Somerset County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Somerset 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 after Somerset, United Kingdom. It is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Somerset County Courthouse 111 East Union Street Somerset, PA 15501 Phone: 814-445-1473 Phone: 814-445-1435 Clerk of Courts Phone: (814) 445-1435 Register of Wills/Clerk of Orphans Court Phone: 814-445-1548 Prothonotary, Ste 165 Phone: 814-445-1428 Somerset County Website Register of Wills has birth and death records from 1885 and probate records from 1795 Recorder of Deeds has land records from 1795 and military discharge from 1865 Prothnotary Office has divorce and court records from 1795 and naturalization records 1795-1955
 * Copies of documents including birth, marriages, deaths, divorces, land, and probate records can be obtained by using: Pennsylvania Public Record. Click on the link for the record you wish to request.


 * The Office of Prothonotary is responsible for the recording and filing of legal papers of a widely diversified character such as: civil suits, personal injury, medical malpractice, divorce, custody, protection from abuse, judgments, change of name, school audits, driver’s license suspension appeals, District Justice appeals, mechanics liens, Federal income tax leins, and administers oaths and affirmations. Prothonotary Website.

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:

History Timeline

 * Blackburn, E. Howard, History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, 1906 courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * Somerset County Biographies courtesy USGenWeb Archives

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


The Somerset County Historical Center has various records for churches throughout the Somerset County area. However, the society has not put the records on-line and to view the records one must go to the society. The society will do research for a fee. For more details see their website.

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 $
 * Somerset County Church History and Records courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Catholic
 * 1843-1943  "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843 -1943". Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, 17:1. FamilySearch Library book 974.8 B2wg. Contains chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Episcopal Services for the St. James Episcopal Church in Bedford began as early as 1755 but was not an organized parish until 1861.

Lutheran Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized by 1785 although the exact date is unknown. The Lutheran and German Reformed congregations met at the same Union Church until 1848.


 * 1812-1875 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Baptism Index 1812-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1818-1871 Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Marriage Index 1818-1871 (gap 1849-1860) in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Evangelical Lutheran Church, Stoyestown


 * 1798-1881 Evangelical Lutheran Church, Stoyestown, Baptism Index 1798-1881 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Glade Reformed and Lutheran Congregation, Stony Creek Township


 * 1798, 1811-1866 Glade Reformed and Lutheran Congregation, Stony Creek Township, Baptism Index 1798, 1811-1866 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Grace White Oak Lutheran and Reformed Church, Formerly Reichards

Methodist In 1809, the Methodist Episcopal church was formed.
 * 1830-1875 Grace White Oak Lutheran and Reformed Church, Formerly Reichards, Baptism Index 1830-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Presbyterian The Presbyterians were in the county early although no exact date is known, although, the first known pastor came in 1786. The First Presbyterian Church building in the county was erected in Bedford in 1800.

Reformed The Reformed Church of Bedford was in the county early although no known date is known although it is believed it was before 1769. They met in a union church with the Lutherans until they separated in 1848.

German Reformed Church, Centreville


 * 1850-1883 German Reformed Church, Centreville, Baptism Index 1850-1883 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1873-1883 German Reformed Church, Centreville, Marriage Index 1873-1883 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

German Reformed Church, New Centerville


 * 1850-1883 German Reformed Church, New Centerville, Baptism Index 1850-1883 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1873-1883 German Reformed Church, New Centerville, Marriage Index 1873-1883 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

German Reformed Church, Stoyestown


 * 1799-1875 German Reformed Church, Stoyestown, Baptism Index 1799-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Glade Reformed and Lutheran Congregation, Stony Creek Township


 * 1798, 1811-1866 Glade Reformed and Lutheran Congregation, Stony Creek Township, Baptism Index 1798, 1811-1866 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Grace White Oak Lutheran and Reformed Church, Formerly Reichards


 * 1830-1875 Grace White Oak Lutheran and Reformed Church, Formerly Reichards, Baptism Index 1830-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Mt. Tabor Reformed Church formerly Union Church or Zimmermans, Quemahoning Township


 * 1839-1875 Mt. Tabor Reformed Church formerly Union Church or Zimmermans, Quemahoning Township, Baptism Index 1839-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Reformed Church, Friedens

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1852-1875 Reformed Church, Friedens, Baptism Index 1852-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
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. Somerset County 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.


 * 1753-1922 Coroner's Inquisitions

Guardianship
Orphans
 * 1800-1902 Orphans court Docket (index 1795 -1920)

Land and Property Records
Land records in Somerset County began in 1795. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1795 -1949 Record of Deeds, 1795-1902; Index to Deeds, 1795-1949.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1795 -1964 Index to Mortgagor and Mortgagee, 1795-1964; Mortgage Records, v. 1-2 1846-1871.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1803 -1922 Sheriff's Deeds.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1985-present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Local Histories

 * History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania. 3 volumes. 1983. By E. Howard Blackburn and William H. Welfley. Marceline, Missouri : Walsworth Publishing Company. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 3 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 3 - Internet Archive; . Reprint. Originally published: New York, New York : Lewis Pub., 1906.
 * History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania. 1884. Chicago, Illinois : Waterman, Watkins. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Google Books;.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the Somerset County Atlas of Surveys and Warrants Collected and Plotted as a WPA Project, 1939. This atlas located in the Office of Recorder of Deeds in Somerset includes maps showing the first landowners, warrants, surveys, and patents, but they are not indexed.  While the physical maps may be in the public domain, the images we have taken of them 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:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War Men living in what is now Somerset County (then Bedford County) served in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * Service of Somerset County Men and Women involved in the Civil War Work in Progress. Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1906 Naturalization Records - 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 Somerset County

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts
 * at FamilySearch
 * USGenWeb - Newspapers in the County


 * Somerset Whip (Somerset County, Pennsylvania) and Somerset Democrat (Somerset County, Pennsylvania), Newspapers, The Somerset Whig, 1818,1819; The Somerset Democrat, 1864 (SLC, Utah, 1968)

Online Newspapers

To learn if there are newspapers online for a specific town or city in Pennsylvania, see Newspapers and search for the town or the name of a newspaper.

Online Newspaper Abstracts
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Somerset Herald (Somerset, PA) 18?? - ???? Chronicling America.
 * The Somerset Herald (Somerset, PA) 1870-1936 Chronicling America.
 * The Somerset Herald and Farmers' and Mechanics Register (Somerset, PA) 183?-1852 Chronicling America.


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

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 Somerset

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
 * USGenWeb - Obituary Records
 * Obituaries provided online from 1930 to the present hosted on USGenWeb Archives

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1795 -1916 Somerset County Probate Records at FamilySearch
 * 1795 -1916 Orphans court records (index 1795–1922) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1795 -1907 Index of estate records, docket, record of executors and administration accounts, auditor's reports (index 1795–1921) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1889 -1937 Partition Docket, vol. 1 - 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.

Tax Records

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

Birth

 * 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.
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $

Marriage

 * 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 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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 * 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 $
 * 1853-1908 Somerset County Death Index 1853-1908 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary which is located in the Somerset County Courthouse.

Archives

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

Family History Centers

 * Greenburg Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

 * Meyersdale Public Library 210 Center St PO Box 98 Meyersdale, PA15552 Phone: 814-634-0512 Website


 * Genealogical resources for the county and state can be found in the Pennsylvania Genealogy Room


 * Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library 431 Scotch Valley Rd. Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Phone: (814) 696-3492 Website
 * Collection covers Blair and surrounding counties, particularly Huntingdon, Cambria, and Bedford Counties.


 * Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library Blair County Genealogical Society

Societies

 * Somerset Historical Center Western Pennsylvania's Rural Heritage Museum 10649 Somerset Pike Somerset, PA 15501 Phone: 814-445-6077 Website Facebook Email: [mailto:c-sseese@pa.gov c-sseese@pa.gov]


 * The Somerset Historical Center also contains a genealogy research library for the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County Pennsylvania. The collection includes records of birth, marriage, death, maps, military, newspapers, obituaries, tax, estate, family files, county histories, church records, and an online WPA Cemetery Index. Visit website for services and fees.

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Somerset 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.

Research Guides
Woodroofe's guide to Somerset County "hidden sources" at The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is available online:


 * Woodroofe, Helen Hutchison. "A Genealogist's Guide to Pennsylvania Records," The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 34, No. 3 (1986):252-263. For free online access, see WeRelate.