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United States Pennsylvania Forest County

Forest 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, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Forest County, Pennsylvania
Map
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	April 11, 1848
County Seat	Tionesta
Courthouse
Address	Forest County Courthouse 526 Elm Street Tionesta, PA 16353 Forest County Website
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Contents 1 Forest County Pennsylvania Historical Facts 1.1 Boundary Changes 2 Forest County Pennsylvania Genealogy 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 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 Forest County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites 4 Forest County Pennsylvania Places 4.1 Populated Places 5 Forest County Pennsylvania Genealogy References

Forest County Pennsylvania Historical Facts

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Deeds	Probate
1893	1885	1893	1857	1855

• Parent Counties: Formed from Jefferson County 11 April 1848.^[1]
• County Seat: Tionesta
  
• Neighboring Counties: Forest County, Pennsylvania residents may also have records in ^[2]Warren (north) • Elk (east) • Venango (west) • McKean (northeast)  • Clarion (south)  • Jefferson (southeast)

Named for the vast forests in the area.

Boundary Changes

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

Forest County Pennsylvania Genealogy 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-transcripts USGenWeb-tombstone photos		Billion Graves
Pennsylvania Genealogy		Epodunk
Pennsylvania Gravestones
Billion Graves
Names in Stone
Access Genealogy
Ancestry($)
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information.

Census

For tips on accessing Forest 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.

Some of the major religious affiliations in Forest County are: Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian. For a history of the various churches in the towns of Forest County see "History of Forest County, 1867-1967.^[3]

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Forest 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, Vol. 17, No. 1. FHL Book 974.8 B2wg. Chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Court Records

Forest County, Pennsylvania court records are housed at the Forest 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.

Forest County Courthouse
526 Elm Street
Tionesta, PA 17353
Phone: 814-755-3526
Fax: 814-755-8837

Open 9:00 am until 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

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. Forest County, Pennsylvania shares its judicial district with Warren County. 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]

• 1852–1904 Sheriffs' Deed Book FHL Film 870469

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 Forest 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 Forest County, Pennsylvania Prothonotary office information.

Orphans' Court

• 1855–1888 Court Dockets FHL Film 870472

Finding Court Records at Other Repositories

Additional court records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Forest 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

Land and Property

Land records in Forest County began in 1784. These records are filed with the Prothonotary/Recorder of Deeds office in Tionesta, 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

• 1857–1933 Deed Books, 1857-1886; Indexes to Deeds, 1857-1933 FHL film 870462 (first of 12 films)
  
• 1852–1904 Sheriffs' Deed Book FHL film 870469

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 Forest 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

Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1881 Map of Forest Co. Pennsylvania Compiled from Records & 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.

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.

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm

• 1858–1906 Naturalization Docket FHL Film 1317055

Newspapers

Forest 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 Forest County

• Pennsylvania Newspapers
• Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

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.

• The Forest Republican, 1869-1952

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles of Forest County.
• USGenWeb Forest County Historical Newspapers

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 of Forest County.
• USGenWeb Forest County Obituaries

Occupations

Indentured Servants

Periodicals

Poorhouse, Almshouse

Probate Records

Probate matters in Forest 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 Indexes

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, 1683-1994at FamilySearch.org
  

Forest County only:

• Forest County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm

• 1855–1888 Court Dockets FHL film 870472
• 1855–1911 Wills FHL film 870471

Additional Probate Indexes and Abstracts

Additional probate indexes or abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Forest County, Pennsylvania probate wills 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).

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

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

Prothonotary and Clerk of the Court
Dawn M. Millin
814-755-3526
Fax: 814-755-8837
E-mail: dmillin@co.forest.pa.us
Hours: M - F 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

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 Forest County, Pennsylvania is the Franklin Pennsylvania Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Libraries

Societies

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

• Forest County Historical Society & Museum
  206 Elm St.
  Tionesta, PA 16353-9702

The Forest History Center is housed in an 1875 pre-Victorian Eastlake style home filled with artifacts and genealogies of the area’s families.

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

Birth records for Forest County began in 1893. The Forest County Clerk of Orphans' Court maintains birth records through 1905. Individuals are allowed to search these records. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893–1905 time period contact the Forest County Courthouse.

The birth records for Forest County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. These microfilms may be ordered into a local FamilySearch Center or authorized public library for a small fee.

• 1893-1907 Register of Births FHL film 1314246
  

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
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103

The cost for an non-certified birth certificate is $3.00.

Marriage

Forest County marriages are maintained by the Clerk of Orphans' Court. Forest County began recording marriages in 1885. To obtain a marriage record you may go to or mail the Clerk of Orphans' Court.

• 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.
• 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.
  
• 1885-1928 Marriage Licenses (Forest County, Pennsylvania) FHL films 1314244–1314246

Divorce

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

Death

Forest County began recording deaths in 1893. Records from 1893 – 1905 are available at the County Courthouse in Tionesta. You may request a death record from the Clerk of Orphans' Court.

These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch.

• 1893-1907 Register of Deaths – FHL film 1314247

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. The cost is $9.

The cost for a non-certified public death certificate is $3.00. 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

Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Forest 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).

Forest County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Family History Library Catalog

Forest County Pennsylvania Places

Populated Places

Forest County Pennsylvania Genealogy 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. ↑ Ronald Childs, "History of Forest County, 1867-1967" (Forset Press, Inc., Tionesta, Pa, 1989), 296-319. WorldCat 36442423; FHL book 974.868 H2c
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)

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