Potter County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Potter County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The county was named for General James Potter, from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. It is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Potter County Courthouse 1 East 2nd St. Coudersport, PA 16915 Phone: 814-274-9740 Fax: 814-274-3361 Register of Wills/Recorder of Deeds Phone: 814-274-8370 Potter County Website

Prothonotary has birth, death and burial records 1893-1905, marriage and divorce records from 1885 Register of Wills has probate records Recorder of Deeds has land records


 * Copies of documents including birth, marriages, deaths, divorces, land, and probate records can be obtained by using: Pennsylvania Public Record.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Bible Records

 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Bible Records at Painted Hills Genealogy Society
 * Index to Potter County Bible Records at Bucknell.edu

Cemeteries

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

Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images (incomplete)


 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry ($)
 * Painted Hills Genealogical Society Painted Hills

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1620-1991 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images



1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com$

Baptist In 1850, the Baptist Church was built.

Lutheran In 1886, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized with 71 members.

Presbyterian The Presbyterian society was said to have built the first church building in the county in 1850.

Protestant Episcopal Christ Church, English Protestant Episcopal was reorganized in 1881 and their church was built in 1884.

Roman Catholic The Roman Catholic Church in this county was organized in about 1840. List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1873-1885 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1798-1828  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Alphabet index then by numbered entry
 * 1900-1923  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1952-1957   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Land and Property Records
Land records in Potter County began in 1804. These records are filed with the Register of Wills/Recorder of Deeds office in Coudersport, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1806-1973 Deeds, 1806-1866; Indexes to Deeds, 1806-1972 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1796 -1931 General Index to Mortgages. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 2003–present Images are available online using the Landex system.$

Local Histories

 * History of the Counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Selections. 1890. Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers
Gazetteers Maps
 * PA HomeTown Locator
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes for European settlers to and from Potter County included:


 * Catskill Turnpike, trail 1760s; turnpike 1804, from Catskill to Bath, New York with extensions to Buffalo, New York, or Erie, Pennsylvania
 * Forbidden Path, 1767 from Athens, Pennsylvania to Salamanca, New York

Military Records
Civil War
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1865-1936  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II
 * 1933-1947  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1952  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1901-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. Circuit and District Courts for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1906-1930; and 1901-1906 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records
 * 1901-1930 Middle District, US Circuit and District Courts: Naturalization petitions, 1906-1930 located in U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) database on Ancestry $

Newspapers
Newspapers of Potter County

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 US Newspaper Directory.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers

Online Newspaper Abstracts


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

Obituaries

 * 1947-2021  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Obituary Abstracts
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Potter County, Pennsylvania.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1836-1908 Potter County Probate Records at FamilySearch
 * 1836-1972 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1893-1906 Coudersport, Potter County, Birth Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1941-1976  at FamilySerch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1512-1989  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1682-1976  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1709-1940  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1892-1906 Coudersport, Potter County, Death Index 1892-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Brookville Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Towanda Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Williamsport Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Cameron County Historical Society - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Potter-Tioga Library System 106 E Main Street Knoxville, PA 16928 Phone: 814-274-7422 Website Two member libraries having some genealogical records:
 * Ulysses Public Library Willis I. Lewis Memorial Library P.O. Box 316 401 N. Main Street Ulysses, PA 16948 Phone: 814-848-7226 Website
 * Collection includes: histories, some census records, tri-counties genealogy, genealogy books and other media
 * Coudersport Public Library 502 Park Avenue Coudersport, PA 16915 Phone: 814-274-9382 Email: [mailto:coudy502@hotmail.com coudy502@hotmail.com] Website
 * Collection includes: census records on microfilm, Potter Enterprise newspaper from 1880-2008

Societies
Painted Hills Genealogy Society 3198 Ridge Rd Freedom PA, 15042 Email: [mailto:paint@paintedhills.org paint@paintedhills.org] Website Facebook Potter County Historical Society P.O. Box 605 308 N. Main St Coudersport, PA 16915 Phone: 841-274-4410 Email: [mailto:potercohist@zitomedia.net potercohist@zitomedia.net] Facebook

Websites

 * USGenWeb
 * Potter County PA Genealogy
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides
Woodroofe's guide to Potter County "hidden sources" at The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is available online:


 * Woodroofe, Helen Hutchison. "A Genealogist's Guide to Pennsylvania Records," The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 34, No. 3 (1986):240. For online access, see WeRelate.