Archives in PA: County Courthouses and Archives

Pennsylvania has 67 counties, each with its own county courthouse. When these counties were founded in the 17th through 19th centuries, a singular courthouse building was all that was needed to process and store records for county residents. 

In the last couple of decades, the more populous counties established additional buildings, such as administrative centers, annexes, and archives to handle the enormous amount of paperwork and permanent county records. 

County Offices and Duties

Traditionally, each county has the following offices and duties:

• Recorder of Deeds: Maintains copies of property deed sale transfers.
• Register of Wills: Processes marriage license applications and probates estates after death for those with assets over a specific dollar threshold who also have a last will and testament.
• Orphans Court: Probates estates after death of any size or for those without a last will and testament. Also processed marriage license applications for a period of time.
• Prothonotary: Administers civil court cases such as child adoption, divorce, name changes, naturalizations (prior to 1941), and other civil matters.
• Clerk of Courts: Administers criminal court cases.
• Treasurer: Maintains tax records of county residents.
• Sheriff: Manages county prison, maintains records of prisoners, and evicts people from land for non-payment of taxes.
• Coroner: Investigates suspicious and accidental deaths in the county.

Knowing the county offices and duties is important, because genealogists will usually find historical records labeled and categorized by these offices.

However, today, some of the less populous counties combined the above offices and functions. For example, in Clearfield County the new office is "Register and Recorder" combining the functions of the Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills. 

At the same time, Pennsylvania's most densely populated counties, Allegheny, and the City of Philadelphia, were permitted under state law to rename the above offices entirely. In Allegheny County there is a "Real Estate" office which performs the function of the Recorder of Deeds, and there is a "Department of Court Records" which functions as the Register of Wills, Orphans Court, Prothonotary, and Clerk of Courts combined. In Philadelphia there is a "Department of Revenue" instead of Treasurer, and a separate "Marriage License Department" to process and store all the marriage license applications within the Register of Wills.

Despite this renaming and combining of functions today, the core list of county offices and functions listed above will help genealogists search records of the 17th through 20th centuries.

How to Start Researching in County Records

The key to county courthouse research is to be clear about the type of record you are searching for and the approximate year it was created. 

If the county has its own archive for county government records, most records created prior to 1990 will be stored there. If a county has a separate archive location, it is listed below. If the county does not have an archive, then the records are almost always still in the courthouse (or adjacent administrative building). 

Some counties have also transferred their oldest records to local historical societies to make them accessible for research. Given the speed with which things change, it is a best practice to contact the county courthouse prior to any in-person research to confirm where the records are.

County Records Available Online

It also should be noted that FamilySearch microfilmed county records in every county courthouse in Pennsylvania in the 1950s through 1970s. These microfilms are now all digitized and browsable on FamilySearch.org in the Catalog section of the website. Enter the county name and 'Pennsylvania' in the location field to see the listing of what is available.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are being used to read these images and create searchable databases. This means that soon every county record should be as easily searchable as census records. This is great news for researchers with difficulty navigating the old courthouse indexes. You will be able to access these in the FamilySearch Catalog, and also through the main search function on FamilySearch.

It is important to note that when these records were microfilmed, not every record in the courthouse in every county was preserved. For example, tax records were often missed, but they do exist at the courthouse. Sometimes naturalization records were not filmed, but they also are still archived at the courthouse. And the one record genealogists want to be sure to obtain is full probate files. These files were rarely microfilmed by FamilySearch, but they are still preserved by the county courthouse and waiting for researchers.

In short, if it is not online, contact the county courthouse listed below and request copies of the records you need.

Look on PA Ancestors.com for more details on all the county records and how to use them to further your research.

Tip: To find if a county has any information online for genealogists, type “genealogy” in the search box on the county's website. Genealogists are the most frequent researchers in courthouses and many counties provide up-to-date information for them.

Adams County

County of Adams 117 Baltimore Street Gettysburg, PA 17325 Phone: (717)334-6781 Website: https://www.adamscountypa.gov

Allegheny County

Allegheny County Office Building 542 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: (412)350-4636 Website: https://www.alleghenycounty.us

Armstrong County

Armstrong County Courthouse 500 E. Market Street, Suite 102 Kittanning, PA 16201 Phone: (724)548-3236 Website: http://www.co.armstrong.pa.us

Beaver County

Beaver County Courthouse 810 Third Street Beaver, PA 15009 Phone: (724)728-5700 Website: https://www.beavercountypa.gov

Bedford County

Bedford County Courthouse 200 South Juliana Street Bedford, PA 15522 Phone: (724)728-5700 Website: https://www.bedfordcountypa.org

Berks County

Berks County Courthouse 633 Court Street Reading, PA 19601 Phone: (610) 478-6970 Website: https://www.countyofberks.com

Blair County

Blair County Courthouse 423 Allegheny Street Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Phone: (814) 693-3000 Website: https://www.blairco.org

Bradford County

Bradford County Courthouse 301 Main Street Towanda, PA 18848 Phone: (570) 265-1727 Website: https://bradfordcountypa.org

Bucks County

Bucks County Courthouse Archive Center, 3rd Floor 55 East State Street Doylestown, PA 18901 Phone: (215)348-6000 Website: https://www.buckscounty.gov

Butler County

Butler County Government Center 124 West Diamond Street Butler, PA 16003 Phone: (724) 284-1409 Website: https://www.butlercountypa.gov

Cambria County

Cambria County Courthouse 200 South Center Street Ebensburg, PA 15931 Phone: (814) 472-5440 Website: https://www.cambriacountypa.gov

Cameron County

Cameron County Courthouse 20 East Fifth Street Emporium, PA 15834 Phone: (814) 486-3349 Website: https://www.cameroncountypa.com

Carbon County

Carbon County Administration Building 2 Hazard Square Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 Phone: (570) 325-2651 Website: https://www.carboncountypa.gov

Centre County

Willowbank County Office Building 414 Homes Street, Suite #2 Bellefonte, PA 16823 Phone: (814) 355-6724 Website: https://www.centrecountypa.gov

Chester County

Chester County Administration Archives and Records 601 Westtown Road, Suite 080 West Chester, PA 19380 Phone: (610) 344-6760 Website: https://www.chesco.org/192/Archives-Records

Chester County Courthouse 313 West Market Street West Chester, PA 19380 Phone: (610) 334-6330 Website: https://www.chesco.org

Clarion County

Clarion County Administration Office 330 Main Street Clarion, PA 16214 Phone: (814) 226-4000 Website: https://www.co.clarion.pa.us

Clearfield County

Clearfield County Courthouse 1 North Second Street Clearfield, PA 16830 Phone: (814) 765-2641 Website: https://clearfieldco.org

Clinton County

Clinton County Courthouse 2 Piper Way Lock Haven, PA 17745 Phone: (570) 893-4010 Website: https://www.clintoncountypa.gov

Columbia County

Columbia County Courthouse 35 West Main Street Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Phone: (570) 389-5614 Website: http://www.columbiapa.org

Crawford County

Crawford County Courthouse 903 Diamond Park Meadville, PA 16355 Phone: (814) 373-2537 Website: https://www.crawfordcountypa.net

Cumberland County

County of Cumberland 1 Courthouse Square Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: (717) 240-6100 Website: https://www.cumberlandcountypa.gov

Dauphin County

Dauphin County Courthouse 101 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17101 Phone: (717) 780-6500 Website: https://www.dauphincounty.gov

Delaware County

Archives of Delaware County 340 North Middletown Road, Building 19 Lima, PA 19063 Phone: (610) 891-5620 Website: https://delconew.azurewebsites.net/departments/archives.html

Delaware County Government Center Complex 201 West Front Street Media, PA 19063 Phone: (610) 891-4000 Website: https://www.delcopa.gov

Elk County

Elk County Courthouse 240 Main Street Ridgeway, PA 15853 Phone: (814) 776-5349 Website: http://www.co.elk.pa.us

Erie County

Erie County Courthouse 140 West Sixth Street Erie, PA 16501 Phone: (814) 451-6237 Website: https://www.eriecountypa.gov

Fayette County

Fayette County Courthouse 61 East Main Street Uniontown, PA 15401 Phone: (724) 430-1238 Website: https://www.fayettecountypa.org

Forest County

Forest County Courthouse 240 Main Street Tionesta, PA 16353 Phone: (814) 755-3537 Website: https://www.co.forest.pa.us

Franklin County

Franklin County Archives Annex 625 Franklin Farms Lane Chambersburg, PA 17202 Phone: (717) 261-3154 Website: https://franklincountypa.gov/index.php?section=government-archives

Franklin County Courthouse 340 North Second Street Chambersburg, PA 17202 Phone: (717) 264-4125 Website: https://www.franklincountypa.gov

Fulton County

Fulton County Courthouse 201 North Second Street McConnellsburg, PA 17233 Phone: (814) 755-3537 Website: https://www.co.fulton.pa.us

Greene County

Greene County Courthouse 93 East High Street Waynesburg, PA 15370 Phone: (724) 852-5399 Website: https://www.co.greene.pa.us

Huntingdon County

Huntingdon County Courthouse 223 Penn Street Huntingdon, PA 16652 Phone: (814) 643-2740 Website: https://huntingdoncountycourt.net

Indiana County

Indiana County Court Administration 825 Philadelphia Street Indiana, PA 15701 Phone: (724) 465-3805 Website: https://www.indianacountypa.gov

Jefferson County

Jefferson County Courthouse 200 Main Street Brookville, PA 15825 Phone: (814) 849-1610 Website: https://www.jeffersoncountypa.com

Juniata County

Juniata County Courthouse Bridge & Main Streets, P.O. Box 68 Mifflintown, PA 17059 Phone: (724) 465-3805 Website:https://www.juniataco.org

Lackawanna County

Lackawanna County Government Center 123 Wyoming Ave Scranton, PA 18503 Phone: (570) 963-6702 Website: https://www.lackawannacounty.org

Lancaster County

Lancaster County Archives 150 North Queen Street, Suite 10 Lancaster, PA 17603 Phone: (717) 299-8319 Website: https://co.lancaster.pa.us/127/Archives-Division

Lancaster County Government Center 150 North Queen Street Lancaster, PA 17603 Phone: (717) 299-8000 Website: https://co.lancaster.pa.us

Lawrence County

Lawrence County Government Center 430 Court Street New Castle, PA 16101 Phone: (724) 658-2541 Website: https://lawrencecountypa.gov

Lebanon County

Lebanon County Courthouse 400 South 8th Street Lebanon, PA 17042 Phone: (717) 274-8094 Website: https://lebanoncountypa.gov

Lehigh County

Lehigh County Courthouse 455 Hamilton Street Allentown, PA 18101 Phone: (610) 782-3000 Website: https://www.lehighcounty.org

Luzerne County

Luzerne County Courthouse 200 North River Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 Phone: (570)825-1641 Website: https://www.luzernecounty.org

Lycoming County

Lycoming County Courthouse 48 West Third Street Williamsport, PA 17701 Phone: (570) 327-2251 Website: https://www.lyco.org

McKean County

McKean County Courthouse 500 West Main Street Smethport, PA 16749 Phone: (814) 887-3260 Website: https://www.mckeancountypa.gov

Mercer County

County of Mercer 138 South Diamond Street Mercer, PA 16137 Phone: (724) 662-3800 Website: https://www.mercercountypa.gov

Mifflin County

County of Mifflin 20 North Wayne Street Lewistown, PA 17044 Phone: (717) 248-6733 Website: https://mifflinco.org

Monroe County

Monroe County Archive One Quaker Plaza Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Phone: (570) 517-3400 Website:https://www.monroecountypa.gov/departments/archives

Montgomery County

Montgomery County Archive 86 Eagleville Road Eagleville PA 19403 Phone: (610) 278- 3441 Website:https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/418/Archival-Record-Retrieval

Montgomery County Courthouse 493 Swede Street Norristown, PA 19401 Phone: (610) 278-3000 Website: https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov

Montour County

Montour County Courthouse 253 Mill Street Danville, PA 17821 Phone: (570) 271-3012 Website: https://montourcounty.gov

Northampton County

Northampton County Courthouse 669 Washington Street Easton, PA 18042 Phone: (610) 829-6500 Website: https://www.northamptoncounty.org

Northumberland County

Northumberland County Courthouse 201 Market Street Sunbury, PA 17801 Phone: (570) 988-4148 Website: https://www.norrycopa.net

Perry County

Perry County Courthouse 2 East Main Street New Bloomfield, PA 17068 Phone: (717) 582-2131 Website: https://perryco.org

Philadelphia

Philadelphia City Archives 548 Spring Garden Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 Phone: (215) 685 - 9409 Website:https://www.phila.gov/departments/department-of-records/city-archives

Philadelphia City Hall Broad & Market Streets Philadelphia, PA 19107 Phone: (215) 686 - 4252 Website: https://www.phila.gov

Pike County

Pike County Courthouse 506 Broad Street Milford, PA 18337 Phone: (570) 296-7231 Website: https://www.pikepa.org

Potter County

Potter County Courthouse 1 Main Street Coudersport, PA 16915 Phone: (814) 274-8290 Website: https://pottercountypa.net

Schuylkill County

Schuylkill County Courthouse Archives 401 North 2nd Street Pottsville, PA 17801 Phone: (570) 628-1145 Website: https://schuylkillcountypa.gov

Snyder County

Snyder County Courthouse 9 West Market Street Middleburg, PA 17842 Phone: (570) 837-4224 Website: https://www.snydercounty.org

Somerset County

Somerset County Courthouse 111 East Union Street Somerset, PA 15501 Phone: (814) 445-1548 Website: http://www.co.somerset.pa.us

Sullivan County

Sullivan County Courthouse 245 Muncy Street Laporte, PA 18626 Phone: (570) 946-7351 Website: https://www.sullivancountypa.gov

Susquehana County

Susquehanna County Courthouse 31 Lake Avenue Montrose, PA 18801 Phone: (570) 278-4600 Website: https://www.susqco.com

Tioga County

Tioga County Courthouse 116 Main Street Wellsboro, PA 16901 Phone: (717) 248-6733 Website: https://www.tiogacountypa.us

Union County

Union County Courthouse 103 South Second Street Lewisburg, PA 17837 Phone: (570) 524-8762 Website: https://www.unioncountypa.org

Venango County

Venango County Courthouse 1168 Liberty Street Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: (814) 432-9539 Website: https://www.co.venango.pa.us

Warren County

County of Warren 204 Fourth Avenue Warren, PA 16365 Phone: (814) 728-3400 Website: https://warrencopa.com

Washington County

Washington County Courthouse 1 South Main Street Washington, PA 15301 Phone: (724) 228-6806 Website: https://www.co.washington.pa.us

Wayne County

Wayne County Courthouse 925 Court Street Honesdale, PA 18431 Phone: (570) 253-5970 Website: https://www.waynecountypa.gov

Westmoreland County

Westmoreland County Courthouse 2 North Main Street Greensburg, PA 15601 Phone: (717) 248-6733 Website: https://www.co.westmoreland.pa.us

Wyoming County

Wyoming County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Phone: (570) 836-3200 Website: https://wyomingcountypa.gov

York County

York County Archives 150 Pleasant Acres Road York, PA 17402 Phone: (717) 840-7222 Website: https://www.yorkcountyarchives.org

York County Government 45 North George Street York, PA 17401 Phone: (717) 771 - 9288 Website: https://yorkcountypa.gov

From the book Archives in Pennsylvania for Genealogy Research, 2nd edition, by Denyse Allen. Print and ebook copies available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQX915KK

© 2019–2024 PA Ancestors L.L.C. and Denys Allen. All Rights Reserved.