Centre County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Centre County Courthouse 102 South Allegheny Street Bellefonte, PA 16823 Phone: 814-355-6727 Fax: 814-355-6707 Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts: 814-355-6796 Recorder of Deeds: 814-355-6801 Register of Wills/Orphan's Court: 814-355-6724 Fax: 814-355-8685 Centre County Website County Clerk has birth and death records 1893-1905 and marriage records from 1885 Prothonotary Office has divorce records from 1890, court and naturalization records from 1800 Register of Wills has probate records from 1800 Recorder Deeds has land records from 1801

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

 * Bible Records Project at Centre County Genealogical Society
 * Centre County Bible Records at PA USGenWeb Archives
 * Centre County Bible Records at PA USGenWeb Project

Biographies
Centre County Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * 1803-1820 Slave Records 1803-1820 at the Centre County Government website. Index and scanned images.

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

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

Church Records

 * Visit Centre County, Pennsylvania Church Records for information about church denominations and records in Centre County.

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans


 * 1780-1846 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1803-1820 Slave Records 1803-1820 at the Centre County Government website. Index and scanned images.

Land and Property Records
Land records in Centre County began in 1843. These records are filed with the Centre County Recorder of Deeds office in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

Maps


 * Centre County Land Records & Deeds online at: PA USGenWeb Series 3, Volume 25, pp. 785-809
 * Warrant Map of Centre County State College, Pennsylvania: Centre County Genealogical Society, 2011.

Local Histories

 * History and Topography of Northumberland, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Centre, Union, Columbia, Juniata and Clinton Counties, Pa. 1847. By I. Daniel Rupp. Lancaster, Pennsylvania : G. Hills. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; . Note: Centre County portion only - FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania. 1883. By John Blair Linn. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : L.H. Everts. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive;.
 * Industries and Institutions of Centre County : with Historical Sketches of Principal Villages. 1877. Compiled by D.S. Maynard.  Bellefonte, Pa. : Richie & Maynard, Publishers. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images from the 1861 Topographical Map of Centre Co. Pennsylvania from Actual Surveys under the Direction of H. F. Walling, published by S.D. Tilden. This wall map located in the Library of Congress shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date 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.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Service, 1840
 * Revolutionary War Declarations 1820-1835 at Centre County Government website. Index and scanned images.

Civil War
 * Centre County Civil War Soldiers
 * 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
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1952  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1802-1929 Centre County Naturalization Records 1802-1929 on Centre County Government website, includes digitized images of originals
 * 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 ($), 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 Centre 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
 * Gantdaily.com
 * Pennsylvania, Centre Daily Times Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * Pennsylvania Civil War Era Newspaper Collection available through the Penn State University Library, dating from February 23, 1831 to February 1877.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * The Centre County Gazette
 * The Centre Daily Times began in 1898 as the Weekly Times and later as the State College Times. In 1934 it became a daily newspaper and is called The Centre County Daily.
 * The Daily Collegian Historical Digital Collegian Archive.
 * The Daily Collegian The Daily Collegian is the newspaper for PennState University. It originally started ast The Freelance in 1887.
 * Free Lance (monthly) - April 1887-April 1904
 * State Collegian (weekly) September 28, 1904-June 10, 1911
 * Penn State Collegian (weekly) September 28, 1911 to August 2, 1940
 * The Daily Collegian (daily) September 5, 1940 to present.

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Centre County.
 * The Centre County Daily Newspaper has an Archive Search for the years 1995 - current.

Archived Historical Newspapers


 * Centre Daily Times is available at the Centre County Library and at Penn State's News and Microforms Library.

Obituaries

 * 1947-2010   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
 * Centre Daily Times Past Obituaries
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Centre County.
 * USGenWeb Obituaries for Centre County.

Obituaries and Indexes


 * The Centre County Library and Historical Museum in Bellefonte has obituary indexes from 1821 located in The Pennsylvania Room The email address for the Pennsylvania room is paroom@centrecountylibrary.org for more information on how to obtain an obituary.
 * The Centre Daily Times Obituary Index at Penn State University Library, 1920-2017.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * Compiled by John H. Wion, Deaths in Central Pennsylvania; an Index to the Obituaries Appearing in the Democratic Watchman, Bellefonte, Pa (S.I.:s.n., 1969)
 * A scrapbook kept by martha M. (Hoy) Vonada; index prepared by R. Fred Houts, Martha Vonada Scrapbook (Minneapolis, Minnesota:R.F. Houts, 1995) Martha Vonada saved funeral cards and obituaries from Centre County, Pennsylvania.
 * Compiled by Nancy Lee Stover, Centre County, Pennsylvania Newspaper Death Notices, 1821-1869 (S.I.:N.L. Stover, 1999)

Probate Records
The county's probate and court records begin with the founding of the county, the land records in 1801.

Online Probate Index and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1800-1853 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1800-1853 Wills of Centre County, Pa., 1800-1853 on Ancestry ($). Taken from Fravel, Ira,. Wills of Centre County, Pa., 1800-1853. Milton, Pa.: unknown, 1967.
 * 1800-1853 Wills of Centre County, Pennsylvania. By Fravel, Ira Franklin and Lontz, Mary Bell. Milton, Pennsylvania : M.B. Lontz, 1967, 1939. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1800-1949 (*); 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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Vital Records

 * Centre County Vital Statistics

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 Bellefonte, Centre 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
 * 1677–1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($)
 * 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
 * 1947-2021  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
 * 1893-1906 Bellefonte, Centre County, Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary, Centre County Courthouse.

Archives
National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Rd Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052 Email: [mailto:philadelphia.archives@nara.gov philadelphia.archives@nara.gov] Website Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

 * State College Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Centre County Library, Bellefonte - an affiliate library
 * Holt Memorial Library, Philipsburg - an affiliate library
 * Centre Hall Area Branch Library - an affiliate library
 * Pennsylvania Room & Historical Museum - an affiliate library
 * Schlow Centre Region Library - an affiliate library
 * Altoona Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Apollo Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Cameron County Historical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Centre County Library and Historical Museum: Pennsylvania Room 203 N Allegheny St Bellefonte, PA 16823 Phone: 814-355-1516, Ext 1007 Email: [mailto:paroom@centrecountylibrary.org paroom@centrecountylibrary.org] Website Facebook
 * Specializes in genealogy collections, obituary and marriage indexes, Pennsylvania county histories, church and cemetery records, original Centre County records, newspapers (1821 - present), and abundant historical and genealogical periodicals. The Spangler Collection is an unique indexed collection of 18th- and 19th-century records about many central Pennsylvania families.

Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library Blair County Genealogical Society, Inc. 431 Scotch Valley Rd Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Phone: 814-696-3492 Email: [mailto:administrator@bcgslibrary.org administrator@bcgslibrary.org] Website Facebook
 * Collection covers Blair and surrounding counties, particularly Huntingdon, Cambria, and Bedford Counties.

Societies
Blair County Genealogical Society, Inc. Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library 431 Scotch Valley Rd Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Phone: 814-696-3492 Email: [mailto:administrator@bcgslibrary.org administrator@bcgslibrary.org] Website Facebook
 * Collection covers Blair and surrounding counties, particularly Huntingdon, Cambria, and Bedford Counties.

Centre County Genealogical Society PO Box 1135 State College, PA 16804-1135 Email: [mailto:info@centrecountygenealogy.org info@centrecountygenealogy.org] Website Facebook Centre County Historical Society 1001 E College Ave State College, PA 16801 Phone: 814-234-4779 Email: [mailto:info@centrecountyhistory.org info@centrecountyhistory.org] Website Facebook

Websites

 * Centre County Historical Society
 * Centre 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.