Venango County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Venango County

Historical Facts
The origination of the name "Venago" comes from as it was known to Native Americans of the region as Onenge, meaning Otter. This was corrupted into English as the Venango River

Parent Counties
1784: The future Venango County was part of the huge area secured by the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, also known as the "Last Purchase"

1785-1788: The eastern part of the future Venango Co. was annexed to Northumberland County; the western portion was part of the Donation Lands

1788-1795: The eastern part of the future Venango Co. remained part of Northumberland County; the western portion became part of the newly created (1788) Allegheny Co.

1795-1800: The eastern part of the future Venango Co. became part of newly created Lycoming Co. which was carved out of Northumberland Co. in 1795; the western portion remained part of Allegheny Co.

12 March 1800: Venango County was created from Allegheny and Lycoming Counties.

Boundary Changes

 * 11 March 1839: Clarion County set off.
 * 11 April 1848: Forest County set off.

Neighboring Counties
Butler | Clarion | Crawford | Forest | Mercer | Warren

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

Church Records
Many denominations dot the landscape of Berks County. Visiting the church your ancestor attended is recommended; however, many times, due to distance, that is not possible. The Historical Society of Berks County has an on-line index of more then 1.2 millions names, gleaned from the records of more than 300 local churches. It is not a complete index but still worth your time if you are looking for baptism, marriage, and burial records. The index is searchable in numerous ways, but searching by last name or church name is probably most popular. The index lists the name of the record, volume and page number where the individual record can be found. The volume and page number refer to books located at the historical society. To view the actual record, use the printable on-line form that can be mailed to obtain a copy of the record or visit the society. There is a fee for acquiring the record by mail.

Land and Property
Land records in Venango County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Franklin, 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


 * 1800–1925 Deeds, 1805-1889; Deed Index, 1800–1925.

Additional Resources

Note that the "Maps" section below also 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 Venango 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 of the 1857 Map of Venango County, Pennsylvania Compiled from Official Surveys by R. Irwin, C.H. Heydrick, and C. Heydrick and Hunt's Improved Map of Venango County Oil Regions, published by John P. Hunt in 1865. These maps located in the Library of Congress show major landowners and geographic sites at the dates 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.

Courthouse
Venango County Courthouse 1168 Liberty Street Franklin, PA 16323

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Franklin Pennsylvania Family History Center

Birth

 * 1837–1915 – - free index. Not complete for all years.
 * 1852–1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.

Marriage

 * 1833–1976 — - free index. Not complete for all years.

Clerk of Orphans Court Union County Courthouse, First Floor 1168 Liberty Street Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: 814-432-9539 Fax: 814-432-9569 Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Divorce
Divorce records are handled by the office of the Prothonotary. While no on-line indexes or records are available, records may be obtained by visiting or writing to the Prothonotary at:

Union County Prothonotary Courthouse, First Floor 1168 Liberty Street Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: 814-432-9577 Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.