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United States Pennsylvania Crawford County

Crawford County, Pennsylvania genealogy and family history research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Map
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	March 12, 1800
County Seat	Meadville
Courthouse
Address	Crawford County Courthouse 903 Diamond Park Meadville, PA 16335 Crawford County Website
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Contents 1 Historical Facts 1.1 Boundary Changes [3] 2 Resources 2.1 Bible Records 2.2 Cemeteries 2.3 Census 2.4 Church Records 2.4.1 County-wide Database - Multi-denominational 2.4.2 Catholic 2.5 Court Records 2.5.1 Court of Common Pleas 2.5.2 Clerk of the Court 2.5.3 Prothonotary 2.5.4 Orphans' Court 2.6 Emigration and Immigration 2.7 Ethnic Groups 2.7.1 Germans 2.8 Gazetteers 2.9 Genealogy 2.10 History 2.10.1 Published Histories 2.11 Land and Property 2.12 Maps 2.13 Migration 2.14 Military 2.15 Naturalization and Citizenship 2.16 Newspapers 2.16.1 Obituaries 2.17 Occupations 2.17.1 Indentured Servants 2.18 Periodicals 2.19 Poorhouse, Almshouse 2.20 Probate Records 2.21 Repositories 2.21.1 Archives 2.21.2 Courthouse 2.21.3 Family History Centers 2.21.4 Libraries 2.21.5 Museums 2.21.6 Societies 2.22 Taxation 2.23 Vital Records 2.23.1 Birth 2.23.2 Marriage 2.23.3 Divorce 2.23.4 Death 3 Places 3.1 Populated Places 4 References

Historical Facts

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Deeds	Probate
1893	1885	1893	1800	1800

• Parent Counties: Formed from Allegheny County 12 March 1800.^[1]
• County Seat: Meadville
  
• Neighboring Counties: Crawford County, Pennsylvania residents may also have records in ^[2]Erie (north) • Ashtabula County, Ohio (west) • Mercer (south) • Warren (east) • Venango (southeast) • Trumbull County, Ohio (southwest)

Named for Col. William Crawford (1732 – 11 June 1782) was an American soldier and surveyor who worked as a western land agent for George Washington. Crawford fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. He was tortured and burnt at the stake by American Indians in a notorious incident near the end of the American Revolution. (source:Wikipedia)

Boundary Changes ^[3]

• Before 1785: Not included in any county (included in Donation Lands in 1783), still unorganized territory.
  
• 9 March 1771: Bedford County created from Cumberland County.
• 26 February 1773: Westmoreland County split off from Bedford County.
• 27 March 1781: Washington County was created from Westmoreland County, taking a part of future Crawford County.
  
• 24 September 1788: Allegheny County was created from Washington and Westmoreland counties, including the part covering future Crawford County.
  

Resources

Bible Records

Cemeteries

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

Online Grave Transcripts	Published Grave Transcripts	County Cemetery Directories
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
Interment.net	WorldCat	Names in Stone
USGenWeb		Billion Graves
Pennsylvania Genealogy		Epodunk
Pennsylvania Gravestones
Billion Graves
Names in Stone
Access Genealogy
Ancestry($)
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information.

Cambridge: Mitchell Cemetery

Cochranton: Cochranton Cemetery

Meadville: Greendale Cemetery
Meadville: Roselawn Cemetery
Meadville: St. Brigid's Cemetery

Saegertown: Saegertown Cemetery

Census

For tips on accessing Crawford County, Pennsylvania Federal (or United States) census records online, see: Pennsylvania Census.

There are no county or state census records available for Pennsylvania. County and city tax records can be used as a substitute when census records are not available.

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. In Pennsylvania, church records are often used as a substitute for birth, marriage, and death information. For general information about Pennsylvania denominations, view the Pennsylvania Church Records wiki page.

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Crawford County, Pennsylvania Church Records  in online catalogs like:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

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, 17:1. FamilySearch Library book 974.8 B2wg. Contains chronolgy, map, county-by-county information.

Court Records

Crawford County, Pennsylvania court records are housed at the Crawford County, Pennsylvania Courthouse. For many counties copies of court records may be found at the Pennsylvania State Archives and in the FamilySearch collection. Note that within these collections some films may contain the same records, but have different titles. Other titles are not duplicates. See Finding Court Records at other repositories within this section for links to the online catalogs for these two collections. Films at the Pennsylvania State Archives are not available for inter-library loan. If court records are available FamilySearch films may be ordered at a local Family History Center.

Court of Common Pleas

The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of Pennsylvania. Major civil and criminal cases are heard in these courts. Judges also decide cases involving adoption, divorce, child custody, abuse, juvenile delinquency, estates, guardianships, charitable organizations and many other matters. The Common Pleas courts are organized into 60 judicial districts. Crawford County, Pennsylvania has its own judicial district. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.^[4]

Clerk of the Court

The Clerk of Courts prepares and maintains the records for the Criminal Division of the Court of Common Pleas. The Clerk signs and affixes the Seal of the Courts to all writs and processes, administers oaths and affirmations, and assumes custody of the seal and records of the Courts. The Clerk certifies and distributes orders of the Court. The Clerk also certifies and prepares bills of costs for the defendants and utilizes the computerized financial management system to disburse fines, costs and restitution.^[5] For the Crawford County, Pennsylvania Clerk of Courts address see the Courthouse section on this page.

Prothonotary

The office of the Prothontary is the custodian of all civil matters in the county. This includes naturalization, immigration, equity actions, judgements, federal and local tax leins, city liens, family court, arbitrations, license suspension appeals, appeals to higher court, commercial code filings, applications for passports and divorce proceedings. See the Courthouse section on this page for the Crawford County, Pennsylvania Prothonotary office information.

Orphans' Court

See Vital Records
The Orphans' Court is responsible for a wide range of matters. The name of the Court is derived from the more general definition of "orphan," that being a person or thing that is without protective affiliation or sponsorship. This would include those not capable of handling their own affairs, minors, incapacitated persons, decedents estates, nonprofit corporations and trusts. It is the role of the Court to ensure that the best interests of the person or entity are not compromised.

It is believed the name of this court was borrowed from the Court of Orphans of the city of London, England which had the care and guardianship of children of deceased citizens, in their minority.^[6]

For Crawford County, Pennsylvania Orphans' Court contact information see the Courthouse section on this page.

• 1825-1868 Orphans' Court records; index to Orphans Court records, 1825-1921 FHL Films 909290-97. Each volume also has an index.
  
  

Finding Court Records at Other Repositories

Additional court records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Crawford County, Pennsylvania Court Records in online catalogs like:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
  
  

Emigration and Immigration

For information about emigration into Pennsylvania, see the Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration page.

Ethnic Groups

Germans

Gazetteers

Genealogy

History

Published Histories

• Bates, Samuel P. et al. History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania: Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Industries, etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania; Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, etc., etc. Chicago: Warner, Beers and Co., 1885. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.

Land and Property

Land records in Crawford County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Meadville, 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

• 1800–1925 Deeds, 1800-1825; Index, 1800-1925. FHL film 857355 (first of 75 films)
  
• 1800–1925 Mortgages, 1800-1828; Indexes, 1800-1925. FHL films 864206–864215

Additional Resources

Note that the "Maps" section below 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 Crawford County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
  
• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
  
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps

Click the image to view an enlarged version

• Ancestor Tracks has posted free, downloadable images from the 1876 Historical Atlas of Crawford County, Pennsylvania published by J.C. McDowell.  This atlas located in the files of the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, PA, shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date of publishing.  While the physical documents 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

Military

Naturalization and Citizenship

Naturalization records can contain information about immigration and nativity. Prior to 1906, it is rare to find the town of origin in naturalization records. See Pennsylvania Naturalization for more information about the types of records and availability.

Naturalizations granted at the county level were kept by the office of the Prothonotary. Naturalizations could also be granted on the Federal Court level.

Naturalization records available for Crawford County, Pennsylvania include the following:

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 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.com - ($), National Archives publication M1208
  
• 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.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1537.
  

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm

• 1802-1906 Naturalization Dockets, v. 1-3 FHL film 1317176 items 2-4
  
• Naturalization Index FHL film 1317176 item 1
  

Finding Naturalization Indexes at Other Repositories

Additional naturalization indexes can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Crawford County, Pennsylvania naturalization in online catalogs like:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Abstracts in Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

Newspapers

Crawford County, Pennsylvania newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.

To access newspapers, contact public libraries, historical/genealogical societies, college or university libraries, or state archives in the area where the newspaper was published.

For information on state-wide newspapers see Pennsylvania Newspapers

Newspapers of Crawford County

• Pennsylvania Newspapers
• Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
• Meadville Tribute

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Crawford County.

Obituaries

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died. However, sometimes an obituary is found in the location from which he or she originated. To find an obituary, see the information under the Newspaper heading

Sometimes the fastest way of finding obituaries is to call or email the local public library in the area where the person died. If the library does not have newspapers, a librarian often will know where they are kept. If a death date is known, and the newspapers are at the library, someone on staff will usually make a search for a small fee, or will indicate someone who will do the search.

Online Obituary Abstracts

• PA-Roots Obituaries for Crawford County.
• USGenWeb Obituaries for Crawford County, Pennsylvania.
• GenealogyMisc
• Crawford County Obituaries at Crawford County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives]

Occupations

Indentured Servants

Periodicals

Poorhouse, Almshouse

Probate Records

Probate matters in Crawford County, Pennsylvania are handled by the Orphans' Court and start when the county was created. To obtain original probate records, contact the Orphan's Court in the County Courthouse.

In addition to wills and administrations, the Orphans' Court also handles: audits of accounts of executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians; distribution of estates of decedents, incompetents, and minors; appointment and control of guardians; adoptions; appeals from the Register of Wills involving probate matters; inheritance tax appeals and various petitions and motions.

Online Probate Records

Original probate records for some Pennsylvania counties are available free online as digital images at FamilySearch.org. The dates vary significantly for each county and not all counties are listed. Some counties may only have probate indexes. This Pennsylvania collection of images may be browsed through the links listed below:

Complete Collection:

• 1683-1994-Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994 at FamilySearch.org

Crawford County Only:

• 1800-1970-Crawford County Probate Records
  

Original Probate Records on Microfilm

• 1800-1889 Register's Dockets FHL film 864216 (first of 5 films) - Index included: 1800-1970
  
• 1813-1906 Will Books FHL film 864218 (first of 12 films)
  

Repositories

Archives

• The Pennsylvania Archives collection contains county archive records that can be searched onsite. Currently the Archives' staff cannot provide research or make copies of these records. Their collections include Almshouse Registers; Tax records; Birth, Death and Marriage Indexes and Records; Midwife records; African American records; Wills; Deeds; Naturalizations; Coroner's inquests; and Orphan's Court dockets. A list of the Archive's county holdings are on Microfilm or Manuscript form.

Courthouse

Crawford County Courthouse
903 Diamond Park
Meadville, PA 16335
Phone: 814-333-7400 or 1-800-982-9019
Hours: M-F, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds is available at 814-373-2537. The Register/Recorder maintains probate records and land records back to 1800. A search of estate records costs $10.00 and copies cost $.50 a page.

Office of the Prothonotary
First Floor of the County Courthouse
903 Diamond Park
Meadville, PA 16335
Phone: 814–333-7324

Family History Centers

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.

The main FHC for Crawford County, Pennsylvania is the Meadville Pennsylvania Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

Libraries

Museums

• Cambridge Springs Historical Museum
  26 Federal Street
  Cambridge Springs, PA 16403
  (814)398-1827

Societies

Rich in history, Crawford County, Pennsylvania contains a number of societies dealing with the history of the area.

Crawford County Historical Society
P O Box 411
Meadville, PA 16335
Phone: 814.724.6080

Crawford County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 514
Meadville, PA 16335-0514

Conneaut Valley Area Historical Society
1625 Main St., PO Box 266
Conneautville, PA 16406
Phone: 814.587-3782

Linesville Historical Society
120 Erie St
Linesville, PA 16424
Phone: 814.683.4299

Taxation

Vital Records

Vital records are handled by the County Orphans' Court. Between the years 1852-1855 Pennsylvania made a failed attempt to record birth, marriage and death events at the county level. While the records for that time period are available, there were few events recorded. County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Births and deaths, at the county level, were begun in 1893 and kept through 1905. Abstracts and copies of vital records are available for some counties, but most are incomplete. For the most complete set of records, always contact the County Orphans' Court.

Use substitute records for birth, marriage and death information. These substitute records include Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Birth

Early births 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. See the heading Court Records on this page for contact information.

Indexes for Pennsylvania birth records are available through the Department of of Health for 1906 and 1907. Once an individual is located in the index a non certified Birth certificate can be obtained by writing and sending $3.00 to:

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

• 1726-1930 - Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950 - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic index for the years 1726 to 1930. It 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.
• 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Marriage

Pennsylvania marriages are located at the county level. Contact the Crawford County, Pennsylvania clerk's office for these records.

• 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
• 1725-1976 - Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940 - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
• Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties. Includes 35,000 marriage records from vol. VIII of of the second series of the Pennsylvania Archives.
• 1825-1865 Methodist circuit rider marriages including Crawford County in USGenWeb.
• 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
• 1885-1950 - Pennsylvania County Marriage, 1885-1950 Extracted marriage records – free. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
  

Divorce

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

Death

Early deaths 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. See the heading Court Records on this page for contact information.

Indexes for Pennsylvania death records are available through the Department of Health for 1906 through 1962. Once an individual is located in the index a non certified death certificate can be obtained obtained by writing and sending $3.00 to:

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

• 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Crawford County, Pennsylvania Vital Records in online catalogs like:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).

Places

Populated Places

Cambridge Springs | Centerville | Cochranton | Conneaut Lake | Conneautville | Espyville | Meadville | Saegertown | Spartansburg | Titusville | Townville

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Adams County, Pennsylvania" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_County,_Pennsylvania (accessed 17 July 2012).
3. ↑ Pennsylvania line : a research guide to Pennsylvania genealogy and local history, 1990 ed. (Laughlintown, Pa.: Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services, 1990), [FHL book 974.8 D27p 1990].
4. ↑ The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania http://www.pacourts.us/T/CommonPleas/ accessed 10 July 2012.
5. ↑ Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, Clerk of Courts in http://www.pacourts.us/T/CommonPleas/ClerksOfCourts.htm (accessed 25 Aug 2012)
6. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at http://www.courts.phila.gov/common-pleas/orphans/ accessed 10 July 2012

v • d • e Links to Pennsylvania-related articles Topics Introduction · American Indians · Archives and Libraries · Bible Records · Biography · Cemeteries · Census · Church Records · Court Records · Directories · Emigration and Immigration · Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups · Gazetteers · Genealogy · Historical Geography · History · Land and Property · Law and Legislation · Maps · Military Records · Native Races · Naturalization and Citizenship · Newspapers · Occupations · Online Records · Periodicals · Probate Records · Societies · Taxation · Vital Records · For Further Reading Counties Adams · Allegheny · Armstrong · Beaver · Bedford · Berks · Blair · Bradford · Bucks · Butler · Cambria · Cameron · Carbon · Centre · Chester · Clarion · Clearfield · Clinton · Columbia · Crawford · Cumberland · Dauphin · Delaware · Elk · Erie · Fayette · Forest · Franklin · Fulton · Greene · Huntingdon · Indiana · Jefferson · Juniata · Lackawanna · Lancaster · Lawrence · Lebanon · Lehigh · Luzerne · Lycoming · McKean · Mercer · Mifflin · Monroe · Montgomery · Montour · Northampton · Northumberland · Perry · Philadelphia · Pike · Potter · Schuylkill · Snyder · Somerset · Sullivan · Susquehanna · Tioga · Union · Venango · Warren · Washington · Wayne · Westmoreland · Wyoming · York Extinct Co. New Netherland · New Sweden · Ontario · Upland Major Repositories Pennsylvania State Archives · State Library of Pennsylvania · Historical Society of Pennsylvania · Haverford College · Swarthmore College · Franklin & Marshall College · National Archives and Records Administration · New York Public Library · Library of Congress Migration Routes Beaver and Erie Canal · Bethlehem Pike · Braddock's Road · Burd's Road · Canada Road · Centre Turnpike · Culbertson's Path · Delaware and Raritan Canal · Delaware River · Fall Line Road (or Southern Road) · Forbes Road · Gist's Trace (or Memacolinis Path) · Great Indian Warpath · Great Island Path · Great Shamokin Path · Great Trail · Great Valley Road (or Philadelphia Wagon Road) · King's Highway · Kittanning Path · Lake Erie · Lake Shore Path (or Lake Trail) · Leheigh and Lackawanna Paths · Minsi Path · National Road (or Cumberland Road) · Ohio River · Pennsylvania Road · Philadelphia Lancaster Turnpike · Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road · Pennsylvania Railroad · Schuykill Canal · Tuscarora Path · Union Canal · Venango Path Ports Philadelphia

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