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Pennsylvania Page |
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On the interactive map below, select the county in which you are interested, or scroll down to the text chart below. Your county selection will take you to a Web page with more information about that county and, when available, a selection of books specific to that county's history or genealogy. There is also a Knowing the charter date of counties is critically important to knowing in which court house to search for records.
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Map: The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |
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COUNTY INDEX Click on links below for subjects specific to that county The date each county was formed is noted. |
County Name
|
Established
|
Origin of Name
|
County Seat
|
| Adams | Jan. 22, 1800 | President John Adams | Gettysburg |
| Allegheny | Sept. 24, 1788 | Allegheny River | Pittsburgh |
| Armstrong | Mar. 12, 1800 | General John Armstrong | Kittanning |
| Beaver | Mar. 12, 1800 | Beaver River | Beaver |
| Bedford | Mar 9, 1771 | Fort Bedford/Duke of Bedford | Bedford |
| Berks | Mar. 11, 1752 | Berkshire, England | Reading |
| Blair | Feb. 26, 1846 | John Blair | Hollidaysburg |
| Bradford (Ontario Co. 1810-12) | Feb 21, 1810 | U.S. Attorney Gen. William Bradford | Towanda |
| Bucks | Nov. 1682 | Buckinghamshire, England | Doylestown |
| Butler | Mar. 12, 1800 | General Richard Butler | Butler |
| Cambria | Mar. 26, 1804 | Cambria, the ancient name for Wales | Ebensburg |
| Cameron | Mar. 29, 1860 | U.S. Senator Simon Cameron | Emporium |
| Carbon | Mar. 13, 1843 | Named for its large deposits of coal | Jim Thorpe |
| Centre | Feb. 13, 1800 | Geographical center of Pennsylvania | Bellefonte |
| Chester | Nov. 1682 | Chesire, England | West Chester |
| Clarion | Mar. 11, 1839 | Clarion River | Clarion |
| Clearfield | Mar. 26, 1804 | Clearfield Creek | Clearfield |
| Clinton | June 21, 1839 | DeWitt Clinton, 1st governor of NY | Lock Haven |
| Columbia | Mar. 22, 1813 | The poetic name for America | Bloomsburg |
| Crawford | Mar. 12, 1800 | Colonel William Crawford | Meadville |
| Cumberland | Jan. 27, 1750 | Cumberland County, England | Carlisle |
| Dauphin | Mar. 4, 1785 | Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France | Harrisburg |
| Delaware | Sept. 26, 1789 | Delaware River/Va. Gov. Lord de la Warr | Media |
| Elk | Apr. 18, 1843 | Elk Creek/native elk | Ridgway |
| Erie | Mar. 12, 1800 | Lake Erie/Erie Indiana | Erie |
| Fayette | Sept. 26, 1783 | Marquis de la Fayette | Uniontown |
| Forest | Apr. 11, 1848 | Forests of the county | Tionesta |
| Franklin | Sept. 9, 1784 | Benjamin Franklin | Chambersburg |
| Fulton | Apr. 19, 1851 | Inventor Robert Fulton | McConnellsburg |
| Greene | Feb. 9, 1796 | General Nathanael Greene | Waynesburg |
| Huntingdon | Sept. 20, 1787 | Countess of Huntingdon, England | Huntingdon |
| Indiana | Mar. 30, 1803 | Territory of Indiana | Indiana |
| Jefferson | Mar. 26, 1804 | President Thomas Jefferson | Brookville |
| Juniata | Mar. 2, 1831 | Juniata River/Indian language origin | Mifflintown |
| Lackawanna | Aug. 13, 1878 | Lackawanna River | Scranton |
| Lancaster | May 10, 1729 | Lancashire, England | Lancaster |
| Lawrence | Mar. 20, 1849 | Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship, the Lawrence | New Castle |
| Lebanon | Feb. 16, 1813 | Old Lebanon Township/Biblical origin | Lebanon |
| Lehigh | Mar. 6, 1812 | German "Lecha"/Indian "Lechauwekink" | Northampton |
| Luzerne | Sept. 25, 1786 | French Minister Chevalier de la Luzerne | Wilkes-Barre |
| Lycoming | Apr. 13, 1795 | Lycoming Creek/Indian origin | Williamsport |
| McKean | Mar. 26, 1804 | Governor Thomas McKean | Smethport |
| Mercer | Mar. 12, 1800 | General Hugh Mercer | Mercer |
| Mifflin | Sept. 19, 1789 | Governor Thomas Mifflin | Lewistown |
| Monroe | Apr. 1, 1836 | President James Monroe | Stroudsburg |
| Montgomery | Sept. 10, 1784 | General Richard Montgomery | Norristown |
| Montour | May 3, 1850 | Madame Montour | Danville |
| Northampton | Mar. 11, 1752 | Northamptonshire, England | Easton |
| Northumberland | Mar. 21, 1772 | Northumberland County, England | Sunbury |
| Perry | Mar. 22, 1820 | Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry | Bloomfield |
| Philadelphia | Nov. 1682 | Ancient Asia Minor City of Philadelphus | Philadelphia |
| Pike | Mar. 26, 1814 | General Zebulon Pike | Milford |
| Potter | Mar. 26, 1804 | General James Potter | Coudersport |
| Schuylkill | Mar. 1, 1811 | Schuylkill River/Dutch for "hidden stream | Pottsville |
| Snyder | Mar. 2, 1855 | Governor Simon Snyder | Middleburg |
| Somerset | Apr. 17, 1795 | Somersetshire, England | Somerset |
| Sullivan | Mar. 15, 1847 | State Senator Charles C. Sullivan | Laporte |
| Susquehanna | Feb. 21, 1810 | Susquehannock Indian Tribe | Montrose |
| Tioga | Mar. 26, 1804 | Tioga River/Indian origin | Wellsboro |
| Union | Mar. 22, 1813 | Allusion to the federal union | Lewisburg |
| Venango | Mar. 12, 1800, | Native American word for "French Creek" | Franklin |
| Warren | Mar. 12, 1800 | General Joseph Warren | Warren |
| Washington | Mar. 28, 1781 | George Washington | Washington |
| Wayne | Mar. 21, 1798 | General Anthony Wayne | Honesdale |
| Westmoreland | Feb. 26, 1773 | Westmoreland County, England | Greensburg |
| Wyoming | Apr. 4, 1842 | Indian meaning "extensive meadows." | Tunkhannock |
| York | Aug. 19, 1749 | English Duke of York or Yorkshire, Engl. | York |
Click here for general information and additional suggested books regarding Pennsylvania.Here are a few suggestions. |
