  FamilySearch
 * 1906-1968 Death Indexes at the Pennsylvania State Archives - rolling date as records after 50 years become available to the public

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

 * Ashtabula Ohio Family History Center
 * Erie Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Jamestown New York Family History Center
 * Erie County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * James Prendergast Library Association - an affiliate library.

Libraries
The Erie County Public Library System Phone:814-451-6900 Website The Erie County Public Library system is made up of five library locations and a Bookmobile. The Erie County Public Library maintains a large collection of genealogical materials. The majority of this collection is housed in the Heritage Room on the second floor of the Blasco Memorial Library. The focus of this collection is Northwestern Pennsylvania and the tri-state area. An important part of their holdings are the obituary indexes that cover 1822 to the present. The Heritage Room has microfilm copies of the Erie newspapers, going back to 1820. They also have microfilm copies of the 1800 to 1930 censuses for Erie County and selected censuses for other Pennsylvania counties. Additionally the library has city directories for Erie beginning in 1853 and suburban directories beginning in 1957. The library subscribes to Ancestry.com Library Edition and to HeritageQuest Online.

Museums
Erie Maritime Museum 150 East Front Street Erie, PA 16507 Phone: 814-452-2744 Website Museum of Erie County History 419 State St. Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814-454-1813 The museum explores the history of Erie County from pre-settlement to today. The museum is housed in the Erie County History Center.

Societies
Erie Society for Genealogical Research P.O. Box 1403 Erie, PA 16512-1403 Website

Erie County Historical Society 419 State St. Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814-454-1813 Ext. 0 Website

Websites

 * Erie County PAGenWeb site maps, history and other information.
 * Erie County Old Photos
 * Erie County PA Genealogy
 * Linkpendium
 * – 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.