Mercer County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Mercer County

County Courthouse
Mercer County has had three courthouses. The first courthouse, built in 1807 was a two story, square brick structure with wings on the east and west sides. The building was remodeled in 1840, then burned in 1866. The second courthouse, built in 1866 and made of red brick, and included a belfry and town clock, burned in 1907. The third and present courthouse was built in 1909.

Courthouse address: 138 S. Diamond St. Mercer, PA 16137-1284 (724)662-3800

Records available: Births, 1893-1905 Marriages, 1885-present Wills and probate, 1800- present Land, 1800-present

Parent County
12 March 1800: Mercer County was created 12 March 1800 from Allegheny County.

Boundary Changes
20 March 1849: Lawrence County set off. Mahoning, Neshannock and Slippery Rock Townships, along with a small portion of Shenango and Lackawannock Townships became part of Lawrence County. This area included the town of New Castle.

Record Loss
1866--The First Mercer County Courthouse, built in 1807, was destroyed by fire in February 25, 1866. All records were saved from the fire.

1907--The Second Mercer County Courthouse, built in 1866, was destroyed by fire in December 15, 1907. All records, except for some early tax records, were saved from the fire.

Populated Places
Farrell | Fredonia | Greenville | Grove City | Hermitage (Hickory Township) | Jamestown | Mercer | Milledgeville | Orangeville | Sandy Lake | Sharpsville | Sharon | Sheakleyville | Stoneboro | Transfer | West Middlesex | Wheatland

Neighboring Counties
Butler | Crawford | Lawrence | Venango | Ohio counties: Mahoning | Trumbull

Cemeteries

 * Morefield Cemetery, Hermitage BillionGraves
 * Slovak/Morefield Cemetery, Hermitage BillionGraves

Land
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 Greene County are available from the recorder's office for 1804 to the present.

Some of the records are available on-line. To search and view the records available on-line is free and no password is needed.

Maps
1873--Landowner Maps from the Combination Atlas of Mercer County and the State of Pennsylvania, 1873, Mercer County PAGenWeb site.

Schools
Farrell, PA High School 1929 Basketball team

Societies

 * Mercer County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 812 Sharon, PA 16146-0812 (724)346-5117
 * Mercer County Historical Society 119 South Pitt St. Mercer, PA 16137-1211 (724)662-3490
 * Grove City Area Historical Society P.O. Box 764 Grove City, PA 16127
 * The Hermitage Historical Society 5465 E. State Street Hermitage, PA 16148 (724)347-0419
 * Greenville Historical Society 94 College Ave. Greenville, PA 16125 (724)588-7150
 * Jamestown Area Historical Society 405 Summit St. Jamestown, PA 16134-9153 (724)932-5997
 * Stoneboro Community &amp; Historical Society Lake St. Stoneboro, PA 16153 (724)376-4190

Libraries

 * Greenville Area Public Library 330 Main St. Greenville, PA 16125-2615 (724)588-5490
 * Grove City Community Library 125 West Main Street Grove City, PA 16127 (724)458-7320
 * Mercer Area Library 145 N. Pitt St. Mercer, PA 16137-1206 (724)662-4233
 * Shenango Valley Community Library 11 N. Sharpsville Ave. Sharon, PA 16146 (724) 981-4360

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Mercer County Genealogy - PAGenWeb site. Obituaries, Cemetery information, Biographies, Maps, County History and Information, Surname List, Family Histories, Military information.
 * Mercer County Links - linkpendium.com