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

Description
The county was named for Lake Erie. It's county seat is Erie. It was organized November 7, 1803. It is located in the Northwest corner of the state.

County Courthouse
Erie County Courthouse 140 West 6th Street Room 122 Erie, PA 16501 Erie County Website Erie County Courthouse 140 West 6th Street Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814-451-6260

Clerk of Courts (criminal records) Room 103 814-451-6221 Email: [mailto:rcatalde@eriecountygov.org rcatalde@eriecountygov.org]

Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court Register of Wills, Room 122 Phone: 814-451-6260 Fax: 814-451-7010

Erie County Prothonotary Erie County Courthouse, Room 120 Phone: 814–451-6250 Email: [mailto:prothonotary@eriecountygov.org prothonotary@eriecountygov.org]

Populated Places


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 * Corry
 * Corry

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 * Separated from Wayne Twp. and became borough in 1863.
 * Erie
 * 1851
 * Laid out in 1795. Became borough in 1805.
 * }
 * }

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 * Albion
 * 1861
 * Laid out in 1797. Created from Conneaut Twp.
 * Cranesville
 * 1912
 * Settled in 1800. Formed from Elk Creek Twp.
 * East Springfield
 * 1887
 * Formed from Springfield Twp. Merged back with Springfield Twp. in 1978.
 * Edinboro
 * 1840
 * Settled in 1801. Created from Washington Twp.
 * Elgin
 * 1876
 * Settled in 1800. Formed from Concord Twp.
 * Fariview
 * 1868
 * Settled in 1797.Organized from Fairview Twp. Remerged with Fairview Twp. in 1998.
 * Girard
 * 1846
 * Formed from Girard Twp.
 * Lake City
 * 1926
 * Settled in 1863. Originally North Girard Borough. Name changed in 1954.
 * McKean
 * 1861
 * Settled in 1810. Organized from McKean Twp. Name changed from Middleboro to McKean in 1970.
 * Mill Village
 * 1870
 * Formed from LeBoeuf Twp.
 * North East
 * 1834
 * Settled in 1800. Created from North East Twp.
 * Platea
 * 1870
 * Organized from Girard Twp. Named changed to Platea in 1902. Originally known as Lockport.
 * Union City
 * 1865
 * Settled in 1856. Formed from Union Twp as Union Mills. Named changed in 1871.
 * Waterford
 * 1833
 * Settled in 1795. Created from Waterford Twp.
 * Wattsburg
 * 1833
 * Settled in 1828. Organized from Venango Twp.
 * Wesleyville
 * 1912
 * Settled in 1828. Formed from Harbor Creek Twp and Millcreek Twp..
 * }
 * Union City
 * 1865
 * Settled in 1856. Formed from Union Twp as Union Mills. Named changed in 1871.
 * Waterford
 * 1833
 * Settled in 1795. Created from Waterford Twp.
 * Wattsburg
 * 1833
 * Settled in 1828. Organized from Venango Twp.
 * Wesleyville
 * 1912
 * Settled in 1828. Formed from Harbor Creek Twp and Millcreek Twp..
 * }
 * 1912
 * Settled in 1828. Formed from Harbor Creek Twp and Millcreek Twp..
 * }

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 * Amity
 * 1825
 * Settled in 1796. Created from Union Twp.
 * Concord
 * Concord
 * Concord

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 * Originally known as Brokenstraw Twp. Name changed in 1821.
 * Conneaut
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1797.
 * Elk Creek
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1797.
 * Fairview
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1797.
 * Franklin
 * 1844
 * Settled in 1802. Organized from McKean, Washington and Elk Creek Townships.
 * Girard
 * 1832
 * Settled in 1798. Created from Fairview, Springfield, and Elk Creek Townships.
 * Greene
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1800. Known as Beaver Dam until 1840. Portion given to McKean Twp.
 * Greenfield
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1797. Portion given to North East Twp. in 1841.
 * Harbor Creek
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1796.
 * Lawrence Park
 * 1926
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1797. Portion given to North East Twp. in 1841.
 * Harbor Creek
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1796.
 * Lawrence Park
 * 1926
 * Lawrence Park
 * 1926

'| Organized from Millcreek Twp. Designed by General Electric Co. in 1910 as a company town. Envisioned as a "garden city." [http://www.lawrencepark.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type'
 * LeBoeuf
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1795.
 * McKean
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1795. Portion given to Waterford in 1820 and to Franklin in 1844.
 * Millcreek
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1795. Portions lost to City of Erie over time.
 * North East
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1795. Gained a strip from Greenfield in 1841.
 * Springfield
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1796.
 * Summit
 * 1854
 * Formed from part of Greene, McKean and Waterford Townships.
 * Venango
 * March 12, 1800
 * Surveyed in 1785. Settled in 1795.
 * Washington
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1796. First called Conneauttee Twp. Named changed in 1834.
 * Waterford
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1795.
 * Wayne
 * 1826
 * Formed from Concord Twp. Portion given to form Corry Borough in 1863 and another portion in 1866 when Corry city incorporated.
 * }
 * Settled in 1796. First called Conneauttee Twp. Named changed in 1834.
 * Waterford
 * March 12, 1800
 * Settled in 1795.
 * Wayne
 * 1826
 * Formed from Concord Twp. Portion given to form Corry Borough in 1863 and another portion in 1866 when Corry city incorporated.
 * }
 * Formed from Concord Twp. Portion given to form Corry Borough in 1863 and another portion in 1866 when Corry city incorporated.
 * }

History Timeline



 * History of Erie County 1843 from GenealogyTrails.
 * Erie County from An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1876, from archive.org.
 * History of Erie County, Pennsylvania, 1884, by Samuel P. Bates. Digitized book on line at archive.org.
 * History of Erie Co from its First Settlement, 1894, by Laura G. Sanford. Digitized book on line at archive.org.
 * Nelson's Biographical Dictionary &amp; Historical Reference Book of Erie County, 1896. Digitized book online at archive.org.
 * A Twentieth Century History of Erie County, Pennsylvania: A Narrative Account of Its Historic Progress, Its People, and Its Principal Interests, 1909 by John Miller, two volumes. Digitized book online at archive.org, Volume 1 Volume 2
 * Popular History of Erie County, Pennsylvania by D. P. Robbins. Digitized book on line at archive.org.
 * History of Erie County Pennsylvania, 1925 by John Elmer Reed. Digitized book on line at archive.org.
 * Images of America: Erie County, PA by Erie Yesterday. Limited preview at GoogleBooks
 * Souvenir of Erie, Penna. 1888, Illustrated. Also called: The City of Erie, PA, 1888.
 * Lost Erie: The Vanished Heritage of City and County, 1991, by John R. Claridge
 * Historic Erie County: An Illustrated History, 2004, by Edward T. Wellejus
 * Erie: a Guide to the City and County, 1938. Digitized book on line at archive.org.
 * Erie County, PA Tornadoes, Blizzards, Floods and Other Events
 * Greetings from Wesleyville by Debbi Lyon. Debbi Lyon
 * Greetings from Wesleyville Vol. 2 by Debbi Lyon.

Cemeteries
Additional Cemetery Resources
 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry($)

Church Records


County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * 1708-1985 - Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry $

Catholic
 * Catholic Church Records &amp; Directory, Erie County (PA) Genealogy

Methodist Marriage Records of Rev. George Stuntz Methodist Circuit Rider, Erie County (PA) Genealogy

Land and Property Records
Land records in Erie County began in 1823. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Records


 * 1976–present Erie County offers online access to records. Fees apply.

Land Records on Microfilm

Click the image to view an enlarged version

Note that the "Maps" section below includes maps related to land ownership.

Maps and Gazetteers


Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)

Ancestor Tracks has posted downloadable images from the Map of Erie County, Pennsylvania from Actual Surveys by under Supervision of J. Chace Jr. (Troy, NY: McLeran &amp; Morris Publishers, 1855). 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.

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from Erie County included:


 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike(aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by the 1750s; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Forbidden Path, 1767 from Athens, Pennsylvania to Salamanca, New York
 * Lake Shore Path 1792 from Buffalo, New York to Sandusky (OH)
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths 1766 from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpiketo the Great Valley Road.
 * Ulster and Delaware Turnpike 1802 from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bainbridge, New York

Newspapers
Newspapers of Erie County


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

Newspapers Available on Microfilm


 * Several different newspapers are available on microfilm in the Heritage Room at the Blasco Memorial Library in Erie, PA. Some of the titles include the Erie Gazette, the Erie Observer, the Erie Dispatch, Erie Dispatch-Herald, the Erie Daily Times, the Erie Morning News and the Erie Times-News. Some of the Erie County newspapers that are available on microfilm include the Cosmopolite (Girard, PA), the Corry Evening Journal and the Edinboro Independent. The library also has one German language newspaper on microfilm.

Newspaper Indexes


 * USGenWeb Erie County Newspaper and Obituary Index

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Erie County.

Obituaries
Online Obituary Index


 * The Erie County Library has compiled and maintains an paper and online obituary index for Erie County from 1822 to the present. 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.

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Erie County.
 * USGenWeb Erie County Newspaper and Obituary Index

Obituary Excerpts and Extracts


 * Smith, Gary V. and Corry Weekly Herald (Corry, Pennsylvania) 3000 Death Notices Covering Northwestern Pennsylvania and Southwestern New York Extracted from the Corry Weekly Herald (Corry, Pennsylvania) (Montgomery, Alabama:G.V. Smith, c1992)

Other Records
Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
 * Record of Members, 1929-1942 (Erie District), –
 * Rediscovering History: Mormons in Erie County, Pennsylvania, 1832-1833

Clerk of the Court

Orphans

Published Histories

Poorhouse, Almshouse %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes


 * Erie County Estate Indexes at PAGenWeb for surnames M, N, O, S, T
 * Erie County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Online Probate Records

Complete Collection:


 * 1683-1994-at FamilySearch.org
 * Erie County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm

Birth
Birth records for the City of Erie began May 1, 1888. The birth registers for Erie City are maintained by the Erie County Historical Society. They have an agreement with Erie Society for Genealogical Research to handle all genealogy requests from walk-in researchers, people who phone, write in or e-mail requests for information on family history. These birth registers are not indexed and do not list the child's name. You must know the parent's name. If a delayed birth certificate was made then the child's name was added to the register. The records cannot be viewed by the general public. To obtain copies of a birth record that occurred in the city of Erie from 1888 through November 1905, you may write to:

ESGR P.O. Box 1403 Erie, PA 16512-1403

County of Erie Births Clerk of Records Room 122, Erie County Courthouse 140 W 6th St. Erie, PA 16501

The birth records for Erie County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be viewed at the Family History Library.


 * 1893-1906 Birth Records

Beginning in 1906 Pennsylvania birth records are available through the Department of of Health. Birth records become public after 105 years. A statewide index is available. Once an individual is located in the index a certificate can be obtained by writing to:

Division of Vital Records Attn: Public Records P.O. Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

Some Erie County births can be found online in Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950.

Marriage
Erie County marriages are maintained by the Clerk of Records. Erie County began recording marriages in 1885. To obtain a marriage record you may go to or mail the Clerk of Records office at:

Erie County Courthouse 140 West 6th Street, Room 120 Erie, PA 16501


 * 1626-2016 - Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1725-1976  index. Not complete for all years. This index is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885 Erie County Marriage Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1885-1950  Extracted marriage records – This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
 * 1885-1968 Marriage License Dockets (Erie County, Pennsylvania), 1885-1950; index, 1885-1968
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch

Death
Death records for the city of Erie exist beginning July 5, 1875. They are available from the [http://erie.pa-roots.com/ Erie Society for Genealogical Research (ESGR). ]According to their website "There are five volumes of the death records dating from July 5, 1875 to January 24, 1908. There are six volumes of indices for these records. Typical information found for each entry is: name, color, sex, age, marital status, occupation, date of death, cause of death, place of birth, ward number, street address, time of residence, name of physician, place of intended interment, date of intended interment, date of certificate, and name of undertaker." They have records to January 24, 1908. These records cannot be viewed by the general public. You may request ESGR to research the city vital records in your behalf.

County of Erie Deaths Clerk of Records Room 122, Erie County Courthouse 140 W 6th St. Erie, PA 16501

These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch.


 * 1893-1906 Erie County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch

Pennsylvania death certificates become public records after 50 years. An annual index is released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Records less than 50 years old are kept by the Division of Vital Records and are not public certificates. Only certain people can request a non-public death certificate. To order a non-public representative you must be:


 * Legal representative of decedent's estate
 * Immediate family member
 * Extended family member who indicates a direct relationship to the decedent
 * Power of Attorney (Please note that a Power of Attorney document is no longer valid upon the death of the individual)

See the Pennsylvania Department of Health website to obtain a copy of a non-public death certificate.

Indexes for Pennsylvania public death records are available online through the Department of Health for 1906 through 1961. Once an individual is located in the index a certificate can be obtained by writing to:

Division of Vital Records ATTN: Public Records PO Box 1528 New Castle, PA 16103

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Archives

 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052

Family History Centers

 * The Erie County Public Library (Raymond M. Blasco, M.D. Memorial Library) allows patrons to view limited-access FamilySearch databases.

Libraries

 * Erie County Public Library
 * 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 are the obituary indexes that cover 1822 to the present. The Heritage Room has microfilm copies of the Erie newspapers, going back to 1820. They also have microfilm copies of the 1800 to 1930 censuses for Erie County and selected censuses for other Pennsylvania counties. Additionally the library has city directories for Erie beginning in 1853 and suburban directories beginning in 1957. The library subscribes to Ancestry.com Library Edition and to HeritageQuest Online. The Blasco Memorial Library is located at 160 East Front St. Erie, PA 16507.

Museums

 * 'Erie Maritime Museum' 150 East Front Street Erie, PA 16507 Phone: 814-452-2744 Website
 * Museum of Erie County History 419 State St. Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814-454-1813

Societies

 * The museum explores the history of Erie County from pre-settlement to today. The museum is housed in the Erie County History Center.
 * Erie Society for Genealogical Research P.O. Box 1403 Erie, PA 16512-1403 Website *The ESGR through their volunteer research committee will perform some research requests. *A valuable tool that the ESGR provides on their website is a name index to the Keystone Kuzzins publication.
 * Erie County Historical Society 419 State St. Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814-454-1813 Ext. 0 Website

Websites

 * Erie County PAGenWeb site maps, history and other information.
 * Erie County Old Photos
 * Erie 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.