Elk County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Elk 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 for the Eastern elk that historically inhabited the region. The county is located in the northcentral area of the state.

County Courthouse
Elk County Courthouse 250 Main Street P.O. Box 448 Ridgway, PA 15853 Phone: 814-776-1161 Clerk of Orphans' Court/Register of Wills/Recorder of Deeds Phone: 814-776-5349 Email: [mailto:recorder@countyofelkpa.com recorder@countyofelkpa.com] Prothonotary and Clerk of the Court Phone:  814-776-5343  Email: [mailto:sschneider@countyofelkpa.com sschneider@countyofelkpa.com] Elk County Website Register and Recorder has birth and death records 1893-1906, marriage records from 1895, probate records from 1847, land records from 1861 Prothonotary Office has divorce and court records from 1843

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:

Cemeteries

 * ca.1700-ca.1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Church Records


County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * 1708-1985 - Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry $

Catholic List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843 -1943," Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1. . Chronology, map, county-by-county information.
 * FamilySearch Places

Guardianship

 * 1857–1886 Court Docket

Land and Property Records
Land records in Elk County began in 1844. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Ridgway, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1844 -1910 Deed books, 1844-1887; Deed Index, 1844-1910 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1972–present Elk County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Local Histories

 * History of the Counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Selections. 1890. Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images from the 1855 Map of Elk County. This wall map located in the Library of Congress shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date of publishing. While the physical maps are in the public domain, the images we have taken of the maps 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

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records 
 * 1844 -1906 Naturalization Records - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Newspapers
Newspapers of Elk County, Pennsylvania


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

Online Newspapers and Abstracts

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 - The Elk Advocate
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Elk County.
 * 1947-2010 at FamilySearch

Obituaries
Online Obituaries Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Elk County.
 * Elk County Obituaries at Elk County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683 -1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1843 -1880's – Elk County Wills at PAGenWeb. Index of the first 100 wills recorded in Elk County, Will Book A. Lists name of deceased, residence, date written, date proved, executors, and witnesses. [Project did not continue on to add all wills recorded in Book A.]
 * 1844-1916 Elk County Probate Records at FamilySearch
 * 1844 -1971 Miscellaneous Docket – Index included: 1844–1971; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1844 -1971 Index to Estates - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1845 -1916 Will Books - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1851 -1896 Accounts - Index included; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1857 -1886 Court Docket - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * More Elk County Wills at PAGenWeb links to the North Central Pennsylvania page hosted by Rootsweb with an index and twenty-six transcriptions from Elk County Will Books A and B.
 * Elk County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

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.

Birth
Beginning in 1906 Pennsylvania birth records are available through the Department of Health. Birth records become public after 105 years. A statewide index is available. Some birth records exist for the 1852 -1853 time period for Elk County. Only a small percentage of births were recorded in this time period. These records are available at:
 * 1852-1853 - Elk County Birth Index 1852-1853 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1852-1853 Birth Records
 * 1893-1906 Elk County, Pennsylvania An alphabetical listing of 1893 -1906 births from Elk County was published by Charles Howard Starr. The book is available at the Family History Library.
 * 1893-1907 Birth Records

Marriage
The county began recording marriages in October 1885. A few marriage records were created by the county in the 1853 -1854 time period.


 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast$
 * 1677-1950 at FamilySearch
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1725-1976 at FamilySearch -  index; Not complete for all years; This index 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.
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1853-1854 Marriage records
 * 1885-1916 Marriage License Docket
 * 1885-1950 at FamilySearch - Extracted marriage records; This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
 * 1914-1915 Elk County Marriage Index 1914-1915 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Death
Elk County began recording deaths in 1893 although some were recorded from 1853 to 1854. These records as well as records from 1893 to 1906 are available at the County Courthouse in Ridgway.
 * 1720-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1893-1907 Death Records at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

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

Family History Centers

 * Brookville Pennsylvania Family History Center

Societies
Elk County Historical Society P.O. Box 361 Ridgway, PA 15853 Phone: 814-776-1032 Website Elk County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 142 Johnsonburg, PA 15845

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Elk County PA Genealogy
 * Encyclopedia listing for Elk County, Pennsylvaniafrom Wikipedia
 * – 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.