Mercer County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Mercer 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.

Mercer County Pennsylvania Historical Facts
Parent Counties: Formed from Allegheny County 12 March 1800.

County Seat: Mercer

Neighboring Counties: Mercer County residents may also have records in:


 * Crawford
 * Trumbull County, Ohio
 * Butler
 * Lawrence
 * Venango

Description
It's county seat is Mercer and was founded November 7, 1803. It is located in the Northwestern area of the state.

Boundary Changes
20 March 1849: Lawrence County set off. Mahoning, Neshannock and Slippery Rock Townships, along with a small portion of Shenango and Lackawannock Townships became part of Lawrence County. This area included the town of New Castle.

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.

Record Loss
1866 The First Mercer County Courthouse, built in 1807, was destroyed by fire in February 25, 1866. All records were saved from the fire.

1907 The Second Mercer County Courthouse, built in 1866, was destroyed by fire in December 15, 1907. All records, except for some early tax records, were saved from the fire.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry($)

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:
 * Greenville: Zion Reformed Church of Christ

Baptist
The first Baptist congregation in Mercer County was established in Sharon in 1804. in Sheakleyville another congregation formed, known as Georgetown Baptist Church, in 1831. The Greenville Baptist church was organized in 1857. Other congregations formed in Stoneboro, Sharpsville, and Jamestown.

Catholic
The Catholics first organized in Mercer in 1838 and called their congregation All Saints. Other early churches were St. Michael's (Greenville, 1838), Sacred Heart (Sharon, 1859), with congregations in other communities also.


 * 1843-1948. "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
Also known as the Reformed Church, this sect was officially organized in Greenville in 1861, and known as St. Clements. Another congregation formed in Sharpsville in 1887.

A Protestant Episcopalian congregation formed in Sharon in 1866 and was called St. John's.

Lutheran
Many early settler of German descent worshiped in the Lutheran church. Congregations formed as early as 1826 in Greenville, and 1844 in New Lebanon.


 * 1730-1779. Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever, Baptismal and Marriage, 1730-1779. Baptisms and marriages took place in Mercer County, Pennsylvania and in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Digital version: Internet Archive and PAGenWeb.

Presbyterian
Several sects of Presbyterais existed in Mercer County including the Presbyterains, the United Presbyterians and the Reformed Presbyterians. Early circuit riders established Prebyterian congregations in Ten-Milers (1799), Neshannock (1800), and Hopewell (1899). The first building was constructed in Cool Springs in 1800 and served Cool Springs, Fairview, Jackson and Lake townships. Other early congregations were in Sheakleyville (1799, also known as Upper Sandy or Georgetown Presbyterian church), Salem (1800), Morefield (1802, Sharon), Mercer (1804), Greenville (1824) and other congregations in later years. See White's history for some lists of members and other congregation information.

United Presbyterian Church, Springfield Township


 * 1862-1890 United Presbyterian Church, Springfield Township, Birth Index 1862-1890 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches, , and.

Methodist Episcopal
Circuit riders for the Methodist Episcopal faith established a congregation in Sharon as early as 1797. The group passed through several different conferences through the years and built its first log chapel, then a frame chapel built in 1842. For a list of early preachers and congregants see White's history. Other congregations were in Salem (pre-1823), Clarksville (1820), Greenville (1828), Grove City (1840), and Sheakleyville (1841), among others.

United Brethren
United Brethren congregations formed in New Lebanon (1862) and Sharpsville (1866).

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. Mercer 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.

Prothonotary
The Prothonotary Office is located with the Government Offices of the county.

Orphans' Court

 * Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court 112 Mercer County Courthouse Mercer, PA 16137 Phone: 724-662-3800, ext. 2248

Directories

 * 1919 Sharpsville and Wheatland Directory 1919 at  - free.

Land and Property
Land records in Mercer County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Mercer, 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


 * The Recorder of Deeds offers an online search of land records. Guest users can view the index (unspecified date range) for free but fees apply for viewing images (1986–present).

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1803-1919 Deed Books, 1803-1886; Index to Deeds, 1803-1919.
 * 1787–1828 Deeds and Index. The earlier land records for what would become Mercer County are for the most part in Allegheny County.
 * 1804–1971 Mortgage Index.

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 Mercer 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



 * 1873 Landowner Maps from the Combination Atlas of Mercer County and the State of Pennsylvania, 1873, Mercer County PAGenWeb site.


 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 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.com - ($), National Archives publication M1208


 * 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.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1537

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1907-1966 Petition and record, 1907-1966. Index 1908-1987.
 * 1808-1906 Naturalization dockets, 1808-1906. Index 1808-1884.
 * 1906-1962 Naturalization records, 1812-1906. Indexes at beginning of each volume.
 * 1813-1825 Register of persons naturalized, 1813-1825.
 * 1929-1963 Court orders, 1929-1963.

Newspapers
Newspapers of Mercer 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.


 * 1869-2007 Newspaper archives of Greenville

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles Mercer 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 Newspaper heading

The Mercer County Genealogical Society has an online obituary index. You may order copies of obituaries from the society.

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
 * Obituaries of Mercer County
 * Mercer County Obituaries, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

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

Mercer County Only:


 * 1804-1971 Mercer County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1804-1908 Register's Docket, v. 1-2
 * 1804-1917 Will Books

Repositories

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

Archives

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

Courthouse
Mercer County has had three courthouses. The first courthouse, built in 1807 was a two story, square brick structure with wings on the east and west sides. The building was remodeled in 1840, then burned in 1866. The second courthouse, built in 1866 and made of red brick, and included a belfry and town clock, burned in 1907. The third and present courthouse was built in 1909.


 * Mercer County Courthouse 138 S. Diamond St. Mercer, PA 16137-1284 Phone: 724-662-3800


 * Records available:
 * Births, 1893-1905
 * Marriages, 1885-present
 * Wills and probate, 1800-present
 * Land, 1800-present


 * Clerk of Courts Phone: 724-662-7548


 * Prothonotary 105 Mercer County Courthouse Mercer, PA 16137-0066 Phone: 724–662-7561 Email: [mailto:webmaster@mcc.co.mercer.pa.us webmaster@mcc.co.mercer.pa.us]


 * Register of Wills and Orphans' Court Phone: 724-662-7548

Family History Centers
The main FHC for Mercer County is the Monongahela Area Library. The Monongahela Area Library is an affiliate of the Family History Library, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. As an affiliate, patrons of the Monongahela Area Library can rent most microfilms and microfiche that are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Libraries

 * Greenville Area Public Library 330 Main St. Greenville, PA 16125-2615 Phone: 724-588-5490


 * Grove City Community Library 125 West Main Street Grove City, PA 16127 Phone: 724-458-7320


 * Mercer Area Library 145 N. Pitt St. Mercer, PA 16137-1206 Phone: 724-662-4233


 * Shenango Valley Community Library 11 N. Sharpsville Ave. Sharon, PA 16146 Phone: 724-981-4360

Societies

 * Mercer County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 812 Sharon, PA 16146-0812 Phone: 724–346-5117 E–mail: [mailto:mcgenealogy@live.com mcgenealogy@live.com] Collection includes cemetery books, histories, city directories, birth and death records 1893–1905, marriage records 1885–1946, newspapers, newspaper abstracts of birth, marriage and deaths (indexed). Online obituary index
 * Mercer County Historical Society 119 South Pitt St. Mercer, PA 16137-1211 Phone: 724–662-3490 E–mail: [mailto:info@mchspa.org info@mchspa.org] Collection includes family histories and research files, published histories of Mercer County, Civil War Regimental histories, city and county directories, newspapers. The society will do research for a fee. Requests must be sent by mail, not email.
 * Grove City Area Historical Society P.O. Box 764 Grove City, PA 16127
 * The Hermitage Historical Society 5465 E. State Street Hermitage, PA 16148 Phone: 724-347-0419
 * Greenville Historical Society 94 College Ave. Greenville, PA 16125 Phone: 724–588-7150
 * Jamestown Area Historical Society 405 Summit St. Jamestown, PA 16134-9153 Phone: 724–932-5997
 * Stoneboro Community and Historical Society Lake St. Stoneboro, PA 16153 Phone: 724–376-4190

Schools

 * Mercer Soldiers Orphans School has several lists of those who were students, teachers, or administrators of the school.The school started January 1, 1868 and closed in 1890.


 * Farrell, PA High School 1929 Basketball team

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth

 * 1726-1950  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.
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 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.
 * 1885 - Mercer County Marriage Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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.
 * 1893-1905 Mercer County Death Index 1893-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Mercer County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Mercer County Genealogical Society
 * Mercer County Genealogy - PAGenWeb site. Obituaries, Cemetery information, Biographies, Maps, County History and Information, Surname List, Family Histories, Military information.
 * Mercer County Links - linkpendium.com
 * Mercer County PA Genealogy

Populated Places
Farrell | Fredonia | Greenville | Grove City | Hermitage (Hickory Township) | Jamestown | Mercer | Milledgeville | Orangeville | Sandy Lake | Sharpsville | Sharon | Sheakleyville | Stoneboro | Transfer | West Middlesex | Wheatland