Erie County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States &gt; Pennsylvania &gt; Erie County

County Courthouse
Erie County Courthouse, Room 122

140 West 6th Street Erie, PA 16501 Phone: (814) 451-6260

History


Named for Lake Erie, in turn which comes from the Erie tribe of Indians who lived south and east of of the lake before 1654.

Parent County
Erie County was created from Allegheny County on March 12, 1800. The county was unable to sustain itself and was united with Crawford County by an act passed April 9, 1801. The county seat was at Meadville. This relationship continued until 1803, when the first county officers were elected in Erie County, and Erie became the county seat.

Boundary Changes
In 1850 a boundary line dispute between Erie and Crawford counties was settled. The line was straightened and a long, narrow strip of land was added to Erie County and some land was added to Crawford County. A number of Crawford County citizens became residents of Erie County and a less number of Erie County residents were shifted to Crawford County.

Record Loss
The Courthouse suffered a fire on March 23, 1823. The building and all books, papers, and records were destroyed.

Neighboring Counties
Crawford | Warren | Chautauqua County, New York | Ashtabula County, Ohio

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Erie

Obituaries
The Erie County Library compiled and maintains a paper and an online version for Erie County obituaries. The index comes from Erie newspapers and covers 1822 to the present. Microfilmed copies of the newspapers are located in the Heritage Room of the Blasco Memorial Library. The Information Services staff of the Library will do limited genealogical research or requests for obituaries by mail. There is a fee for this service.

Societies and Libraries
The Erie County Public Library maintains a large collection of genealogical materials. The majority of this collection is housed in the Heritage Room on the second floor of the Blasco Memorial Library. The focus of this collection is Northwestern Pennsylvania and the tri-state area. An important part of their holdings is the obituary indexes that covers 1822 to the present. The Heritage Room has microfilm copies of the Erie newspapers, going back to 1822. They also have microfilm copies of the 1800 to 1930 censuses for Erie County and selected censuses for other Pennsylvania counites. Additionally the library has city directories for Erie beginning in 1853 and suburban directories beginning in 1957. The library subscribes to Ancestry.com and to HeritageQuest Online. The Blasco Memorial Library is located at 160 East Front St. Erie, PA 16507.

Web Sites

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