Washington County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Washington County

Historical Facts
Named for General George Washington of the American Revolutionary War.

Parent County
28 March 1781: Washington County was created from Westmoreland County.

Boundary Changes
Note: Washington County was claimed by both Virginia and Pennsylvania until the Mason-Dixon Line was finalized in 1767.


 * 27 Jan 1750: Part of Cumberland County.
 * 9 March 1771: Became part of Bedford County when it was was erected.
 * 26 January 1773: The future county became part of Westmoreland County.
 * 24 September 1788: Allegheny County set off.
 * 9 February 1796: Greene County set off.
 * 12 March 1800: Beaver County set off.

Neighboring Counties
Allegheny | Beaver | Fayette | Greene | Westmoreland | West Virginia counties: Brooke | Hancock | Marshall | Ohio

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

BillionGraves:


 * http://www.billiongraves.com/pages/cemetery/cemetery.php?cemetery_id=84860 Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Washington]
 * Beallsville Cemetery, Scenery Hill
 * Purviance Cemetery, Claysville

Church Records
Many denominations dot the landscape of Berks County. Visiting the church your ancestor attended is recommended; however, many times, due to distance, that is not possible. The Historical Society of Berks County has an on-line index of more then 1.2 millions names, gleaned from the records of more than 300 local churches. It is not a complete index but still worth your time if you are looking for baptism, marriage, and burial records. The index is searchable in numerous ways, but searching by last name or church name is probably most popular. The index lists the name of the record, volume and page number where the individual record can be found. The volume and page number refer to books located at the historical society. To view the actual record, use the printable on-line form that can be mailed to obtain a copy of the record or visit the society. There is a fee for acquiring the record by mail.


 * "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.

Family Histories

 * [Walton] Walton, John. "Job Walton of Fleming County, Kentucky," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Mar. 1964):15-24. 973 B2ng v. 52

Land and Property
Land records in Washington County began in 1781. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds in Washington, 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:

Online Land Records


 * 1967–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1781-1924 Deed Books, 1781-1886; Deed Index, 1781-1924
 * 1781-1925 Mortgages, 1841-1854; Mortgage Index, 1781-1925

Maps


 * MacInnes, Sharon Cook. Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Washington County. Apollo, Pennsylvania : Closson Press, 2004.

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

Additional Resources

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 Washington County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


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

Local Histories

 * History of Washington County : from its first settlement to the present time ... 1870 by Alfred Creigh. Digitized book from archive.org.  Digitized book from Penn State.
 * History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, 1882, by Boyd Crumrine. Digitized book from archive.org Digitized book from Historic Pittsburgh  Transcription from chartiers.com.
 * Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens...1893, by J. H. Beers. Volume 1 Transcription from chartiers.com.
 * 20th Century History of the City of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and representative citizens, 1910 by Joseph Fulton McFarland, 2 volumes. Digitized book online from archive.org:  Volume 1   Volume 2
 * Some pioneers of Washington County, Pa. A family history, 1902 by Francis Smith Reeder. Digitized book from archive.org.
 * The centennial celebration of the incorporation of the borough of Washington, Pa., in its Old Home Week of October 2-8, 1910 from GoogleBooks
 * A century of education; or, The history of the schools of Burgettstown, Washington County, Pennsylvania, for one hundred years, 1898, by William Melvin. Digitized book at archive.org.
 * Centennial anniversary of the founding of Monongahela City, Pa. : celebrated November 15th, 1892 by C. W. Hazzard. Digitized book at Historic Pittsburgh.

Maps
Ancestor Tracks has an Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Washington County and a Companion Scans of Township Warratee Maps CD($). They show precise outlines in metes and bounds of each original tract and all surrounding tracts in each township, giving the names of the warrantee and patentee; dates of the warrant, survey, and patent; and the patent and survey book and page of the recorded patent.

Revolutionary War
Men living in what is now Washington County (then Westmoreland County) also served in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 1 South Main St. Washington, PA 15301 (724) 228-6787 Directions

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Monongahela Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Washington Pennsylvania Family History Center

Societies

 * Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania
 * Washington County Historical Society
 * Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society

Taxation

 * 1786 - Returns of Taxables for the Counties of Bedford (1773 to 1784), Huntingdon (1788), Westmoreland (1783, 1786), Fayette (1785, 1786), Allegheny (1791), Washington (1786) and Census of Bedford (1784) and Westmoreland (1783). (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 22). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.


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

Birth

 * 1852-1930 - - free index. Not complete for all years.
 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.

Marriage

 * 1752-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years.

Marriage records recorded in the Register of Wills Office are from 1885 through the present. Write for the records at:

Register of Wills Office 1 South Main Street Suite 1002, Washington, PA 15301 Hours: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Divorce
Divorce records are handled by the office of the Prothonotary. While no on-line indexes or records are available, records may be obtained by visiting or writing to the Prothonotary at:

Prothonotary Washington County Courthouse 1 South Main Street Suite 1001 Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-228-6770

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.

Web Sites

 * Linkpendium - Washington County
 * USGenWeb project