Forest County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States  Pennsylvania  Forest County

Historical Facts
Named for the vast forests in the area.

Parent County
11 April 1848: Forest County was created from Jefferson County.

Boundary Changes

 * 31 October 1866: part taken from Venango County to enlarge Forest County.

Neighboring Counties
Clarion | Elk | Jefferson | McKean | Venango | Warren

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.

Catholic

 * "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843–1943," Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 17, No. 1. . Chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Land and Property
Due to the lack of vital records for Pennsylvania, land records are an important tool in early Pennsylvania research. Land records will list the seller and purchaser of the property and may hide clues to family connections. Land records for Forest County are available from the recorder's office for 1848 to the present.


 * Deed Books, 1857-1886; Indexes to Deeds, 1857-1933

Maps
Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1881 Map of Forest Co. Pennsylvania Compiled from Records &amp; Official Surveys by S.D. Irwin, published by J.L. Smith. 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.

Courthouse
Forest County Courthouse 526 Elm Street, Box 3 Tionesta, PA 16353

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Birth

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

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.