Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Mifflin County

Guide to Mifflin County, Pennsylvania ancestry, family history and genealogy in courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Mifflin County Pennsylvania Historical Facts



 * Parent Counties: Formed from Cumberland and Northumberland Counties 19 September 1789.


 * County Seat: Lewistown


 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in:


 * Centre (north)
 * Huntingdon (west)
 * Union (northeast)
 * Juniata (south)
 * Snyder (east)

Named for Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of the state of Pennsylvania.

Boundary Changes

 * 13 February 1800: Centre County was set off.
 * 2 March 1831: Juniata County was set off.

For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
For a list of record loss in Pennsylvania counties see: Pennsylvania Counties with Burned Courthouses

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


 * The Cemeteries of Mifflin County. 2 vols. Mifflin County Historical Society, 1977. Surname index and list of cemeteries at PAGenWeb - free;.

County-wide Database – Multi-denominational

 * 1708-1985 - Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com–$; 7,542,774 entries. This database is incomplete for all counties.


 * Contains the church records of:
 * Burnham: United Methodist Burnham Charge; United Methodist Church
 * Lewistown: First United Methodist Church; Grace United Methodist Church; United Methodist Church
 * Reedsville: United Methodist Church
 * Yeagertown: United Methodist Church

Baptist
Baptists organized in Mifflin County in 1840. It wasn’t until 1879 that the congregation was able to hold consistent services. A church was completed in Lewistown in 1883.

Catholic
Many of the workmen on the Juniata Canal in the 1820’s were Catholic. Lewistown was chosen as the best place to build a church for their worship. They broke ground for the Church of the Sacred Heart in 1828. It was attached to the Pittsburgh Diocese until 1868 when it became part of the Harrisburg Diocese.

Episcopal
St. Mark’s Episcopal was established in 1824, but preachers were visiting Mifflin County as early as 1820. The African American Episcopal church was organized in 1816, with two congregations in Lewistown as early as 1872.

Methodist
The first Methodist Society in Lewiston was formed in 1815. Some lists of early congregants are found in Ellis’ history of Mifflin County.

Lutheran
The Lutheran and Reformed congregations formed a Unity church in 1814. Both were German-speaking churches and called their church Zion’s Church. A later church in Lewistown was called St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (1850).

Presbyterian
The first church congregation established in Mifflin County was Presbyterian in 1785 in Bratton Township. Other congregations were established in Lost Creek and Mifflinburg (1805) and Lewistown and Kishacoquillas (1810).

Little Valley Presbyterian Church, Vira


 * 1837-1903 - Little Valley Presbyterian Church, Vira, Baptism Index 1837-1903 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1856-1868 - Little Valley Presbyterian Church, Vira, Marriage Index 1856-1868 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Court of Common Pleas
The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of Pennsylvania. Major civil and criminal cases are heard in these courts. Judges also decide cases involving adoption, divorce, child custody, abuse, juvenile delinquency, estates, guardianships, charitable organizations and many other matters. The Common Pleas courts are organized into 60 judicial districts. has its own judicial district. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.

Prothonotary
The Prothonotary and the Clerks offices are combined. The Prothonotary is listed with the Elected Officials Offices.

Orphans' Court
Mifflin County Courthouse Register and Clerk of Orphans' Court 20 N. Wayne Street Lewistown, PA 17044 Phone: 1.717.242.1449 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.


 * 1793-1840, 1843-1914 Court Records Quarter Sessions


 * 1792-1809, 1826-1834 Circuit Court Docket


 * 1851-1905 Selected Appearance Papers


 * 1865-1875 Chancery Docket

Emigration and Immigration
For residents who moved away, see:


 * McClenahen, Dan. Former Residents of Mifflin County 1832-1883, 1894-1896, 2 vols. Reedsville, Pa.: D. McClenahen, 1986-1993. Surname index at PAGenWeb - free;.

Genealogy

 * Bell, Raymond Martin. Families and Records Before 1800. 1987, 1991. Includes supplement. Surname and place index at PAGenWeb - free.

Published Histories

 * Sherman Day's "Mifflin County, Historical Collections of the State of Pennsylvania, 1843, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Land and Property
Land records in Mifflin County began in 1789. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Lewistown, Pennsylvania.

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, and maps. Property records include liens as well as livestock brands and estray records.

The following are examples of available resources:

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1789-1953 Deed Indexes.

Additional Resources

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

See Pennsylvania Land and Property for more information about using land records, especially about original land warrants, surveys, and patents filed at the state land office.

Additional resources can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Mifflin County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
 * (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps

 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the Atlas of Perry, Juniata, and Mifflin Counties by and under the Direction of Beach Nichols, published by Pomery, Whitman &amp; Co., 1877. This atlas 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.

Civil War

 * Frysinger, George R. and Eleanor M. Aurand. Mifflin Countians Who Served in the Civil War: Published in the Lewistown Gazette 1905. Lewistown, Pa.: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1996. Surname index at PAGenWeb - free;.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Naturalization records available for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania include the following:


 * 1803-1906 - McClenahen, Dan. Naturalization Papers of Mifflin County, 1803-1906. Lewistown, Pa.: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1984. Surname index at PAGenWeb - free;.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1901-1930 – Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. Circuit and District Courts for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1906-1930; and 1901-1906 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records


 * 1901-1930 - Middle District, US Circuit and District Courts: Naturalization petitions, 1906-1930 located in U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) database on Ancestry.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1802-1912 Naturalization records, 1802-1912. Index at beginning of each volume.

Newspapers
Newspapers of Mifflin County


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

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.

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
 * Newspaper Abstracts alphabetical. Also Church Newsletter Abstracts.

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts


 * McClenahen, Dan, People in the News in Mifflin County (S.I.:D. McDlenahen, 1986-1995) ;

Obituaries
Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died. However, sometimes an obituary is found in the location from which he or she originated. To find an obituary, see the information under the Newspaper heading

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.
 * Mifflin County Obituaries at USGenWeb Archives

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * 1822-1896 - McClenahen, Dan, Obituaries of Mifflin County 1822-1896, 2 vols. Lewistown, Pa.: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1982-1995. Surname index at PAGenWeb - free; ;

Probate Records
Online Probate Records

Original probate records for some Pennsylvania counties are available free online as digital images at FamilySearch.org. The dates vary significantly for each county and not all counties are listed. Some counties may only have probate indexes. This Pennsylvania collection of images may be browsed through the links listed below:

Complete Collection:


 * 1683 - 1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1683-1994 – at FamilySearch.org

Mifflin County Only:


 * 1789–1899 – Mifflin County Probate Records


 * Fisher, Charles A. Wills and Administrations of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Including Wills and Administrations of Union, Mifflin and Indiana Counties. 1950. Digital version at - free. Abstracts and index.


 * 1789-1900 - McClenahen, Dan. Wills of Mifflin County, 1789-1900, 2 vols. 1983-1985. Surname index at PAGenWeb - free;.

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1789-1899 Register's Docket

Repositories

 * List of Pennsylvania Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Courthouse
Mifflin County Courthouse 20 North Wayne St. Lewistown, PA 17044

Clerk of Courts/Prothonotary Phone: 717–248-8146 E–mail: [mailto:prothonotary@co.mifflin.pa.us prothonotary@co.mifflin.pa.us]

Register, Recorder and Clerk of the Orphans' Court Phone: 717–242-1449

Societies
Rich in history, contains a number of societies dealing with the history of the area.

The Mifflin County Historical Society 1 West Market Street, Suite 1 Lewistown, PA 17044 Phone: (717) 242-1022

Hours:

Tuesdays &amp; Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. March 1st through Mid November 17. Seasonal hours

The historical society has a research room and will do research in their facility or at the courthouse for a fee.

County Mennonite Historical Society Phone: 717–935-5574 The Heritage Center is open mid-April through December, Wednesdays and Saturdays 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. January to mid-April it is open only on Saturday. Persons may use the center at other times by appointment.

Taxation

 * 1767-1789, 1798 - The People of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, 1755-1798: Tax Lists 1767-1789; Federal Census 1790; Federal Direct Tax 1798 at - free; surname index at PAGenWeb - free.


 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth

 * 1726-1950 - free. This index is an electronic 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.
 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Marriage

 * 1677–1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic database of information. The entries are primarily from the International Genealogical Index (IGI) along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as: Family Records, Church Records, Civil Registration. It may also include indexes generated by the internet indexing project sponsored by the LDS Church.
 * Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties. Includes 35,000 marriage records from vol. VIII of of the second series of the Pennsylvania Archives.
 * 1822-1885 - McClenahen, Dan. Marriages of Mifflin County, 1822-1885. Lewistown, Pa.: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1981. Surname index at PAGenWeb - free;.
 * 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1855 - Lewistown Death Index 1855 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1885 - Lewistown Death Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Mifflin County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Mifflin County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Mifflin County PA Genealogy