Fulton County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States  Pennsylvania  Fulton County

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

Parent County
19 April 1850: Fulton County was created from Bedford County.

Neighboring Counties
Bedford | Huntingdon | Washington | Maryland counties: Allegany | Washington

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

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.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Buck Valley

Court Records
In Fulton County the Prothonotary also serves as Clerk of Courts, Recorder of Deeds, Register of Wills, &amp; Clerk of Orphans' Court. The address is:

Fulton County Courthouse 201 N. Second Street McConnellsburg, PA 17233

Telephone: 717-485-4212 Email: prothonotary@co.fulton.pa.us

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 FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

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

Courthouse
Fulton County Courthouse 116 W Market St Mc Connellsburg, PA 17233-1019

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

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 PO Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

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

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

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


 * Register of Births, 1894-1906 –

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.

A free online index with images to some Fulton County marriages can be found in the FamilySearch Records Collection, Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885 – 1950. Most of the records consist of marriage licenses, certificates, applications, docket books, and affidavits. These records have been microfilmed.


 * Marriage Registers, 1852-1854, Marriage License Dockets, 1885-1963 (Fulton County, Pennsylvania) –

You may also try:


 * 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the main 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
 * Deaths: Selected death records, 1852-54: Fulton County, Fulton County USGenWeb Archives
 * Fulton County Registers of Deaths, 1852-1854, 1874-1881, 1895-1905 –

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.