Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Courthouse
Note:
For Courthouse location, hours, etc., see Research Facilities.
For a list of courhouse records published in Crawford County Genealog, see subject index.
(References are to the volume and page in "CCG," the journal of the Crawford Co. Genealogical Soc.)
See also Justice of the Peace records:
Marriage Ledger of J. P. Hall, Spring Township
Office of Clerk of Courts
Orphans' Court
Note:
- The name "orphans" is misleading. The jurisdiction of this court is much broader than children whose parents are deceased, and includes such genealogical treasures as estate partitions. For births, deaths, and marriages, see also vital records.
- Births
- Delayed Birth Records - 5 volumes
- This was a special registration mainly to correct errors and omissions (prior to 1906).
- Record of Births, Vols. I and II (1893-1905)
- These are arranged by first letter of the surname, not necessarily in chronological order.
- Deaths
- Deaths 1852 to 1854
- Record of Deaths, Vols. I and II (1893-1905)
- These are arranged by first letter of the surname, not necessarily in chronological order.
- Marriages
- Marriages 1852 to 1854
- Index to Marriage License Dockets
- Series 1885-1950, 1950-1976?, etc.
- (The indexes provide [only] the docket number and page.)
- Marriage License [Dockets], on microfiche (1885 to present)
- (The bound volumes are in storage.)
- Vols. 1 - 10 (1885-1907) and the indexes through 1950 have been microfilmed; see LDS call numbers.
- Orphans' Court cases
- Orphans' Court Index, series 1800-1921, 1921-1959, etc.
- Classifies orphans' court cases as follows: widow's appraisment; sale or mortgage of real estate; proof of contract; partition of real estate; allowance for support of minors; discharge, citation to, and account of executor, administrator, or guardian; exceptions to accounts; auditor's report; and remarks.
- Entries since about 1900 give number and term of court.
- Orphans' Court Record, Volumes A (about 1825) through Z (1906) and later series.
- Papers for proceedings prior to Feb.Term 1905 are in attic storage,
- filed by first letter of the surname for 1800-1864, and thereafter by number and term.
- Vols. A - G and the index to Vols. A - Z have been microfilmed; see LDS call numbers.
- Note: Most of the original Orphans' Court records are locked in attic or basement storage.
Quarter Sessions Court
Quarter Sessions Court dockets (in basement storage).
Your host was in the process of sorting and abstracting the court papers when they where shipped to the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg.
Road dockets
Office of the Prothonotary
(i.e., Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, Civil Division)
- Appearance Dockets, 1800 -
- Note: These tell the nature and outcome of the civil court cases, including:
- Adoptions (sealed after 1925)
- Change of name [only one case, other than adoptions]
- Divorces
- Your host has compiled a list of all nineteenth century divorce actions, and has abstracts of the earlier cases.
- A divorce could also be obtained from the state Legislature or the state Supreme Court;
- see generally legislative divorces, 1769-1874
- General Index to Habitual drunkards
- General Index to Lunatics (1878-1935)
- [abstracts of lunacy cases to be added]
- The cases are indexed in two ways:
- Index to Appearance Dockets, Defendants; Index to Appearance Dockets, Plaintiffs
- Indexes all cases, chronologically, by first letter of the surname.
- Ejectment and Miscellaneous Index, series 1856-1930, and later series
- Indexes lunacies, adoptions (to 1924), divorces (1878-present), etc.
-
- Equity Court
- Equity Dockets, volumes 1 (1856) through 9? (1999)
- Equity papers are in file boxes, arranged by number and term (1860 to present)
- Equity Partitions
- Law Student and Attorney Record (1867 to present?)
- Naturalizations ...
- Index (microfilmed)
- Osteopathic Register
- Sheriff's Deeds
- Index to Sheriff's Deeds, Defendants; Index to Sheriff's Deeds, Purchasers
- Sheriff's Deed Book 1 (beginning 1824) through 10, A, and B (to 1905)
- Treasurers' Deeds
- Index to Treas. Deeds, Reputed Owners; Index to Treas. Deeds, Purchasers
- Treasurers' Deed Book 1 (beginning 1811) through 10? (present)
- Veterinary Register (1889-1919) [includes place of birth]
Office of the Recorder of Deeds
Note: In Crawford County, the Offices of the Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills are combined in a single Office.
- Agreement Books
- Volumes A (from 1859) through Z (to 1946) [no J] and 26 through ___
- Note: Agreements prior to 1859 are recorded in the Deed Books; those after 198_ are Record Books
- Chattel Mortgage Books
- Deed Books
- Note: The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania originally owned all the land in the county, and hence the chain of title to any parcel begins with a deed from the Commonwealth, called a patent. The Patent Books, and indexes, are located at the State Archives in Harrisburg; some of the patents, however, have been copied into the early deed books. A portion of the state was set aside as payment for military services in the Revolutionary War; these are known as the Donation Lands. Much of Donation Districts 6, 7, and 8 fall in Crawford County. Since the county was mostly unsettled (and not yet formed) when the patents to those lands were granted, many soldiers sold their rights to land speculators. Some of their deeds are also recorded in the early deed books, but many are recorded in Allegheny County, from which Crawford was formed in 1800. In fact, any deed to land in Crawford County (other than a patent) recorded before March of 1800 will be found in the first few deed books for Allegheny County. (Those have been microfilmed, but are not yet available in Crawford County other than on loan through the Family History Center).
- Mortgage Books
- Volumes A (from 1800) through Z (to 1882) [no J], A-2 through Z-2, and 50 through 4__.
- Note: Since 198_, mortgages have been recorded in the Record Books.
- Indexed in General Index to Mortgages (1800-1925), and Second and later series.
- The earliest mortgage books and the General Index have been microfilmed.
- Petitions of Married Women [abstracts to be added]
- Powers of Attorney
- Volumes A (from 1825) through Z (ending 1882) and 1 ...
- Power of Attorney Index, Grantor (2 volumes, 1825 to present)
- Power of Attorney Index, Grantee (2 volumes, 1825 to present)
- Note: Those prior to 1825 are recorded in the deed books.
- Record Books
- Surveyor's Docket
- This volume contains warrantee tract maps, which include the date of the warrant and survey. The maps are referenced in Plan Book 5, which contains township maps from the 1876 county atlas (see red lettering); note that this is not completely accurate.
- Charter Books, Volumes B (1889; Vol. A is missing) through __ (in 1999)
- Soldiers Discharge Register
- Those for Civil War soldiers were listed at CCG 1:5, and will be added here.
- photocopy service
Office of the Register of Wills
Note: In Crawford County, the Offices of the Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills are combined in a single Office.
- Note: Probate records in Pennsylvania are split between the Register of Wills and the Orphans' Court; therefore, see also Office of the Clerk of Courts
-
- General Index to Register's Docket, series 1800-1974 and 1975-present
- Indexes the Register's Dockets, Will Books, and (beginning 1909) Inventory Books. Entries include the following: volume and page number; and (beginning about 1911) date of death; place of residence [which need not be the place of death]; name of personal representative; date and amount of final account; date the inventory was filed, and amount; and (beginning in 1964) probate file number [always 20-(year)-#].
- Register's (or Rough) Docket, Volumes A (1800-1842] and 1 - __ (in 1999)
- Entries are generally arranged chronologically by date of probate, and include (where applicable) the following: name and residence of decedent, and (beginning about 1880) date and (beginning about 1894) place of death; date of probate; name of personal representative(s); date and amount of bond, and names of bondsmen (if any bond was required); date inventory filed; date sale bill filed, and amount; date of final account; total debits and credits, balance, and remarks. The dockets also contain some final accounts from testamentary and otehr guardianships. Entries in Docket A dated 1829 to 1842 are repeated on pages 1-165 of Docket 1.
- Will Books, Volumes A (1800-1835) through Z [no J] and 26 to __ (in 1999) [no 1-25]
- Contain copies of probated wills and codicils, attestations of witnesses, some receipts by devisees, and copies of probate proceedings for non-residents who owned land in the county.
- Wills probated between 1800 and about 1891 are filed in envelopes by year of probate.
- Wills probated between about 1891 and 1963 are found in estate packets, filed by month of probate. These contain petitions for letters testimentary, renunciations, attestations, and (original) wills and codicils.
- Wills probated after 1963 are filed in revolving file cabinets, arranged by probate file number.
- Note: For a few abstracted or transcribed wills, see Wills
-
- Unprobated wills
- Inventory Book Index
- Indexes Inventory Books 1 through 8.
- Inventory (and Appraisement) Books, Volumes 1 (1885) through __ (in 1999)
- Only a few inventories dating from before 1850 have been located.
- Insolvent Estates (one volume, undated)
- This lists, by first letter of the surname, the name of the insolvent and his or her residence. It should be checked after ____ if no entry is found in the Register's Docket Index; no date of death or other information, however, is provided.
- Proofs of death
- These are affidavits (usually signed by relatives) as to the time and place of death. They began to be used about 1880. Some have been sorted and arranged alphabetically in file drawers near the plan books, and others will be found in the estate packets.
- Renunciations (arranged alphabetically)
- (This provides an index to the Register's Docket and Will Book entries for several hundred decedents.)
- Note
- Most volumes can be taken apart, and the individual pages photocopied (the current charge to patrons is 50 cents/page). An important exception is the early will books; photocopies of the actual wills, however, will be made by staff upon request.
Office of Veterans' Affairs
Has veterans' service records and cemetery plot maps.
- The staff here could not be more helpful or courteous.
- See also Soldiers Discharge Register (Recorder's Office).
