McKean County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania McKean County

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Lycoming County 26 March 1804.
 * County Seat: Smethport
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Cattaraugus County, New York (north) • Warren (west) • Cameron (southeast)  •  Elk (south)  •  Allegany County, New York (northeast)  •  Potter (east)  •  Forest (southwest)

Named for Thomas McKean, former 3-term Governor of Pennsylvania (1799-1808), and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Boundary Changes

 * 18 April 1843: Elk County created.
 * 29 March 1860: Cameron County created.

Biographies

 * Index to the Biographical Sketches of McKean County, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries
McKean

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

LDS Cemetery Records US Vol. 1 page 87 - Sawyer City

Church Records
Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as  Church Records in online catalogs like:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).



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.

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. 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 and Clerk of Courts is located under Departments at the McKean County website.The Court no longer accepts passport applications. Passports must be processed at the local post office.

Land and Property
Land records in McKean County began in 1804. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Smethport, 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


 * 1973–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1806-1972 Deed books, 1806-1886; Indexes, 1806-1972.
 * 1806–1900 Deeds, 1806-1868; Deed Index 1806-1900
 * 1811–1972 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 McKean County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
 * (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps
Click the image to see an enlarged version

Ancestor Tracks has posted free and downloadable images from the 1856 Map of McKean County and the map of McKean Co. Pennsylvania Compiled and Published by D.G. Beers &amp; Co., 1871. These wall maps in the Library of Congress show major landowners and geographic sites at the dates 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.

Migration
Early migration routes for European settlers to and from included:


 * Catskill Turnpike, trail 1760s; turnpike 1804, from Catskill to Bath, New York with extensions to Buffalo, New York, or Erie, Pennsylvania
 * Forbidden Path, 1767 from Athens, Pennsylvania to Salamanca, New York

Naturalization and Citizenship
Naturalization records available for McKean 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

Newspapers
Newspapers of McKean 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.


 * Newspaper Archives of Green Free Library
 * Newspaper Archives of Smethport

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for McKean County, Pennsylvania.
 * Selected McKean County Newspaper Articles from the years, courtesy USGenWeb Archives Includes births, marriages and deaths

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

Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for McKean County, Pennsylvania.
 * McKean County PA Genealogy Obituaries
 * McKean 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:


 * 1683-1994 – at FamilySearch.org

McKean County Only:


 * 1827–1969 – McKean County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1827-1917 Register's Dockets - Index included: 1827-1969

Courthouse
McKean County Courthouse 500 W. Main Street Smethport, PA 16749 Phone: 814-887-3270

Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts Phone: 814–887–3270

Orphans' Court/Register of Wills Phone: 814–887–3260

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Taxation

 * 1800s - McKean County Tax Payers of the 1800's at PAGenWeb - free.

Birth

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * Selected births from McKean County Newspapers, 1897-1931, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Marriage

 * 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.
 * Selected marriages from McKean County Newspapers, 1874-1931, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

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.
 * Selected deaths from McKean County Newspapers, 1874-1931, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.