Fulton County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Fulton County, Pennsylvania ancestry, family history and genealogy in 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.

Fulton County Pennsylvania Historical Facts


Parent Counties: Formed from Bedford County 19 April 1850.

County Seat: McConnellsburg

Neighboring Counties: Fulton County residents may also have records in


 * Huntingdon
 * Franklin
 * Bedford
 * Allegany County, Maryland
 * Washington County, Maryland

Description
The county was named for inventor Robert Fulton. It's county seat is McConnellsburg. It was organized April 19, 1850. It is located in the South central area of the state.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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

Church Records
For a good history concerning early churches of Fulton County, see "Bedford, Somerset, and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania". Each township section has a religion part discussing the denominations in that particular township.



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:
 * Burnt Cabins: United Methodist Church
 * Hustontown: United Methodist Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Blue Ridge District of the Eastern States Mission comprised church members living in southeastern Pennsylvania. District headquarters were in Lancaster, with branches located in Bucks, Fulton, Lancaster, and York counties.


 * Record of Members, [1929]-1944,

Lutheran
St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, McConnellsburg


 * 1805-1930 Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, McConnellsburg, Fulton County, Pennsylvania; Parish Registers, 1804-1930 at Ancestry ($).
 * 1806-1875 St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, McConnellsburg, Baptism Index 1806-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1849-1906 St. Paul's Lutheran Church records, 1849-1906 at Ancestry ($).
 * 1869-1880 St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, McConnellsburg, Marriage Index 1869-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Church of Green Hill


 * 1865-1875 Presbyterian Church of Green Hill Baptism Index 1865-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1865-1895 Presbyterian Church of Green Hill Marriage Index 1865-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

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. Fulton County shares its judicial district with Franklin 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.

History
Named for Robert Fulton, inventor of first commercially practical steamboat.

Land and Property
Land records in Fulton County began in 1850. These records are filed with the Prothonotary/Recorder office in McConnellsburg, 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


 * 1965–present Fulton County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1850–1937 Register of Deeds, 1850-1900, with Index to Grantors, and Grantees, 1850-1937
 * 1851–1899 Mortgage Book and Index

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 Fulton County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


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

Maps

 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)

Revolutionary War
Men living in what is now Fulton County (then Bedford County) served in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Civil War

 * Mentzer, John W. 'Tonoloway : if its walls could talk.' ([S.l. : s.n.], 2008),.

Newspapers
Newspapers of Fulton 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 Fulton County News Archives 2008- present.

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Fulton County.

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 Fulton County.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes


 * Fulton County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives


 * 1683 - 1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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

Fulton County Only:


 * Fulton County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1842–1908 Will Book - includes surname index
 * 1850–1937 Estate Inventory and Appraisements Lists - records in alphabetical order
 * 1851–1901 Probate Records - includes index to register and orphans' court docket, 1851–1936
 * 1851–1909 Administrators, Executors, and Guardian Accounts - includes surname index
 * 1863–1963 Widows' Appraisements - part indexed
 * 1865–1912 Orphans' Court Auditors Dockets - includes surname index

Repositories

 * List of Pennsylvania Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Archives

 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052
 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052

Courthouse
Fulton County Courthouse 201 North Second Street McConnellsburg, PA 17233-1019

Prothonotary Phone: 717-485-4212 Email: [mailto:prothonotary@co.fulton.pa.us prothonotary@co.fulton.pa.us]

The Prothonotary also serves as Clerk of Courts, Recorder of Deeds, Register of Wills, and Clerk of Orphans' Court.

Societies

 * Fulton County Historical Society P.O. Box 115 227 North First Street McConnellsburg, PA 17233 Phone: 717-987-3757 Email: [mailto:director@fultonhistory.org director@fultonhistory.org]

The Fulton County Historical Society is housed in the Fulton County Library.

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth
Early births 1894–1906 are located at the County Courthouse. See the heading Court Records on this page for contact information.

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


 * 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.
 * 1894-1905 Register of Births  The births from 1894–1906 have been microfilmed. They are available at the Pennsylvania State Archives and through local Family History Centers.

Marriage
Fulton County marriages are maintained at the county courthouse. Fulton County began recording marriages in 1885 although some registrations took place from 1852–1854. To obtain a marriage record you may go to or mail the courthouse.


 * 1677–1950  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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.
 * 1852-1854; 1885-1963 Marriage Registers, 1852-1854; Marriage License Dockets, 1885-1963 (Fulton County, Pennsylvania) –
 * 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.

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

Death
Fulton County began recording deaths in 1895 although some were recorded from 1853–1854, and 1874–1881. These records are available in the County Courthouse in McConnelsburg. You may request a death record from the Clerk of Courts.

These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers and at the Pennsylvania State Archives.


 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images
 * 1852-1854 Deaths: Selected death records Fulton County USGenWeb Archives
 * 1852-1854, 1874-1881, 1895-1905 – Fulton County Registers of Deaths
 * 1874-1881 Fulton County Death Index 1874-1881 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

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. Visit website for cost.

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 P.O. Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

Fulton County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Fulton County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Fulton County PA Genealogy