Jefferson County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide toJefferson 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.

Jefferson County Pennsylvania Historical Facts
Parent Counties: Formed from Lycoming County 26 March 1804.

County Seat: Brookville

Neighboring Counties: Jefferson County residents may also have records in


 * Elk
 * Clearfield
 * Clarion
 * Forest
 * Indiana
 * Armstrong

Named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.

Description
The county was named for President Thomas Jefferson. It's county seat is Brookville and was founded October 1, 1830. It is located in the Midwest-central area of the state.

Boundary Changes

 * 18 April 1843: Elk County was set off from Jefferson including parts from Clearfield and McKean Counties as well as the future Cameron County.
 * 11 April 1848: Set off Forest County with parts from Jefferson and Venango counties.

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
Additional Cemetery Resources


 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry($)
 * Latter-day Saint Cemetery Records ~ FamilySearch US Vol. 1 page 92 - Sugar Hill

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.

Baptist
The Reverend Jonathan Nichols was the first preacher in the Jefferson County area to hold the beliefs of the Baptist denomination. The first Baptist was organized in 1834 in the barn of Henry Keys. The second congregation was established in 1836 in Brookville.

Methodist
The Methodist church arrived several years after the Presbyterian church. However, the church records were poorly kept and many have been lost.

The Methodist Episcopal Church in Jefferson County, Jefferson County Genealogy Project

Presbyterian
Reverend Robert McGarrough was the founder of Presbyterianism in Jefferson County. By 1850 the number of Presbyterian churches in the county was nine and grew to twenty-one by 1870. Early services were held at various homes in the county and the first organized church in the county was the Bethel Church in 1824. However, it did not have a permanent building until 1842 and the name was changed to Brookville.

The Second Presbyterian Church was organized in 1832 but it too did not have a permanent structure until 1841.

Jefferson County Presbyterian Church, Jefferson County Genealogy Project

Jefferson United Presbyterian Church, Baxter


 * 1842-1880 - Jefferson United Presbyterian Church, Baxter, Baptism Index 1842-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Roman Catholic
Catholics were in the county as early as 1832. Services were held in members homes until the church building was dedicated in 1854. St. Ann's Academy was built in 1855-1856 at Corsica. It was used as a chapel and a boarding school for young women.

United Brethren
Organized by individuals from Pennsylvania and Maryland, the United Brethren were organized in 1800. The first structure in Jefferson County was erected in 1874 in Knoxdale.

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. Jefferson County 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.

Orphans' Court
Register of Deeds/Register of Wills Clerk of Orphans' Court Jefferson County Courthouse 200 Main Street Brookville, PA 15825 Phone: 814-849-1610

Land and Property
Land records in Jefferson County began in 1818. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds Office in Brookville, 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


 * 1818–1910 Deed Books, 1818-1887; Indexes, 1818-1910.

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 Jefferson 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)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1831–1906 Naturalization Records – declarations and petitions, indexes in volumes 1–2

Newspapers
Newspapers of Jefferson 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.


 * Chronicling America - The Star 1892-1946 (Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania).

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts

Steele, Patricia M. Who, When and Where:Jefferson County, Pennsylvania (Evansville, Indiana:Whipporwill Publications, c1987) ; Volume 2: Newspaper items 1834-1837, 1854-1889.

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 Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * Baggs, Josephine Y. and Leader Vindicator (New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), Obituaries, ca. 1988 (SLC, Utah, 1991)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes


 * Jefferson 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

Jefferson County Only:


 * Jefferson County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1832–1917 Probate Records - includes will books, orphans' court dockets, registers' dockets
 * 1832–1944 General Index to Probate Records

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

 * Register of Deeds/Register of Wills Clerk of Orphans' Court Jefferson County Courthouse 200 Main Street Brookville, PA 15825


 * Prothonotary/Clerk of Court Jefferson County Courthouse 200 Main Street Brookville, PA 15825 Phone: 814-849-1606

Museums

 * Taylor Memorial Museum 765 Park Street P.O. Box 73 Brockway, PA 15824 Phone: 814-265-8519

Societies

 * Jefferson County Historical and Genealogical Society 172-176 Main Street P.O. Box 51 Brookville, PA 15825 Phone: 814-849-0077

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth
Birth records for Jefferson County began in 1893. The Jefferson County Clerk of Orphans' Court maintains birth records up to 1906. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893–1906 time period contact the Jefferson County Courthouse.


 * 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.
 * 1893-1906 Record of Births  The birth records for Jefferson County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be available at a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.
 * 1941-1969 Record of Delayed Births  The delayed birth records for Jefferson County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be available at a local FamilySearch Center.

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

Marriage
Jefferson County marriages are maintained at the Jefferson County Courthouse. Jefferson County began recording marriages in 1885 although some registrations took place from 1852–1855. Marriage licenses from 1885 are available at the Clerk of Orphans' Court in Brookville.


 * 1626-2016 - Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 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.
 * 1852-1855 Jefferson County Marriage Index 1852-1855 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1852-1855 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 Marriage License Dockets (Jefferson County, Pennsylvania) –
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch — index and images

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

Death
Jefferson County began recording deaths in 1893, although some were recorded from 1853–1854. These records are available in the Jefferson County Courthouse in Brookville. You may request a death record from the Clerk of Orphans' Court.


 * 1853-1854 Registration of Deaths These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers.
 * 1893-1906 Jefferson County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1893-1906 Record of Deaths  These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers.
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch — index and images

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.

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

Jefferson County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Jefferson County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Jefferson County Genealogy Project - free access to Biographies, Cemetery Records, Census Records, County History and lots of other great free resources.
 * Jefferson County PA Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.