Indiana County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Indiana County


 * This article is about central western Pennsylvania county. For other uses, see Indiana (disambiguation).

Indiana County, Pennsylvania genealogy and family history research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Lycoming and Westmoreland Counties 30 March 1803.
 * County Seat: Indiana
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Jefferson (north) • Clearfield(northeast) • Armstrong (west) • Westmoreland (south)  •  Cambria (southeast)


 * Named for Indian inhabitants of the county.
 * Birthplace of Jimmy Stewart (in Borough of Indiana).

Wikipedia

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

Church Records
Indiana County Churches and Church Records, Indiana County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Project

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.


 * Contains church records of:
 * Canoe: United Church of Christ - Hungarian Reformed
 * Homer City: Brush Valley United Methodist Church
 * Saltsburg: Saltsburg United Presbyterian Church

Catholic

 * "100 Years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843–1943," Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1. . Chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Presbyterian

 * This denomination arrived in the Indiana area in the early 1800s.

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.

Orphan's Court
Indiana County, Pennsylvania has one individual who serves as the Register and Recorder. This person serves as the Recorder of Deeds, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court. This office is located in the courthouse at:

825 Philadelphia St. Indiana, PA 15701 Phone: (724) 465-3860 Fax: (724) 465-3863


 * 1803–1870 Index to Orphans' Court Records
 * 1807–1881 Court Dockets

Land and Property
Land records in Indiana County began in 1803. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Indiana, 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


 * 1948–present The Register and Recorder offers access to indexes. Check their web page for current information about their online search options.

Online Land Abstracts


 * Indiana County Land Warrants at Indiana County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1803–1928 Deed Books, 1807-1892; Index, 1803-1928.
 * 1803–1969 Mortgage Index

Maps


 * Beers, F.W. Atlas of Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Indiana, Pennsylvania : Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, 1998. Original published New York : F.W. Beers, 1871.

Additional Resources

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 Indiana 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.)

Civil War

 * Civil War Rosters at Indiana County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Naturalization and Citizenship
Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1806–1902 Naturalization Index – index to certificates granted
 * 1885–1906 – includes index
 * 1903–1906 Naturalization Docket – petitions, oaths of witnesses, and court orders with index

Newspapers
Newspapers of Indiana 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.

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
 * USGenWeb Newspaper Articles from Indiana County, Pennsylvania.

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

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
 * USGenWeb Obituaries

Obituary Excerpts and Abtracts


 * Given, James, A Register of the Names of those Married, baptized, and Received to the Communion of the Church (SLC, Utah, 1966) Marriages in a newspaper clipping.
 * Haver, Fern Rebecca and Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania), Obituaries from the Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania):1987-1993 (SLC, Utah, 1995)
 * Obituaries of South Bend and surrounding Areas : 1960 - 1970 - 1980 : Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Armstrong County, Pennsylvania; Indiana County, Pennsylvania : probably copied from Simpson's Daily Leader Times newspaper (200-?)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes


 * Indiana County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

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:


 * 1683-1994 - at FamilySearch.org

Indiana County Only:


 * Indiana County Probate Records


 * Fisher, Charles A. Wills and Administrations of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Including Wills and Administrations of Union, Mifflin and Indiana Counties. 1950. Digital version at - free. Abstracts and index.


 * Samuelsen, David W. Indiana County, Pennsylvania Will Testators Index SAMBUPCO. Index free, $ for copies of will.

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1803–1870 Index to Orphans' Court Records
 * 1806–1850 Wills, Index and Abstracts - microreproduction of original at the Indiana County Historical and Genealogical Society, created by the Indiana county clerk
 * 1807–1881 Court Dockets
 * 1807–1917 Will Books - indexed by volume
 * 1850–1869 Accounts

Courthouse
Indiana County Courthouse 825 Philadelphia Street Indiana, PA 15701

Prothonotary/Clerk of Court Randy Degenkolb First Floor 814-849-1606 Fax: 724-465-3968 E-mail: [mailto:pcc@countyofindiana.org pcc@countyofindiana.org] Hours: M - F 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Indiana Pennsylvania Family History Center

Societies
Rich in history, contains a number of societies dealing with the history of the area.


 * Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County 200 S. 6th Street and Wayne Avenue Indiana, PA 15701 (724) 463-9600

Birth

 * 1726-1930 - - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic index for the years 1726 to 1930. It 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.

Some birth records exist for the 1852–1856 time period for Indiana County. Only a small percentage of births were reported in this time period. These records are available at:


 * 1852-1854- Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – $ Index with images
 * 1852-1856– Birth Records of Indiana County, Pennsylvania Filmed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * 1852 to 1856 – Births, Indiana County, Pennsylvania Microfilm of typescript in Indiana County Courthouse,
 * 1852-1854 Births, Marriages and Deaths of Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland cos., Pa., 1852-1854abstracted by K.T.H. McFarland. This book is available and at the Family History Library – .
 * Delayed Birth Certificate Abstracts at Indiana County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Birth records for Indiana County began in 1893. The Indiana County Clerk of the Orphans' Court maintains the birth records from 1893–1906. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893–1906 time period you may contact the Register and Recorder at the Indiana County Courthouse.


 * 1893-1906 – Registration of Births, v.1-2 The birth records for Indiana County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be ordered into a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.
 * filed 1942-1976 – Delayed Birth Certificates The birth records for Indiana County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be ordered into a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.
 * 1876-1905 Abstracts - Delayed Birth Certificates at USGenWeb Archives, information for several people born between 1876 and 1905.

Beginning in 1906 Pennsylvania birth records are available through the Department of of Health. Birth records become public after 105 years. A statewide index is available. Once an individual is located in the index a certificate can be obtained by writing to:

Division of Vital Records ATTN: Public Records P.O. Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

The cost for an non-certified birth certificate is $3.00.

Some Indiana County births can be found online in Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950.

Marriage
Indiana County marriages are maintained at the county courthouse. Indiana County began recording marriages in 1885 although some registrations took place from 1852–1854. Marriage licenses from 1885 are available from the Register and Recorder in the county courthouse.


 * 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) 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.
 * 1852-1856 – Registration of Marriages
 * 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.
 * 1885-1916; 1885-1979 - Marriage License Dockets, 1885-1916; Index to Marriage License Dockets, 1885-1979 (Indiana County, Pennsylvania) –

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Death
Indiana County began recording deaths in 1893, although some were recorded from 1852–1856. These records are available in the County Courthouse in Indiana. You may request a death record from the Register and Recorder.


 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images
 * 1852-1856 – Registration of Deaths These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers and at the Pennsylvania State Archives.
 * 1893-1906 – Registration of Deaths These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers and at the Pennsylvania State Archives.
 * Early Deaths of Indiana County – Treasures of the Past on Rootsweb

Pennsylvania death certificates become public records after 50 years. An annual index is released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Records less than 50 years old are kept by the Division of Vital Records and are not public certificates. Only certain people can request a non-public death certificate. To order a non-public representative you must be:


 * Legal representative of decedent's estate
 * Immediate family member
 * Extended family member who indicates a direct relationship to the decedent
 * Power of Attorney (Please note that a Power of Attorney document is no longer valid upon the death of the individual)

See the Pennsylvania Department of Health website to obtain a copy of a non-public death certificate. The cost is $9.

The cost for a non-certified public death certificate is $3.00. Indexes for Pennsylvania public death records are available online through the Department of Health for 1906 through 1961. Once an individual is located in the index a certificate can be obtained by writing to:

Division of Vital Records ATTN: Public Records PO Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

Web Sites

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