Washington County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Washington County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The county was named for the George Washington. The county is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 1 South Main St. Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-228-6787 Clerk of the Courts: 724-228-6787 Prothonotary: 724-228-6770 Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court: 724-228-6775 Washington County Website

Register of Wills has birth and death records 1893-1906, marriage records from 1885, probate and land records from 1781 Recorder of Deeds has land and military records from 1781 Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts has divorce and court records from 1781 and naturalization records from 1802-1964

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:

Bible Records

 * Bibles at PA USGenWeb Archives
 * Family Bible of Samuel A. and Susan (Miner) Birch at Minerd.com

Biographies

 * Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens...1893, by J. H. Beers.Volume 1 Transcription from chartiers.com.

Cemeteries

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

Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images (incomplete)


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

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1620-1991 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images




 * Linkpendium
 * Washington County "Little Washington" Pennsylvania Genealogy and Family History
 * Churches of Washington County PA Rootsweb

Roman Catholic County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * "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.
 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry $
 * Contains the church records of:
 * Canonsburg: Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church
 * Finleyville: Mingo Presbyterian Church
 * Peters: Center United Presbyterian Church
 * Washington: Covenant United Presbyterian Church; Faith United Presbyterian Church; First Presbyterian Church; First United Methodist Church; Jefferson Avenue United Methodist Church

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1771-1862 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1781-1952 (*); Orphans' Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Minute Book of the Virginia Court held for Yohogania County, First at Augusta Town (Now Washington, Pa.), and Afterwards on the Andrew Heath Farm near West Elizabeth; 1776-1780. By Crumrine, Boyd. Washington County, Pennsylvania : Washington County, Pennsylvania, 1776-1780. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Washington County, Pennsylvania Orphans Court Records; Dodd Diggings, Vol. 7. By Conley, Avlyn Dodd. Glen Burnie, Maryland : Avlyn Dodd Conley, 1986. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Washington County, State of Pennsylvania, an Abstract of Will Book One (#1). By Friend, Pauline; Martha Bane and Genealogical Research Group of Washington, Pa. Washington County, Pennsylvania : Washington County, Pennsylvania, 1776-1803. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Directories

 * 1907-1908 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1798-1828  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Alphabet index then by numbered entry
 * 1900-1923  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1952-1957   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and image

Genealogies

 * Ohio Valley Genealogies : Relating Chiefly to Families in Harrison, Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio and Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette Counties, Pennsylvania. 1900. By Charles Augustus Hanna. New York : [J.J. Little Co.] Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
 * Some Pioneers of Washington County, Pa. A family history. 1902. By Francis Smith Reeder. New Brighton, Pa., Press of F. S. Reader & Son. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
 * (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

Guardianship
Orphans Court
 * 1781-1868 Orphans' Court Docket with Index (1781 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Land and Property Records
Land records in Washington County began in 1781. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds in Washington, Pennsylvania. If your ancestor lived in the area which became Washington County, they may have filed land claims with Virginia when the area was know as the District of West Augusta.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1781-1924 Deed Books, 1781-1886; Deed Index, 1781-1924  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1781-1925 Mortgages, 1841-1854; Mortgage Index, 1781-1925  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1967–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.
 * Warrantees of Land in the Washington County courtesy USGenWeb Archives

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.

Local Histories

 * 20th Century History of the City of Washington, and Washington County, Pennsylvania. 2 volumes. 1910. By Joseph F. McFarland. Chicago, Illinois : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Online at: 2 vols. in 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($); Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive. Vol. 2 contains "Representative Citizens" portion.
 * History of Washington County from its First Settlement to the Present Time. 1871 (2nd edition). By Alfred Creigh. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania : B. Singerly. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Washington County, Pennsylvania. c1882. Ed. by Boyd Crumrine. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : L.H. Everts & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive;.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * 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.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War

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


 * Washington County Muster Rolls and Papers courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1865-1936  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

 World War I
 * Washington's Part in the World War.

World War II
 * 1933-1947  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1952  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1802-1906 Naturalization records, 1802-1906; Index, 1802-1962,  - 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 Washington County

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.


 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * The Reporter August 22, 1808 - Dec 19, 1825
 * The Washington Observer January 4, 1878 - November 6, 1967
 * The Washington Reporter March 29, 1845 - September 16, 1985
 * The Washington Sem-Weekly Reporter October 5, 1889 - December 25, 1891
 * The Washington Weekly Reporter November 10, 1883 - February 29, 1888
 * Washington Daily News January 1, 1918 - May 11, 1919
 * Washington Daily Reporter March 25, 1884 - December 31, 1896

Online Newspaper Abstracts

Miscellaneous Newspaper Items] A part of a Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Washington County, Pennsylvania.
 * rootsweb
 * Newspaper Articles by year.

Newspaper Abstracts


 * Compliled by Bonnie Malmat, Abstracts of the Washington, PA Reporter:Washington County, PA (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c1990-2008)

Obituaries

 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Obituary Abstracts
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Washington County, Pennsylvania.
 * Links to the Dixon Collection Death Notices for 1880 Washington County, PA. A full list of 1880 Deaths from the Washington Reporter or Washington Observer.
 * Washington County Obituaries courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts
 * Compiled by Yvonne L. Blair Morgan, Index of Census, Newspaper Obituary Files and Microfilm:Fayette, Green, Washington and Westmoreland Counties (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c2003) ;
 * Compliled by Bonnie Malmat, Abstracts of the Washington, PA Reporter:Washington County, PA (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c1990-2008)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1776-1790 (*); Recorder of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1781-1796 Estate Records 1781-96 and Deed Records 1782-85 in Washington County, Pennsylvania. By Washington County, Pennsylvania. Washington County, Pennsylvania : Washington County, Pennsylvania, 1967. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: ; Ancestry ($)
 * 1781-1924 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1781-1935 Washington County Probate Records and Wills at FamilySearch
 * 1781-1935 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1781-1952 (*); Orphans' Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1786-1830 Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project at RootsWeb
 * Incomplete Extract of Washington County Partitions, Estate Divisions, includes name, wife, children with spouses.


 * (*) at FamilySearch Catalog - list of all will abstracts and records

School Records

 * 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.


 * Washington County Education Records courtesy USGenWeb Archives
 * 1877 Common School Report
 * Donora High School, 1919
 * East Bethlehem Senior Annual, 1919
 * West Bethlehm "Last Will and Testament for 1929"
 * Pennsylvania Reform School, 1893.

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1781 Washington County Tax Lists courtesy USGenWeb Archives
 * 1783 The 1783 Tax Lists and the 1790 Federal Census for Washington County, Pennsylvania at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 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 ($); Google Books
 * 1786 A Duplicate of the State Taxes for the Year 1786 at PAGenWeb
 * 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).
 * 1809-1810 Anwell Township Tax List at PAGenWeb
 * 1822-1824 West Bethlehem Township Tax Lists at PAGenWeb

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1941-1976  at FamilySerch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1512-1989  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1682-1976  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1709-1940  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * Pre-1810  Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1893-1906 Washington County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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.

Archives
National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Rd Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052 Email: [mailto:philadelphia.archives@nara.gov philadelphia.archives@nara.gov] Website Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

 * Monongahela Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Washington Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Bethel Park Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Monessen Public Library and District Center - an affiliate library.
 * Pleasant Hills Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Whitehall Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Washington County Library System 55 S College St Washington, PA Phone: 724-222-2400 Website Facebook
 * This system maintains 14 public libraries in Washington County. Each library has access to genealogical databases, especially newspaper sites. Many are accessible with your library card from home.

Museums
Bradford House Museum 175 S Main St PO Box 537 Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-222-3604 Email: [mailto:info@bradfordhouse.org info@bradfordhouse.org] Website Facebook
 * Organization provides a newsletter about the history of the area.

Washington County Historical Society Museums 49 E Maiden St Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-225-6740 Email: [mailto:info@wchspa.net info@wchspa.net] Website Facebook
 * The Society offers tours of museums throughout downtown Washington, including the LeMoyne House, which operated on the Underground Railroad.

Societies
Bradford House Historical Association 175 S Main St PO Box 537 Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-222-3604 Email: [mailto:info@bradfordhouse.org info@bradfordhouse.org] Website Facebook
 * Organization provides a newsletter about the history of the area.

Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania Website Washington County Historical Society 49 E Maiden St Washington, PA 15301 Phone: 724-225-6740 Email: [mailto:info@wchspa.net info@wchspa.net] Website Facebook Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society 4400 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080 Phone: 412-687-6811 Email: [mailto:info@wpgs.org info@wpgs.org] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Washington County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Linkpendium - Washington County
 * Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project
 * USGenWeb
 * Washington 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.