Forest County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Forest County

Forest 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, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Jefferson County 11 April 1848.
 * County Seat: Tionesta
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Warren (north) • Elk (east) • Venango (west) • McKean (northeast)  •  Clarion (south)  •  Jefferson (southeast)

Named for the vast forests in the area.

Boundary Changes

 * 31 October 1866: part taken from Venango County to enlarge Forest County.

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

Church Records
Some of the major religious affiliations in Forest County are: Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian. For a history of the various churches in the towns of Forest County see "History of Forest County, 1867-1967.



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.

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.

Court Records
Forest County Courthouse 526 Elm Street Tionesta, PA 17353 Phone: 814-755-3526 Fax: 814-755-8837

Open 9:00 am until 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

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. shares its judicial district with Warren County. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.


 * 1852–1904 Sheriffs' Deed Book

Orphans' Court

 * 1855–1888 Court Dockets

Land and Property
Land records in Forest County began in 1784. These records are filed with the Prothonotary/Recorder of Deeds office in Tionesta, 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:

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1857–1933 Deed Books, 1857-1886; Indexes to Deeds, 1857-1933
 * 1852–1904 Sheriffs' Deed Book

Additional Resources

Note that the "Maps" section below 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 Forest 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
Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1881 Map of Forest Co. Pennsylvania Compiled from Records &amp; Official Surveys by S.D. Irwin, published by J.L. Smith. 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.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1858–1906 Naturalization Docket

Newspapers
Newspapers of Forest 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.


 * The Forest Republican, 1869-1952

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles of Forest County.
 * USGenWeb Forest County Historical Newspapers

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 of Forest County.
 * USGenWeb Forest County Obituaries

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes

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

Forest County only:


 * Forest County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1855–1888 Court Dockets
 * 1855–1911 Wills

Courthouse
Forest County Courthouse 526 Elm Street, Box 3 Tionesta, PA 16353

Prothonotary and Clerk of the Court Dawn M. Millin 814-755-3526 Fax: 814-755-8837 E-mail: [mailto:dmillin@co.forest.pa.us dmillin@co.forest.pa.us] Hours: M - F 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

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


 * Forest County Historical Society &amp; Museum 206 Elm St. Tionesta, PA 16353-9702

The Forest History Center is housed in an 1875 pre-Victorian Eastlake style home filled with artifacts and genealogies of the area’s families.

Birth
Birth records for Forest County began in 1893. The Forest County Clerk of Orphans' Courtmaintains birth records through 1905. Individuals are allowed to search these records. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893–1905 time period contact the Forest County Courthouse.

The birth records for Forest County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be ordered into a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.


 * 1893-1907 Register of Births

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 PO Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

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

Marriage
Forest County marriages are maintained by the Clerk of Orphans' Court. Forest County began recording marriages in 1885. To obtain a marriage record you may go to or mail the Clerk of Orphans' Court.


 * 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.
 * 1885-1950 - Extracted marriage records – free. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
 * 1885-1928 Marriage Licenses (Forest 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
Forest County began recording deaths in 1893. Records from 1893 – 1905 are available at the County Courthouse in Tionesta. You may request a death record from the Clerk of Orphans' Court.

These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch.


 * 1893-1907 Register of Deaths –

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.