Washington PA Newspapers:  Help Site Search by PicoSearch.

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RECORDS TO RESEARCH

I'm frequently asked about doing searches and what records to search in to make a complete search.  This list compiles the basics researchers should check.

In some cases, a researcher may need to check adjoining counties if county lines moved or if families split into other areas.

Earliest settlers and onward

• Census
• Deeds
You could do a "Title Search", tracing the deeds from Warrant owner to present day owner.
• Wills
• Accounts
• Orphan's Court
• Road Petitions - Law Library, microfilm
• Land maps - Caldwell's, Farm Maps (all Law Library / Citizen's Library) aerial maps (Tax Office)
• Neighbor's deeds - often neighbors were related
• In newspapers, Notices of Land Sales
• In newspapers, Ads for "Lost" animals (mares, cows - usually) or runaway slaves (owner name given + description of slave)
• County Histories -- three main ones, at Citizens (one Beers, online) for biographies-- not everyone was included, though
• Local town newspapers - if saved before

Church records

• baptisms - IF recorded
• marriages - IF recorded
• Cemeteries (Misc Cemeteries book at Citizens Library)
Walk a cemetery if you know the person was buried there

If Birth or death dates known

• Do microfilm newspaper search (Citizens Lib)
• Births often listed in "Local" "Personal" np columns for a Town (ex. Hillsborough --eg Scenery Hill), Twp, or area (example Ten Mile area)
• Deaths also in these columns OR an actual Obit
• Births, Deaths, Marriages not listed at the Courthouse until around the turn of the Century or later

 

If desperate

• Visit a courthouse and check every Index they have for your surname.
• Copy every record (or handcopy imp details) for every person in a surnname. Save until you figure out if related.



This is just a starting list. There are always obscure one of a kind records that might not fit into the above categories.

Read Description and Important Details about
the newspapers used on this website.

Take me to One Page List of ALL Newspaper Items
(Long, will need to scroll down.) 

Go to Site Map - FULL - everything on One Page 
(Long, will need to scroll down.)

Life in Washington, PA

Uptown Landmarks-1

Uptown Landmarks-2

Brethren and other Families of "Washpa"

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All newspaper items posted with permission of the Observer-Reporter Oct. 13, 2005.

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(c) Judith Ann Florian
159 E. Main St.
Girard, Ohio 44420

Copyright Notice - Data / info. for individuals and surnames may be reproduced for personal family histories only, but not for any commercial use or sale. Please give credit to Judith Florian and Catherine L. Caldwell for locating newspaper items and original documents. You may use J. Florian's research conclusions if credit is given. No other data or images may be reproduced without permission. © August 2005-present, Judith Florian, Copyright All rights reserved.

Dates of Site updates and new content added: Dec 2005;  Jan to Dec 2006; Jan to Dec 2007; Jan to Dec. 2008