Butler County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Butler County

Guide to Butler 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.

Butler County Pennsylvania Historical Facts



 * Parent Counties: Formed from Allegheny County 12 March 1800.


 * County Seat: Butler


 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in these counties:


 * Venango (north)
 * Armstrong (east)
 * Lawrence (west)
 * Allegheny (south)
 * Westmoreland (southeast)
 * Beaver (southwest)
 * Mercer (northwest)
 * Clarion (northeast)

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.
 * Before 1783: Butler County was part of Northumberland County.
 * 1783: Allegheny County (including future Butler County) was created from Northumberland County.

Records Loss
For a list of record loss in Pennsylvania counties see: Pennsylvania Counties with Burned Courthouses

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

Butler County Historical Society 123 W. Diamond Street Butler, PA 16001 724-283-8116 www.butlerhistory.com society@butlerhistory.com Tuesday through Friday, 9am-4pm Check our website for Saturday hours or call for an appointment.

The HIstorical Society compiled 5 volumes of cemetery readings for Butler County and has since found more records and cemeteries. This information is currently available in our office. Headstone photos for various cemeteries will soon be available on our website.

The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville PA 19438-1020 215-256-3020 [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Hours: Tuesday thru Friday, 10am–5pm, Saturday, 10am–2pm The Cemetery Database at the Mennonite Heritage Center includes 86,000 burial records from 125 local cemeteries. Records cover cemeteries in the counties of Berks, Bucks, Butler, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Westmoreland. The database provides transcriptions from Mennonite, Brethren, Lutheran, Reformed, Union, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, community, and private cemeteries. Search the list of cemeteries and the alphabetical surname lists in Adobe PDF format. Visit the Mennonite Heritage Center to search the cemetery database by various criteria. The transcriptions are available for further research at the MHC library.

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:
 * Butler: Covenant United Presbyterian Church; First United Methodist Church; Grace Lutheran Church; St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church; St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church
 * Cranberry: Dutilh United Methodist Church
 * Evans: Evans City Methodist Church
 * Harmony: Grace Reformed Church
 * Harrisville: Harmony United Presbyterian Church
 * Portersville: First Presbyterian Church
 * Slippery Rock: Center United Presbyterian Church; Highland United Presbyterian Church
 * Summit: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church


 * The Butler County Historical Society has various church records available for use in their research library. Some records include: Fisk Chapel, Knox Chapel, Emory Chapel, Covenant United Presbyterian, Calvary United Presbyterian, Middlesex Presbyterian, and others!  Call ahead to be sure the genealogist is available.

Catholic

 * "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843–1943". Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, 17:1. FamilySearch Library book 974.8 B2wg. Contains chronolgy, map, county-by-county information.

Presbyterian
Fairview Presbyterian Church


 * 1876-1889 - Fairview Presbyterian Church Baptism Index 1876-1889 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1877-1887 - Fairview Presbyterian Church Marriage Index 1877-1887 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Middlesex Presbyterian Church


 * 1838-1903 - Middlesex Presbyterian Church at USGenWeb, There are records of Baptisms 1848-1870, 1894-1905; Membership records 1838, 1848-1900; and selected session minutes 1838-1903.

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.

History

 * Over 950 fully-searchable books and published works covering much of western Pennsylvania have been posted online at Historic Pittsburgh, nosted by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Library.

Published Histories

 * History of Butler County, Pennsylvania. 1895. Digital version at - free.
 * History of Butler County, Pennsylvania. 1883. - free.

Land and Property
Land records in Butler County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Butler, 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 Butler County offers online access to land records. Check the website for current information on availability and fees.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1800–1925 Deeds, 1804-1902; Index to Deeds, 1800-1925.
 * 1800–1928 Mortgages, 1804-1898; Index, 1800-1928.

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 Butler 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)
 * The Butler County PAGenWeb page has linked to the complete 1858 Map of Butler County, PA from surveys by Jas. Dunlap, Hugh McKee, David Scott, E. Maurhoff, &amp; J W Kirker. The map shows the property owned by each landowner as well as waterways, major roads, towns, and villages.  The map is offered online through the Library of Congress.
 * The Butler County PAGenWeb page has scanned the original township and borough maps of Butler County Pennsylvania from the 1874 Atlas of the County of Butler, and the State of Pennsylvania, by G.M. Hopkins &amp; Co., Philadelphia. While it does not show the property boundaries it shows the location of the homes, waterways, roads, towns, and villages throughout the county.
 * The Butler County Historical Society has a large collection of old maps throughout the history of the county. Their collection includes 5 original 1858 Maps of Butler County, PA, as well as the 1874 Atlas of Butler County and various maps pertaining to railways, oil wells, waterways, and even the location of all the fire hydrants in the city of Butler in 1902!
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted the 1858 Map of Butler Co., Pennsylvania from surveys by Jas. Dunlap, Hugh McKee, David Scott, E. Maurhoff &amp; J.W. Kirker. This map shows the tracts of landowners at that time, as well as towns, villages and roads.  This source is a perfect companion while consulting the 1850 and 1860 census records.  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 for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.

Military

 * Butler County Historical Society

Senator Walter Lowrie House   123 West Diamond Street    Butler, PA 16001    Phone: (724) 283-8116    Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

Original Revolutionary War Pension Files, Militia records, various Civil War records including muste rolls and company record books. All 5 volumes of ''Samuel Bates History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1851-1865. ''The Society also has several dozen photographs of Civil War Soldiers and newspapers from the era.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Naturalization records available for Butler County, Pennsylvania include the following:

Online Naturalization 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


 * 1800-2000 - Butler County Naturalizations 1800-2000 at Butler County PAGenWeb - free.

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1874-1929 Declarations of Intention
 * 1800-1903 Naturalization Dockets
 * 1800-1931 Petitions for Citizenship - Index included: 1804-1982

Newspapers
Newspapers of Butler 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 Butler Times January 1, 1907-December 27, 1912

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Butler County.

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts


 * News of the Day Newspaper Collection on CD available only at the Butler County Historical Society. (c2000Butler County Historical Society and Butler Public Library)

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 Butler County.
 * Online Obituaries available at legacy.com
 * Obituary Index available on-line through the Butler Area Public Library. It covers the years 1818 through 2010.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * Collected by Sarah E. Milford, Carol H. Jamison and Marilyn Q. Gerhold, Obituaries from Venango and Butler Counties (S.I.:s.n., 2006?) . Available online through FamilySearch Catalog entry.
 * Compiled and written by Vickie Lynn Young, A Detailed Perspective of Butler County Cemeteries (Denmark, Wisconsin:V.L. Young, c2000) Includes obituaries for some of the persons buried in the cemetery.

Poorhouse, Almshouse

 * Some township records from the Keeper of the Poor in each township are available in the office of the Butler County Historical Society. These records include the name of the person and what type of support was rendered, such as a pair of shoes or a dentist's bill.
 * Poorhouse records from our county home, now known as Sunnyview, are available at the Butler County Historical Society and at the Butler Public Library. These records include some vital records for the residents who were cared for at the poorhouse.

Probate (Estate) 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 (Not Indexed)
 * 1800-1910+ Estate Index for Butler County.

Butler County Only:


 * 1800-1971-Butler County Probate Records

Original Probate Records of Microfilm


 * 1800-1916 Will Books -Index included, 1800-1971
 * 1800-1918 Probate Files

Courthouse
Butler County Courthouse 124 W. Diamond St. Butler, PA 16001 Hours:Mon - Fri, 8:30am - 4:30pm Phone:(724) 285-4731; (724) 284-5473 (TDD)

Register of Wills/Marriage License Bureau

Butler County Government Center Level L 124 West Diamond Street PO Box 1208 Butler PA 16003

Phone: (724) 284-1409

Office of the Prothonotary  (Enter through Government-Judicial Center at 124 W. Diamond St. First Floor, County Courthouse 300 South Main Street P.O. Box 1208 Butler, PA 16003-1208 Phone: (724) 284-5214

Recorder of Deeds

Floor L, County Government Center 124 West Diamond Street P.O. Box 1208 Butler, PA 16003 Phone: 724-284-5340 Fax: 724-285-9099

Family History Centers

 * Cranberry Township Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries
Butler County Federated Library System 218 North McKean Street Butler, PA 16001 Phone: (724) 283-1880

Butler County Historical Society Research Library 123 West Diamond Street Butler, PA 16001 724-283-8116 Hundreds of books pertaining to Butler County's history, businesses, schurches, schools, and families. Thousands of original documents and records also are available for research. Butler High School Yearbooks from 1914 as well as various yearbooks from other county high schools.

Museums

 * Senator Walter Lowrie House Museum – Butler County Historical Society 123 West Diamond Street Butler, PA 16001 724-283-8116

Our office, historical, and genealogical collections are housed in this building and the adjacent Carriage House. The Society houses and maintains the county's largest collection of original Butler County documents, photographs, and extensive genealogical and family collections available to the public. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Saturday hours available on our website or by appointment.


 * Little Red School House Museum - Butler County Historical Society 200 East Jefferson Street Butler, PA 16001 724-283-8116


 * Cooper Cabin Pioneer Homestead - Butler County Historical Society 199 Cooper Road Cabot, PA 16029 724-283-8116


 * Depreciation Land Museum P.O. Box 174 Allison Park, PA 15101 Phone: (412) 486-0563
 * Harmony Museum 218 Mercer St. Harmony, Pa 16037 Phone: (724) 452-7341 Mailing address: P.O. Box 524 Harmony PA 16037  Hours:Tuesday through Sunday - open 1 - 4 p.m. Closed Mondays &amp; Holidays Reservations suggested on weekends, and required for groups of 10 or more

Societies

 * Butler County Historical Society Senator Walter Lowrie House 123 West Diamond Street Butler, PA 16001 Phone: (724) 283-8116 Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
 * Cranberry Genealogy Club Cranberry Municipal Building 2525 Rochester Road Cranberry Township, PA 16066 Meetings are held on the 4th Wednesday of each month (except December) in the Cranberry Public Library Conference Room at 6:30 PM.
 * unty Genealogical Society 'P O Box 662 Butler, PA 16003-0662
 * Zelienople Historical Society 243 S. Main Street Zelienople, PA 16063 Phone: (724) 452-9457
 * Evans City Area Historical Society 204C South Jackson Street Evans City, PA 16033-1138 Phone: (724) 538-3629 The museum is open from 14 April to December on Tuesday mornings and Saturday 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. or by appointment.

Taxation
Butler County Historical Society Senator Walter Lowrie House 123 West Diamond Street Butler, PA 16001 Phone: (724) 283-8116 Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

The Butler County Historical Society is in the process of digitizing the County's Tax Records from 1803 to 1915. Contact our office for availability.

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Births

 * 1853 Butler County Births
 * 1893-1905 Butler County Births

Birth and death records are available at the county level for 1893 to 1905 only. For records after 1905 contact the:

Vital Records, State Department of Health P.O. Box 1528 101 South Mercer Street New Castle, PA 16101 Phone: (724) 656-3100 Fax: (724) 652-8951

Marriages

 * 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.
 * 1801-1922 Butler County Marriages
 * 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.

Marriage records at the county level began in 1885 and are kept to the present. For marriages prior to 1885 a search of church records must be conducted. To request a copy of a marriage record from the county contact:

Butler County Register of Wills &amp; Clerk of Orphans' Court P. O. Box 1208 Butler, PA 16003

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

Deaths

 * 1852-1854 Butler County Deaths. Courtesy of USGENWeb
 * 1893-1905 Butler County Deaths. Courtesy of USGENWeb
 * 1894-1905 - Butler County Death Index 1894-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Butler County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Butler County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Linkpendium - Butler County
 * USGenWeb project