Warren County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Warren County

Parent Counties
1784: The future Warren County was part of the huge area secured by the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, also known as the "Last Purchase," and much of the land was secured for speculation by the Holland Land Company

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

1788-1795: The eastern part of the future Warren 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 Warren 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: Warren County was created from Allegheny and Lycoming Counties.

Neighboring Counties
Crawford | Elk | Erie | Forest | McKean | Venango | New York counties: Cattaraugus | Chautauqua

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

Court 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.

Published Histories

 * 1887 History of Warren County, Pennsylvania with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers edited by J. S. Schenck

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


 * 1819-1897 Deeds, 1819-1884; Index to Deeds, 1819–1897

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 Warren 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 from the 1878 Howden &amp; Odbert's Atlas of Warren County, Pennsylvania from Actual Surveys &amp; Records by &amp; under the Direction of J.A. Howden &amp; A. Odbert (Washington, PA: F.G. Longdon and Wilson Porter, 1878). This atlas on file 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.

Military

 * World War I -- Photographs of Warren County World War I Soldiers from the book "Warren County Boys Over There," 1918.

Courthouse
Warren County Courthouse 407 Market Street Warren, PA 16365

Family History Centers

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

Birth

 * 1815–1930 – – free index. Not complete for all years.

Marriage

 * 1852-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years.

Register and Recorder's Office Warren County Courthouse 204 4th Avenue Warren, PA 16365 Phone: 814-728-3430 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:

Prothonotary Warren County Courthouse 204 4th Avenue Warren, PA 16365 Phone: 814-728-3440 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.