Mercer County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States

Pennsylvania

Mercer County

Guide to Mercer 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: Mercer Organized: March 12, 1800 Parent County(s): Allegheny Neighboring Counties Crawford  • Trumbull (OH)  • Butler  • Lawrence  • Venango 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 northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Mercer Courthouse
112 Mercer County Courthouse
Mercer, PA 16137-1284
Phone: 724-662-3800 ext. 2248
Clerk of Courts Phone:724-662-7548
Prothonotary Phone: 724–662-7561 Email: rbice@mcc.co.mercer.pa.us
Register of Wills & Orphans' Court Phone:724-662-3800 ext. 2248 Email: kkloos@mcc.co.mercer.pa.us
Mercer County Recorder's Office Phone: 724-662-3800
Mercer County Website

County Clerk has birth and death records 1893-1905, marriage records from 1885 and probate records from 1800
Prothonotar Office has divorce and court records
Recorder of Deeds has land records

Mercer 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
1893	1885	1893	1804	1803	1800	1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss

1866 The First Mercer County Courthouse, built in 1807, was destroyed by fire in February 25, 1866.All records were saved from the fire. 1907 The Second Mercer County Courthouse, built in 1866, was destroyed by fire in December 15, 1907. All records, except for some early tax records, were saved from the fire. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

Formed from Allegheny County 12 March 1800. County seat: Mercer 20 March 1849: Lawrence County set off. Mahoning, Neshannock and Slippery Rock Townships, along with a small portion of Shenango and Lackawannock Townships became part of Lawrence County.This area included the town of New Castle. 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:

Cities
Farrell	Hermitage	Sharon
Boroughs
Clark Fredonia Greenville Grove City Jackson Center	Jamestown Mercer New Lebanon Sandy Lake Sharpsville	Sheakleyville Stoneboro West Middlesex Wheatland
Unincorporated communities
Blacktown Carlton Clarks Mills Fairview (village) Hadley	Kennard Kremis Milledgeville New Vernon (village)	Osgood Petersburg Transfer Williams Corners
Census-designated places
Lake Latonka	Reynolds Heights
Townships
Coolspring Deer Creek Delaware East Lackawannock Fairview Findley French Creek Greene Hempfield Jackson Jefferson	Lackawannock Lake Liberty Mill Creek New Vernon Otter Creek Perry Pine Pymatuning Salem	Sandy Creek Sandy Lake Shenango South Pymatuning Springfield Sugar Grove West Salem Wilmington Wolf Creek Worth
Historic communities
Hickory

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Mercer 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

 

Additional Cemetery Resources

• ca.1700-ca.1950 - Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950 at FamilySearch — index and images
• PA-Roots
• Names in Stone
• Ancestry($)

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	3,228	—
1810	8,277	156.4%
1820	11,681	41.1%
1830	19,729	68.9%
1840	32,873	66.6%
1850	33,172	0.9%
1860	36,856	11.1%
1870	49,977	35.6%
1880	56,161	12.4%
1890	55,744	−0.7%
1900	57,387	2.9%
1910	77,699	35.4%
1920	93,788	20.7%
1930	99,246	5.8%
1940	101,039	1.8%
1950	111,954	10.8%
1960	127,519	13.9%
1970	127,175	−0.3%
1980	128,299	0.9%
1990	121,003	−5.7%
2000	120,307	−0.6%
2010	116,638	−3.0%
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. County-wide Database – Multi-denominational

Mercer County Pennsylvania Churches

• 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 the church records of:

• Greenville: Zion Reformed Church of Christ

Baptist
The first Baptist congregation in Mercer County was established in Sharon in 1804. in Sheakleyville another congregation formed, known as Georgetown Baptist Church, in 1831. The Greenville Baptist church was organized in 1857. Other congregations formed in Stoneboro, Sharpsville, and Jamestown.

Catholic
The Catholics first organized in Mercer in 1838 and called their congregation All Saints. Other early churches were St. Michael's (Greenville, 1838), Sacred Heart (Sharon, 1859), with congregations in other communities also.

• 1843-1948. "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843 -1943". Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, 17:1. FamilySearch Library book 974.8 B2wg. Contains chronology, map, county-by-county information.

Episcopal
Also known as the Reformed Church, this sect was officially organized in Greenville in 1861, and known as St. Clements. Another congregation formed in Sharpsville in 1887.

A Protestant Episcopalian congregation formed in Sharon in 1866 and was called St. John's.

Lutheran
Many early settler of German descent worshiped in the Lutheran church. Congregations formed as early as 1826 in Greenville, and 1844 in New Lebanon.

• 1730-1779. Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever, Baptismal and Marriage, 1730-1779. Baptisms and marriages took place in Mercer County, Pennsylvania and in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Digital version: Internet Archive and PAGenWeb.

Methodist Episcopal
Circuit riders for the Methodist Episcopal faith established a congregation in Sharon as early as 1797. The group passed through several different conferences through the years and built its first log chapel, then a frame chapel built in 1842. For a list of early preachers and congregants see White's history. Other congregations were in Salem (pre-1823), Clarksville (1820), Greenville (1828), Grove City (1840), and Sheakleyville (1841), among others.

Presbyterian
Several sects of Presbyterais existed in Mercer County including the Presbyterains, the United Presbyterians and the Reformed Presbyterians. Early circuit riders established Prebyterian congregations in Ten-Milers (1799), Neshannock (1800), and Hopewell (1899). The first building was constructed in Cool Springs in 1800 and served Cool Springs, Fairview, Jackson and Lake townships. Other early congregations were in Sheakleyville (1799, also known as Upper Sandy or Georgetown Presbyterian church), Salem (1800), Morefield (1802, Sharon), Mercer (1804), Greenville (1824) and other congregations in later years. See White's history for some lists of members and other congregation information.

United Presbyterian Church, Springfield Township

• 1862-1890 United Presbyterian Church, Springfield Township, Birth Index 1862-1890 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch Batches C538731 and C541611.

United Brethren
United Brethren congregations formed in New Lebanon (1862) and Sharpsville (1866).

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.

Prothonotary
The Prothonotary Office is located with the Government Offices of the county.

Directories

• 1919 Sharpsville and Wheatland Directory 1919

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. Orphans

• Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court
  112 Mercer County Courthouse
  Mercer, PA 16137
  Phone: 724-662-3800, ext. 2248
  Website

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 Mercer County began in 1800. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Mercer, Pennsylvania. The Recorder of Deeds offers an online search of land records. Guest users can view the index (unspecified date range) for free but fees apply for viewing images (1986–present).

Online Land Indexes and Records

• 1787 -1828 Deeds and Index. FHL film 878951 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images; The earlier land records for what would become Mercer County are for the most part in Allegheny County.
• 1803-1919 Deed Books, 1803-1886; Index to Deeds, 1803-1919. FHL film 878941 (first of 70 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1804 -1971 Mortgage Index. FHL film 889538 (first of 17 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Local Histories

• A Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. 2 volumes. 1909. Ed. by J. G. White. Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Google Books, Vol. 2 - Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. 1877. By Samuel W. Durant. Philadelphia, L.H. Everts & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its Past and Present. 1888. By Jacob F. Richard. Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

• 1873 Landowner Maps from the Combination Atlas of Mercer County and the State of Pennsylvania, 1873, Mercer County PAGenWeb site.
• Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• 1861-1865 - Pennsylvania, Register of Military Volunteers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

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

Naturalization records for Mercer County, Pennsylvania include the following:

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1808-1906 Naturalization dockets, 1808-1906. FHL film 1324635 (first of 2). - images only; click on the camera icon to view images; Index 1808-1884.
• 1813-1825 Register of persons naturalized, 1813-1825. FHL film 1324652 item 7. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 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 $
• 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 $
• 1906-1962 Naturalization records, 1812-1906. FHL film 1324650 (first of 3). - images only; click on the camera icon to view images; Indexes at beginning of each volume.
• 1907-1966 Petition and record, 1907-1966. FHL film 1234635 item 1 (first of 14). - images only; click on the camera icon to view images; Index 1908-1987.
• 1929-1963 Court orders, 1929-1963. FHL film 1324652 item 8. - 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 Mercer 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.

• 1869-2007 Newspaper archives of Greenville

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
• Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch

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.

The Mercer County Genealogical Society has an online obituary index. You may order copies of obituaries from the Mercer.

Online Obituary Abstracts

• PA-Roots Obituaries for Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
• Obituaries of Mercer County
• Mercer County Obituaries, courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Probate Records

Probate matters in Mercer 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 and Indexes Records

• 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
• 1804-1971 Mercer County Probate Records at FamilySearch
• 1804-1908 Register's Docket, v. 1-2 FHL film 878973 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1804-1917 Will Books FHL film 878967 (first of 9 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

School Records

• Mercer Soldiers Orphans School has several lists of those who were students, teachers, or administrators of the school.The school started January 1, 1868 and closed in 1890.
• Farrell, PA High School 1929 Basketball team

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.

• 1726-1950 Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950 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.
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $

Marriage

Pennsylvania marriages were created by county officials. Contact Mercer 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 an electronic database of information. The entries are primarily from the International Genealogical Index (IGI) along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as: Family Records, Church Records, Civil Registration. It may also include indexes generated by the internet indexing project sponsored by FamilySearch.
• Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
• 1885-1950 Pennsylvania County Marriage, 1885-1950 Extracted marriage records – free. 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 Mercer County Marriage Index 1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

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 $
• 1893-1905 Mercer County Death Index 1893-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Mercer 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 Affiliate Libraries

• Monongahela Area Library The Monongahela Area Library is an affiliate of the Family History Library, located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Libraries

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

• Greenville Area Public Library
  330 Main St.
  Greenville, PA 16125-2615
  Phone: 724-588-5490
  
• Grove City Community Library
  125 West Main Street
  Grove City, PA 16127
  Phone: 724-458-7320
  
• Mercer Area Library
  145 N. Pitt St.
  Mercer, PA 16137-1206
  Phone: 724-662-4233
  
• Shenango Valley Community Library
  11 N. Sharpsville Ave.
  Sharon, PA 16146
  Phone: 724-981-4360

Societies

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

• Mercer County Genealogical Society
  P.O. Box 812
  Sharon, PA 16146-0812
  Phone: 724–346-5117
  E–mail: mcgenealogy@live.com
  Collection includes cemetery books, histories, city directories, birth and death records 1893 -1905, marriage records 1885–1946, newspapers, newspaper abstracts of birth, marriage and deaths (indexed). Online obituary index
  Website
  
• Mercer County Historical Society
  119 South Pitt St.
  Mercer, PA 16137-1211
  Phone: 724–662-3490
  E–mail: info@mchspa.org
  Collection includes family histories and research files, published histories of Mercer County, Civil War Regimental histories, city and county directories, newspapers. The society will do research for a fee. Requests must be sent by mail, not email.
  Website
  
• Grove City Area Historical Society
  P.O. Box 764
  Grove City, PA 16127
  Website
  
• The Hermitage Historical Society
  5465 E. State Street
  Hermitage, PA 16148
  Phone: 724-347-0419
  
• Greenville Historical Society
  94 College Ave.
  Greenville, PA 16125
  Phone: 724–588-7150
  
• Jamestown Area Historical Society
  405 Summit St.
  Jamestown, PA 16134-9153
  Phone: 724–932-5997
  
• Stoneboro Community and Historical Society
  Lake St.
  Stoneboro, PA 16153
  Phone: 724–376-4190

Websites

• Mercer County Genealogical Society
• Mercer County Genealogy - PAGenWeb site. Obituaries, Cemetery information, Biographies, Maps, County History and Information, Surname List, Family Histories, Military information.
• Mercer County Links - linkpendium.com
• Mercer 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.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

International Genealogical Index (FamilySearch) - free