Fayette County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States  Pennsylvania  Fayette County

Historical Facts


The county is named after Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834).

Parent County
26 September 1783: Fayette County was created from Westmoreland County.

Boundary Changes
27 January 1750: Cumberland County was created from Lancaster County, including the area of future Fayette County. 9 March 1771: Bedford County was created from Cumberland County, covering much of the southwest portion of the state including future Fayette County. 26 February 1773: Westmoreland County was formed from Bedford County, taking the area of future Fayette County.

Neighboring Counties
Greene | Somerset | Washington | Westmoreland | Garrett County, Maryland | West Virginia counties: Monongalia | Preston

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.

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.

Prothonotary
Fayette County Courthouse 61 East Main Street Uniontown, PA 15401 Telephone: 724-430-1272 Fax: 724-430-4555  Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Orphan's Court (see Vital Records)
Fayette County Courthouse 61 East Main Street Uniontown, PA 15401

Published Histories

 * Over 950 fully-searchable books and published works covering much of Pennsylvania have been posted online at Historic Pittsburgh, nosted by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Library

Land and Property
Fayette County Recorder of Deeds 61 East Main Street Uniontown, PA 15401 Phone: (724) 430-1238

Due to the lack of vital records for Pennsylvania, land records are an important tool in early Pennsylvania research. Land records will list the seller and purchaser of the property and may hide clues to family connections. Land records for Fayette County are available from the recorder's office for 1784 to the present.


 * Free indexesare available from 1975 to the present. Images are available from 1988 to the present but are a pay-per access service.
 * Deeds, Mortgages, 1784-1867; Index, 1773-1950
 * Ancestor Tracks has published Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Fayette Countywhich contains the Township Warrantee Maps on file at the Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg. thus pinpointing the location of the earliest landowners. Each Township Warrantee Map was painstakingly platted by draftsmen from the original warrants, surveys, and patents of the first settlers of the county within its current boundaries.

Maps

 * Ancestor Tracks offers an Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Fayette County and a Companion Scan of Township Warrantee Maps CD ($). They show precise outlines in metes and bounds of each original tract and all surrounding tracts in the township, giving the names of the warrantees and patentees; 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 Fayette County (then Westmoreland County) served in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Courthouse
Fayette County Courthouse 61 East Main St. Uniontown, PA 15401 Phone: (724) 430-1230 Fax: (724) 430-1001 Hours: M - F 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Directions

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Societies
Fayette County Genealogical Society 24 Jefferson St. Uniontown, Pennsylvania 15401-3602 Website: www.fcgspa.org Email: fcgs_mail@yahoo.com

Taxation

 * 1785-1786 - 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

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


 * Negro &amp; Mulatto Register: Birth Records for Negroes and Mulattoes, 1788-1920 - via Afrigeneas.com


 * Fayette County (Pennsylvania). Prothonotary. Birth Returns for Negroes and Mulattoes, 1788-1826: Includes Certificates of Registry Received from Other Counties 1785, 1803, 1805, 1807-1808 and Miscellaneous Papers 1823, 1830. . The library also has these records of varying dates for Adams, Centre, and Lancaster counties.

Death

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

Web Sites

 * Linkpendium - Fayette County
 * USGenWeb project
 * USGenWeb Archives - Fayette County
 * Fayette County Genealogical Society