Venango County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
Venango County is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Venango County Courthouse 1168 Liberty Street Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: 814-432-9500 Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts: 814-432-9577 Register and Recorder: 814-432-9539 Venango County Website Clerk of Courts and Recorder of Deeds has birth and death records from 1893-1905, marriage records from 1885, probate and land records from 1806 and court records.

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

 * Bibles at USGenWeb Archives

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 ($)

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

Church Records

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

Directories

 * 1896-1897 (*); 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 Venango County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Franklin, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1800 -1925 Deeds, 1805-1889; Deed Index, 1800–1925. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * History of Venango County, Pennsylvania : its Past and Present. 1890. By Herbert C. Bell. Chicago : Brown, Runk. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * Venango County Pennsylvania : her Pioneers and People. 1919. Prepared by Charles A. Babcock. Chicago : J.H. Beers. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. 1 & 2 -  Hathitrust;.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free, downloadable images of the 1857 Map of Venango County, Pennsylvania Compiled from Official Surveys by R. Irwin, C.H. Heydrick, and C. Heydrick and Hunt's Improved Map of Venango County Oil Regions, published by John P. Hunt in 1865. These maps located in the Library of Congress show major landowners and geographic sites at the dates 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
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
 * 1806-1906 - Naturalization docket, 1806-1906, - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1820-1906 Index to Declarations and Petitions in the Western District of Pennsylvania, US Circuit and District Courts located in US Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 database on Ancestry $
 * 1820-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1537, incomplete for all counties
 * 1820-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $

Newspapers
Newspapers of Venango 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 Venango County, Pennsylvania.
 * Newspaper Abstracts including abstracts from The News Herald, Oil City Blizzard, Oil City Derrick News, Plain Dealer Bellaire and Citizens Press

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
 * 2008-2011 Venango Obituaries (PDF version)

Online Obituary Abstracts
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Venango County, Pennsylvania.
 * Venango Pennsylvania Obituaries at USGenWeb.org
 * Venango County Obituaries courtesy USGenWeb Archives.

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts


 * Venango County Genealogical Club, Rockland Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church of Tionesta, Clapp Farm Cemetery and the Methodist Church of Franklin, Venango County Records, Volume 1 (Oil City, PA:Venango County Genealogical Club, 1984)
 * Romig, Nancy Byers, Scrips and Scraps; Scrapbook Abstracts, Venango County and Surrounding Areas (Apollo, PA:Closson Press, c1995)
 * Collected by Sarah E. Milford, Carol H. Jamison and Marilyn Q. Gerhold, Obituaries from Venango and Butler Counties (S.I.:s.n., 2006) Digital version available at catalog entry.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1800-1968 Venango County Probate Records at FamilySearch
 * 1800-1968 (*); Register of Wills at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1806-1870 (*); Orphans' Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * County of Venango, State of Pennsylvania, Will Book Number 1 at Ancestry ($)
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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

Tax Records

 * Early Tax Roll Residents courtesy USGenWeb Archives

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 $
 * 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 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 image

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
 * 1893-1905 Venango County Death Index 1893-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

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

 * Franklin Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Knox Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * New Castle Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Public Library of Youngstown and Machoning County - Ohio - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Oil Region Library Association Phone: 814-678-3072 Email: [mailto:info@oilregionlibraries.org info@oilregionlibraries.org] Website Facebook
 * Operates three district libraries, with some locations having historical research rooms and genealogical research materials, including local family histories.

Societies
Venango County Genealogical Club 2 Central Ave Oil City Library Heritage Room Oil City, PA 16301-3122 Phone: 814-678-3074 Email: [mailto:vengen@csonline.net vengen@csonline.net] Website Venango County Historical Society 307 S Park St Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: 814-432-8260 Email: [mailto:vchistory2019@gmail.com vchistory2019@gmail.com] Website Facebook
 * Research library operates limited hours, check website.

Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society 4400 Forbes Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080 Phone: 412-687-6811 Email: [mailto:info@wpgs.org info@wpgs.org] Website Facebook

Websites

 * USGenWeb archives
 * Venango 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.