Indiana County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States

Pennsylvania

Indiana County

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

Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Indiana Organized: March 30, 1803 Parent County(s): Lycoming, Westmoreland Neighboring Counties Jefferson  • Clearfield  • Armstrong  • Westmoreland  • Cambria See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: PA Roots and its members who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The county is located in the midwest-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Indiana County Courthouse
825 Philadelphia Street
Indiana, PA 15701
Phone: 724-465-3805
Prothonotary/Clerk of Court Phone: 724-465-3855 Email: pcc@indianacountypa.gov
Register of Wills/Recorder of Deeds/Clerk of Orphan's Court Phone: 724-465-3860
Indiana County Website

Prothonotary and Clerk Courts have divorce, land, and court records from 1807, and naturalization records 1806-1958
Register of Wills has probate records

Indiana County, Pennsylvania Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
bef 1906	1803	bef 1906	1807	1807	1807	1790
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Formed from Lycoming and Westmoreland Counties 30 March 1803. County seat: Indiana For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Boroughs
Armagh Blairsville Cherry Tree Clymer Creekside	Ernest Glen Campbell Homer City Indiana Marion Center	Plumville Saltsburg Shelocta Smicksburg
Unincorporated communities
Arcadia Clarksburg Covode Dixonville Gipsy	Home Jewtown Locust Loop Mentcle	Rochester Mills Starford Wehrum West Lebanon
Census-designated places
Black Lick Chevy Chase Heights Commodore Coral	Dixonville Graceton Heilwood Jacksonville	Lucerne Mines Robinson Rossiter
Townships
Armstrong Banks Black Lick Brush Valley Buffington Burrell Canoe Center	Cherryhill Conemaugh East Mahoning East Wheatfield Grant Green Montgomery North Mahoning	Pine Rayne South Mahoning Washington West Mahoning West Wheatfield White Young

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Indiana County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com HomeTownLocator PAGenWeb Archives Tombstone Photos PAGenWeb Pennsylvania Genealogy BillionGraves (name)
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com BillionGraves Linkpendium PAGravestones Access Genealogy Interment FamilySearch Places
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

 

• ca.1700-ca.1950 - Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950 at FamilySearch — index and images

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	6,214	—
1820	8,882	42.9%
1830	14,252	60.5%
1840	20,782	45.8%
1850	27,170	30.7%
1860	33,687	24.0%
1870	36,138	7.3%
1880	40,527	12.1%
1890	42,175	4.1%
1900	42,556	0.9%
1910	66,210	55.6%
1920	80,910	22.2%
1930	75,395	−6.8%
1940	79,854	5.9%
1950	77,106	−3.4%
1960	75,366	−2.3%
1970	79,451	5.4%
1980	92,281	16.1%
1990	89,994	−2.5%
2000	89,605	−0.4%
2010	88,880	−0.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. For members, they may contain: age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage date and maiden name; death/burial date. For general information about Pennsylvania denominations, see Pennsylvania Church Records.

Indiana County Churches and Church Records, Indiana County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Project

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 $

Contains church records of:

• Canoe: United Church of Christ - Hungarian Reformed
• Homer City: Brush Valley United Methodist Church
• Saltsburg: Saltsburg United Presbyterian Church

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.

Presbyterian
This denomination arrived in the Indiana area in the early 1800s.

First United Presbyterian Church, Homer City

• 1874-1883 First United Presbyterian Church, Homer City, Marriage Index 1874-1883 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M538601
• 1874-1898 First United Presbyterian Church, Homer City, Baptism Index 1874-1898 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C538601

First United Presbyterian Church, Indiana

• 1819-1875 First United Presbyterian Church, Indiana, Baptism Index 1819-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C538621
• 1865-1877 First United Presbyterian Church, Indiana, Marriage Index 1865-1877 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M538621

Presbyterian Church, Homer City

• 1870-1875 Presbyterian Church, Homer City, Baptism Index 1874-1898 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C538571
• 1875-1886 Presbyterian Church, Homer City, Marriage Index 1875-1886 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch M538571

Presbyterian Church, Indiana

• 1844-1911 Presbyterian Church, Indiana, Baptism Index 1844-1911 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1852-1884 Presbyterian Church, Indiana, Marriage Index 1852-1884 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batches M538631.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

For information about records kept in the Orphan's court, Prothonotary Court, Court of Common Pleas, and other courts in counties of Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Court Records Wiki page.

Emigration and Immigration

For online resources, passenger lists, and specific groups coming to Pennsylvania, see Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

For groups that came, see People section of the Pennsylvania Emigration page.

Guardianship

The Orphan's Court ensures the best interests of those not capable of handling their own affairs: minors, incapacitated persons, decedents' estates, and more.

• 1803 -1870 Index to Orphans' Court Records FHL Film 862694 (first of 7 films)
• 1807 -1881 Court Dockets FHL Film 863905 (first of 7 films)

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a specific location and reveal family relationships. Records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, maps and more. For more information, see Pennsylvania Land and Property.

Land records in Indiana County began in 1803. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1803 -1928 Deed Books, 1807-1892; Index, 1803-1928. FHL film 861255 (first of 48 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1803 -1969 Mortgage Index FHL films 863911–186318 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1948–present The Register and Recorder offers access to indexes. Check their web page for current information about their online search options.
• Indiana County Land Warrants at Indiana County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Landowner Maps

• Beers, F.W. Atlas of Indiana County, Pennsylvania Indiana, Pennsylvania Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County, 1998. Original published New York F.W. Beers, 1871. FHL Q book 974.889 E7b

Local Histories

• Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Indiana and Armstrong Counties, Pennsylvania. 1891. Ed. by Samuel T. Wiley. Philadelphia [J.M. Gresham & co.]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, 1745-1880. 1880. By John A. Caldwell. Newark, Ohio : J.A. Caldwell. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Indiana County, Pennsylvania; her People, Past and Present. 2 volumes. 1913. By J.T. Stewart. Chicago, Illinois : J.H. Beers & Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat). Index: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

• Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Pennsylvania, Register of Military Volunteers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• Civil War Rosters at Indiana County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

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. For more information, see Pennsylvania Naturalization

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1806 -1902 Naturalization Index FHL Film 1317396 Item 1 – index to certificates granted; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1885 -1906 FHL Film 1317396 Item 3 – includes index; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1903 -1906 Naturalization Docket FHL Film 1317396 Item 2 – petitions, oaths of witnesses, and court orders with index; images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Newspapers

Newspapers may contain obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings. Newspapers are often found in local or university libraries, historical or genealogical societies, or state archives in the area where the newspaper was published. See Pennsylvania Newspapers for more information.

Newspapers of Indiana 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.

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• 1947-2010 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch
• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
• USGenWeb Newspaper Articles from Indiana County, Pennsylvania.

Obituaries

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died or where family members lived. Local libraries or societies may have indexes or other sources.

Online Obituary Abstracts

• PA-Roots Obituaries for Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
• USGenWeb Obituaries

Obituary Excerpts and Abtracts

• Given, James, A Register of the Names of those Married, baptized, and Received to the Communion of the Church (SLC, Utah, 1966) FHL film 500944 item 2 Marriages in a newspaper clipping.
• Haver, Fern Rebecca and Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania), Obituaries from the Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania):1987-1993 (SLC, Utah, 1995) FHL film 1698097
• Obituaries of South Bend and surrounding Areas 1960 -1970 - 1980: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Armstrong County, Pennsylvania; Indiana County, Pennsylvania: probably copied from Simpson's Daily Leader Times newspaper (200-?) FHL book 974.88 V4o

Probate Records

Probate matters in Indiana County are handled by the Orphans' Court and start when the county was created.

In addition to wills and administrations, the Orphans' Court also handles: audits of accounts of executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians; distribution of estates; appointments of guardians; adoptions; appeals from the Register of Wills; inheritance tax appeals, and various petitions and motions.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1683 -1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
• 1803-1915 Indiana County Probate Records - at FamilySearch
• 1803 -1870 Index to Orphans' Court Records FHL film 862694 (first of 7 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1806 -1850 Wills, Index and Abstracts FHL film 543873 - microreproduction of original at the Indiana County Historical and Genealogical Society, created by the Indiana county clerk - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1807 -1881 Court Dockets FHL film 862694 (first of 14 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1807 -1917 Will Books FHL film 863903 (first of 11 films) - indexed by volume; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1850 -1869 Accounts FHL films 863909–863910 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• Fisher, Charles A. Wills and Administrations of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Including Wills and Administrations of Union, Mifflin and Indiana Counties 1950. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Abstracts and index.
• Samuelsen, David W. Indiana County, Pennsylvania Will Testators Index SAMBUPCO. Index free, $ for copies of will.
• Indiana County Wills and Estate Records at Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

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. County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Births and deaths, at the county level, were begun in 1893 and kept through 1905. For the most complete set of records, contact the County Orphans' Court.

Birth

Early births 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For more information, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

• 1726-1930 Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950 index. Not complete for all years. This collection is an 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.

Some birth records exist for the 1852 -1856 time period for Indiana County. Only a small percentage of births were reported in this time period. These records are available at:

• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
• 1852-1854 Births, Marriages and Deaths of Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland cos., Pa., 1852-1854abstracted by K.T.H. McFarland. This book is available at various libraries (WorldCat) and at the Family History Library – FHL book 974.88 V2m
• 1852-1856 Indiana County Birth Index 1852-1856 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1852-1856 Birth Records of Indiana County, Pennsylvania FHL Film 382831 Filmed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• 1852-1856 Births, Indiana County, Pennsylvania Microfilm of typescript in Indiana County Courthouse, FHL Film 1319632 - *1803 -1870 Index to Orphans' Court Records FHL film 862694 (first of 7 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1806 -1850 Wills, Index and Abstracts FHL film 543873 - microreproduction of original at the Indiana County Historical and Genealogical Society, created by the Indiana county clerk - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1807 -1881 Court Dockets FHL film 862694 (first of 14 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1807 -1917 Will Books FHL film 863903 (first of 11 films) - indexed by volume; images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1850 -1869 Accounts FHL films 863909–863910 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

• 1956-1962 Indiana County Birth Index 1956-1962 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C526395
• Delayed Birth Certificate Abstracts at Indiana County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives

Birth records for Indiana County began in 1893. The Indiana County Clerk of the Orphan's Court maintains the birth records from 1893–1906. To obtain a copy of birth record in the 1893–1906 time period you may contact the Register and Recorder at the Indiana County Courthouse.

• 1876-1905 Abstracts - Delayed Birth Certificates at USGenWeb Archives, information for several people born between 1876 and 1905.
• 1893-1906 Registration of Births, v.1-2 FHL film 1288597 The birth records for Indiana County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. Some microfilm may be available at a local FamilySearch Center.
• 1942-1976 Delayed Birth Certificates FHL Films 1288589 -1288594 The birth records for Indiana County were microfilmed by FamilySearch. Some microfilm may be available at a local FamilySearch Center.

Marriage

Pennsylvania marriages were created by county officials. Contact Indiana County Courthouse

Indiana County began recording marriages in 1885 although some registrations took place from 1852 -1854. Marriage licenses from 1885 are available from the Indiana County courthouse.

• 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1677-1950 Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950 at FamilySearch
• 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
• 1725-1976 Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940 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 $
• 1852-1856 Indiana County Marriage Index 1852-1856 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1852-1856 Registration of Marriages FHL film 1319632
• 1885-1950 Pennsylvania County Marriage, 1885-1950 Extracted marriage records. Most of the records consist of marriage licenses, certificates, applications, docket books, and affidavits. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
• 1885-1916; 1885-1979 Marriage License Dockets, 1885-1916; Index to Marriage License Dockets, 1885-1979 (Indiana County, Pennsylvania) – FHL films 1288575 -1288589

Death

Early deaths 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For indexes and records, 1906 and later, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

• 1720-1999 Pennsylvania Deaths and Burials, 1720-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
• 1850-1880 Pennsylvania Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
• 1852-1856 Registration of Deaths FHL film 1319632
  These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers and at the Pennsylvania State Archives.
• 1893-1906 Indiana County Death Index 1893-1906 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1893-1906 Registration of Deaths FHL film 1288594 These county death records were microfilmed by FamilySearch. They are available through Family History Centers.
• Early Deaths of Indiana County – Treasures of the Past on Rootsweb

Divorce

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Indiana County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

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

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Indiana Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Indiana County. For state-wide library facilities, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Indiana County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Pennsylvania Societies.

• Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County
  200 S. 6th Street and Wayne Avenue
  Indiana, PA 15701
  Phone: 724-463-9600
  Website
  Facebook

Websites

• USGenWeb May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Indiana County PA Genealogy
• FamilySearch Catalog – 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.