Bucks County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
Bucks County was named after the English county of Buckinghamshire. It is located in the southeastern corner of the state.

County Courthouse
Bucks County Courthouse 55 East Court Street Doylestown, PA 18901 Clerk of Courts Orphans Court, 215-348-6271, Email: [mailto:orphanscourt@co.bucks.pa.us orphanscourt@co.bucks.pa.us] Coroner Prothonotary, 215-348-6191, Fax: 215-348-6184 Recorder of Deeds Register of Wills, 215-348-6265, Email: [mailto:registerofwills@co.bucks.pa.us registerofwills@co.bucks.pa.us] Bucks County Website

Orphans Court has birth and death records 1893-1906 and marriage records from 1885 Prothonotary Office has divorce records from 1878 and court records from 1682 Register of Wills has probate records from 1684

Naturalization Papers for the years 1802 to 1906 and Term Papers from 1733 to 1920 have been microfilmed and are available for public review in the Prothonotary's office. All papers recorded in the office of Recorder of Deeds are public information, with the exception of Military Discharge Papers. Earliest records are for 1684. Indexes are available. Research Center is open to the public. No appointment is required to visit. Records date back to 1684.

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

 * 1676-1938 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1738-1900 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Bibles at Bucks County PAGenWeb Archives
 * Bibles at Bucks County Pennsylvania GenWeb

Biographies

 * Bucks County Biographies at Bucks County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archives

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Indentured Servants

Cemeteries
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)
 * LDS Genealogy Buck County

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

Church Records

 * Visit Bucks County, Pennsylvania Church Records for information about church denominations and records in Bucks County.

Court Records
Genealogical and Archival Search Requests at The Archive Research Center, located on the third floor of the Bucks County Courthouse is available for the public. The site lists what records can be searched by staff and the cost. Open to the public for genealogical research. The Bucks County Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphan's Court has microfilm records dating back to 1684. Some original records are stored off-site and are available by advance request. Copy services (by fee) include the following:
 * 1684-1700 Records of the Courts of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1684-1700. By Court of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas. Meadville, Pennsylvania : Colonial Societ of Pennsylvania, 1943. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at:
 * 1684-1805 (*); Court of Common Pleas, Quarter Sessions and Justice at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1700-1730 (*); Court of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1772-1782 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1684-1950 Genealogical Search Request - index search by name
 * 1684-1987 Index printout - name, death year, index number
 * 1885-Present Marriage Application Record, Certified Application, Marriage Certificate
 * 1893-1906 Certified Birth/Death Record
 * 1987-Present Index Printout - includes date of death

Directories

 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Emigration and Immigration
Indentured Servants
 * 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 images
 * 1677-1687 "A Partial List of the Families Who Resided in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Prior to 1687, With the Date of Their Arrival," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 9 (1885):223-233. For online access, see WeRelate.

Genealogies

 * A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. By William W. H. Davis. Online at: Ancestry ($) - Vol. I, Vol. II.
 * Early Friends Families of Upper Bucks : with some account of their descendants, historical and genealogical information about the early settlers in upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 1925. By Clarence V. Roberts. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : C.V. Roberts. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).

Guardianship

 * 1685-1900 Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Orphans' Court Records

Land and Property Records
Land records in Bucks County began in 1684. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Index and Records
 * 1684-1919 Deeds, 1684-1866; Index, 1684-1919 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1980–present Bucks County offers online access to land records. Fees apply.

Land Records on Microfilm
 * 1684-1919 Mortgages, 1782-1821; Index, 1684-1919.

Local Histories

 * History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania : Including an Account of its Original Exploration. 1887. Edited by J. H. Battle. Philadelphia : A. Warner. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Ancestry ($);.
 * The History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania: From the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time. 1876. By W.W.H. Davis. Doylestown, Pa: Democrat Book and Job Office Print. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust;.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * United States Geographic Survey Place Names - GNIS for Bucks County (more than 2000 entries) (may not always be present in alphabetic order on first try.)
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images of two 19th century wall maps: (1) "Maps of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, from Surveys" published in 1850 by W. E. Morris; (2) "Map of Bucks and Montgomery Counties and the Consolidated City of Philadelphia" published by Kuhn and Shrope in 1857; and (3) "Barnes' Driving Map of Philadelphia and Surroundings" published in 1868 by R. L. Barnes. These images show many landowners, towns and villages and roads as of the date of publication. These are invaluable sources to be used with the 1850 and 1860 censuses. 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: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to Bucks County for European settlers included:


 * Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike to the Great Valley Road).
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (from the Catskill Turnpike to the Great Valley Road).
 * Delaware River.

Military Records
Revolutionary War

Bucks County men also served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment and the 5th Pennsylvania Regiment.

During the Revolutionary period, committees of safety governed local communities. Minutes of the Bucks County Committee have been published:


 * "Minutes of the Committee of Safety of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1776," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 15 (1891):257-290. For online access, see WeRelate.

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
 * Record of Bucks County veterans of the European War, 1917-1918

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

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1795-1930 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1522, incomplete for all counties
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $
 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1952  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1743 Extract aus der Registratur der Supreem Court zu Philadelphia

Newspapers
Newspapers of Bucks 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.

Online Newspaper Abstracts
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Bucks County.
 * 1947-2010 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch

Newspaper Index


 * McNealy Terry A. (compiler), Index to Bucks County references in the Pennsylvania Gazette 1728-1789 (Doylestown, Pennsylvania:Bucks County Genealogical Society) Alphabetically arranged by surnames and subjects. "Bucks County had no newspaper of its own in the 18th century.--Intro."

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts


 * 1947-2021  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Bucks County.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * A Record of deaths in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and territory immediately contiguous, 1934-1956: compiled mainly from the newspapers of the county; also burials in Richlandtown, Doylestown, Deep Run Mennonite, Kellers Church, and New Britain Beulah cemeteries (SLC, Utah, 1958)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1677-1686 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1682-1825 Abstracts Books A and 1 - 10 at Bucks County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archives - Includes index.
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1684-1693 "Bucks County Wills, 1684-1693," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1 (Jul. 1897):198-224. For online access, see WeRelate
 * 1684-1850 Index of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Wills and Administration Records, 1684 to 1850 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1684-1850 Index of Bucks County, Pennsylvania Wills and Administration Records, 1684-1850. By Williams, Richard T. and Mildred Corson. Danboro, Pennsylvania : R.T. Williams, 1971. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at:
 * 1685-1825 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1685-1825 Bucks County, Pa. Abstracts of Wills, 1685-1825. By Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at:
 * 1682-1939 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1683-1744 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1683-1958 (*); Orphans' Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1684-1688 (*); Deputy Register General at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1684-1693 (*); Deputy Register General at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1700s-1800s (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1719-1781 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1786-1868 (*); Recorder of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1824 Will Abstract: Hector Calbraith; The Red Tower : Clan Galbraith Association, Vol. 14. By Clan Galbraith Association of North America. 1992. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1839-1913 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Miscellaneous Notes and Abstracts of Wills from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. By Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Bucks County, Pennsylvania : Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library

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.

Tax Records

 * 1693 1693 Tax List at Bucks County, Pennsylvania PAGenWeb Archives
 * 1779, 1781-1786 Proprietary and Other Tax Lists of the County of Bucks: For the Years 1779, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1784, 1785, 1786 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 13). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books
 * 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1855 Bucks County Birth Index 1852-1855 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 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
 * 1711-1797 Bucks Co residents listed in Early NJ Marriage Bond Abstracts 1711-1797 at USGenWeb - Not all years represented.
 * 1773-1824 "Marriages Copies from the Docket of Isaac Hicks: Justice of the Peace of Bucks County from 1773 to 1824," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jun. 1908):201-225. For online access, see WeRelate; the FamilySearch Library also has this series in its collection:.
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2021  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and image

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1810-1924 Bucks County Death Index 1810-1924 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death Substitutes
 * 1710-1906 Bucks County (Pennsylvania). Coroner. Coroner's Views and Inquisitions, 1710-1906; Index, 1722-1946. Coroner's reports supply information on accidental or suspicious deaths.

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

Archives
Genealogical and Historical Archives Prothonotary 100 N Main St Phone: : 215-348-6191 Doylestown, PA 18901 Website
 * The Archive Research Center, located on the third floor of the Bucks County Courthouse Genealogical and Archival Search Requests is available for the public. The site lists what records can be searched by staff and the cost. Open to the public for genealogical research. The Bucks County Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphan's Court has microfilm records dating back to 1684. Some original records are stored off-site and are available by advance request. Copy services (by fee) include the following:
 * 1684-1950 Genealogical Search Request, index search by name
 * 1684-1987 Index printout with name, death year, index number
 * 1987-present Index printout also includes date of death
 * 1885-present Marriage Application Record, Certified Application, Marriage Certificate
 * 1893-1906 Certified Birth/Death Record

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

 * Doylestown Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Morrisville Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Philadelphia Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Philadelphia Pennsylvania Metro FamilySearch Center
 * West Philadelphia Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Free Library of Northampton Township - an affiliate library.
 * Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania - an affiliate library.
 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Bucks County Free Library 150 S Pine St Doylestown, PA 18901 215-348-9081 Website Facebook
 * Multiple locations. An online catalog is available, and shows a sizable genealogy and biography collection.

Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Rd Harleysville, PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 Email: [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Website Facebook
 * The Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania support the John L. Ruth Historical Library and Museum at the Mennonite Heritage Center. Located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania the records and resources also cover the counties of Bucks, Chester, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Philadelphia.  Access website for comprehensive overview of library resources, online cemetery database, manuscript collections, photo collections, archival collections, and more.

Museums
Historic Fallsington Information Center and Office 4 Yardley Ave Fallsington, PA 19054-1117 Phone: 215-295-6567 Email: [mailto:info@historicfallsington.net info@historicfallsington.net] Website Facebook
 * The village of Fallsington was significant as a religious, social and market center for the surrounding area and a stop for stagecoaches. There are several historic homes and buildings as well as a manuscript collection with genealogical and historical records.

Societies
Bucks County Genealogical Society PO Box 297 Doylestown, PA 18901 Email: [mailto:info@bucksgen.org info@bucksgen.org] Website Facebook Bucks County Historical Society 84 S Pine St Doylestown, PA 18901 Phone: 215-348-9461 Website Facebook

Websites

 * The Bucks County PAGenWeb Project, a member of The PAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Linkpendium - Bucks County
 * Bucks 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.