Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Huntingdon
Organized: September 20, 1787
Parent County(s): Bedford[1]
Neighboring Counties
Centre  • Mifflin  • Juniata  • Blair  • Bedford  • Fulton  • Franklin
See County Maps
Courthouse
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Huntingdon County PA Map.png
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county is located in the southwest corner of the state. [2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Huntingdon County Courthouse
223 Penn Street
Huntingdon, PA 16652
Phone: 814-643-2740
Fax: 814-643-8152
Huntingdon County

Register and Recorder/Register of Wills/Orphan's Court Phone: 814-643-2740 Fax: 814-643-6849 Email: regrec@huntingdoncounty.net
Prothonotory/Clerk of Court Phone: 814-643-1610 or 814-643-5511 Fax: 814-643-4271 Email: kcoons@huntingdoncounty.net


County Clerk has birth records 1894-1906, death records 1894-1905, marriage records from 1885, divorce, probate and court records from 1787[3]

Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1894 1885 1894 1787 1786 1787 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • Formed from Bedford County 20 September 1787.[5]
  • County seat: Huntingdon[6]
  • 26 March 1804: Cambria County was set off from one part of Huntingdon County along with other parts from Bedford and Somerset Counties.
  • 26 February 1846: Significant parts of both Huntingdon and Bedford Counties were taken to create Blair County. This was the last and most significant change to take place in the geography of the Central Pennsylvania region.

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[edit | edit source]

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:[7]

Boroughs
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

State Census

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 7,558 —
1800 13,008 72.1%
1810 14,778 13.6%
1820 20,142 36.3%
1830 27,145 34.8%
1840 35,484 30.7%
1850 24,786 −30.1%
1860 28,100 13.4%
1870 31,251 11.2%
1880 33,954 8.6%
1890 35,751 5.3%
1900 34,650 −3.1%
1910 38,304 10.5%
1920 39,848 4.0%
1930 39,021 −2.1%
1940 41,836 7.2%
1950 40,872 −2.3%
1960 39,457 −3.5%
1970 39,108 −0.9%
1980 42,253 8.0%
1990 44,164 4.5%
2000 45,586 3.2%
2010 45,913 0.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Genealogy Church Records  in online catalogs like:

Huntingdon county pennsylvania churches.png

County-wide Database - Multi-denominational

Contains church records of:
  • Cassville: Cassville Lutheran Church
  • Huntingdon: St. John's Episcopal Church; United Methodist Church
  • Mount Union: St. Luke's Lutheran Church
  • Orbisonia: First United Methodist Church; Otterbein United Methodist Church
  • Woodward: Birmingham Presbyterian Church

Catholic

Lutheran

Presbyterian


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Some of the Continuence Dockets and the Quarter Session Books are stored in the basement of the Huntingdon County Court House. The Continuence Dockets have been microfilmed and are at the Huntingdon County Pennsylvania Courthouse.

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

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

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

The Orphan's Court ensures the best interests of those not capable of handling their own affairs: minors, incapacitated persons, decedents' estates, and more.[8]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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

Land Records on Microfilm

Land Abstracts

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Centre CountyMifflin CountyJuniata CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyBedford CountyBlair CountyPA HUNTINGDON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

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

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

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.

Newspaper Excerpts and Abstracts

Newspapers of Huntingdon County

  • Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory
  • Pennsylvania Newspapers
  • The Blair County Genealogical Society has a copy of the book Huntingdon County Newspaper: A Finding List which was compiled by M. M. Faust and Nancy S. Shedd for the Huntingdon County Historical Society. Also available at various libraries (WorldCat
  • The Pennsylvania State Library has a book entitled Huntingdon County Newspapers, Vol I that contains notices from the Huntingdon Gazette 1806-1811. This book is not indexed. It's call number is 929.37484 NW1001 and is found in Form Room 101.

Newspapers on Microfilm

The Blair County Genealogical Society and the State Library of Pennsylvania has the Huntingdon Gazette on microfilm.

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.

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

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.

Obituary Indexes

Online Obituary Abstracts

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate matters in Huntingdon 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

Online Probate Indexes and Records

The Huntingdon County Historical Society has a wonderful every name indexed compilation by Linnaria B Wheland of Huntingdon County Will Abstracts from 1787-1846.

The original inventories for Huntington county are housed at the Huntington Historical Society.

Original Probate Records on Microfilm

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Many of the tax lists have been microfilmed, but no one repository has them all. The Huntingdon County Historical Society, State Library of Pennsylvania and the Family History Library each have collections. One can purchase a microfilm roll from the Huntingdon County Historical Society and the State Library of Pennsylvania. The Family History Library will loan their films to their various centers for a small fee.

  • 1788 Returns of Taxables for the Counties of Bedford (1773 to 1784), Huntingdon (1788), Westmoreland (1783, 1786), Fayette (1785, 1786), Allegheny (1791), Washington (1786) and Census of Bedford (1784) and Westmoreland (1783) (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 22). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books
  • 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Some birth records exist for the 1852 -1853 time period for Huntingdon County. Only a small percentage of births were recorded in this time period. These records are available at:

Marriage[edit | edit source]

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

Huntingdon County marriages are maintained by the Huntingdon County Courthouse. The county began recording marriages in 1885. A few marriage records were created by the county in the 1853 -1854 time period. To obtain a marriage record you may go to or contact the Huntingdon County Courthouse.

Death[edit | edit source]

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

Huntingdon County began recording deaths in 1893, although some were recorded from 1852 -1854. These records are available in the County Courthouse in Huntingdon. You may request a death record from the Huntingdon County Courthouse.

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Huntingdon 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[edit | edit source]

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.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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

  • Alexandria Memorial Library
    313 Main Street
    Alexandria, Pennsylvania 16611
    Phone: (814) 669-4313
    Facebook Page

Museums[edit | edit source]

  • Hartslog Heritage Museum
    311 Main Street
    Alexandria, PA 16611
    Phone: 814-207-1410
    Facebook
The Museum is located on the 2nd floor of the Alexandria Memorial Public Library. It houses over 4000 artifacts that represent the area's past. Most notable is a rare historic map of Huntingdon County.

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

  • Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library
    Blair County Genealogical Society
    431 Scotch Valley Rd.
    Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
    Phone: 814-696-3492
    Website
Collection covers Blair and surrounding counties, particularly Huntingdon, Cambria, and Bedford Counties.
  • Huntingdon County Historical Society
    100 4th Street
    P.O. Box 305
    Huntingdon, PA 16652-1418
    Phone: 814-643-5449
    Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

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

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntingdon_County,_Pennsylvania accessed 2/12/2017
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002) Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, p.590
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntingdon_County,_Pennsylvania, accessed 22 January 2020.
  8. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at Common Pleas accessed 10 July 2012
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