Research Sources - Subject Specialized

SUBJECT SPECIALIZED
50. "Greene County, Pennsylvania Cemetery CD-ROM's" compiled by James Fordyce, 2000-2004.

This 5 volume set of CD-ROM's and paper indexes cover over 150 cemeteries that are located in Greene County. The compiler visited each of these cemeteries and photographed and transcribed the tombstones. The indexes give the name list in alphabetical order and the name of the cemetery where the person is buried. The CD has the photo of the tombstone and the transcribed information. The Cornerstone Genealogical Society of Greene County sells these CD's as part of their fundraising. If every county had a set of CDs like this, genealogists would jump for joy.


51. "Cemetery Maps of Soldiers Grave Registrations of Washington County Pennsylvania." Washington, PA: courthouse.

This is a great source of information for veteran burial information. These maps are professionally drawn. They list the name of the cemetery and location, the layout of the cemetery and the location of the veteran's tombstone. It lists the veteran's name and the war he fought in. The maps were done in the 1930's. Included is a map of Washington County with the location of the cemeteries noted. There are many small family burial plots that are located on farms around Washington county that are included as well as very large cemeteries. Great source of information.


52. "County Tax Rolls - Washington County, Pa." Washington, PA.

This is an important source for establishing if a person lived in a certain township. These records date back to 1781 so they are some of the earliest records kept. Similar records can be found at other county courthouses


53. "Death Record Washington County." Washington, PA: Courthouse, 1893-1906.

This source is held at the Washington County Courthouse. This 2 volume set has the deaths recorded from 1893-1906. The information listed: Full name of deceased, color, sex, age, condition (married or single), place of birth, occupation, date of death, place of death, cause of death, duration of last illness, place and date of interment, name of father, name of mother, date recorded. Again an excellent source of genealogy information. Ideally this source should be digitized and made searchable as the original ledgers are well used and showing a lot of wear. Similar records can be found at other county courthouses


54. Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania. Edited by LL.D. (Librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia) John W. Jordan. New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co, 1913.

Contains some photos of people and family histories. John W. Jordan's name appears as editor of several Western Pa genealogy resources. I would consider any publication with his name on it to be authoritative and a welcome addition to a collection.



55. "Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania Pedigree Charts and Family Sheets."

28 volumes currently. This source is a collection of pedigree charts and family sheets that are contributed by family researchers to the Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pa for inclusion in the genealogy section of the library at Citizen's Library in Washington County, PA. Ideally this collection should be digitized and made searchable electronically. This could be a good source of starting information. Personal family research must be looked at with caution because not all research is done correctly with proper standards and documentation. However, this is such an extensive collection and can provide good beginning information for other researchers.


56. Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families : From the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 2vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1981.

Provides various family genealogies from various locations around Pennsylvania.


57. The National Road, Commemorative Pictorial History Edited by Jim Willis. Monongahela, PA Historic Towns Publishing, 1998.

This is a concise history of our nation's first national highway which is now U.S. Route 40. Route 40 goes right thru the heart of Washington PA and many pioneer families traveled this route on their way west. The book is illustrated with many very old photographs from Washington Co locations which makes it very interesting


58. "Program Syllabus - Celebrating the National Genealogical Society's 100th Anniversary." Paper presented at the National Genealogical Society 2003 Conference in the States, Pittsburgh, PA 2003.

This program syllabus is a great source of information for various topics in genealogy research. The conference spanned four days and brought together many knowledgeable professionals in the field of genealogy research to teach over 140 classes. Each class has a summary of its contents, bibliographies of sources that can be used for research in that particular topic. Ex - Quaker collections, Revolutionary War Records, Tracking Pennsylvania Ancestors, Oral History, Census records, etc. This is a great one-stop-shop for information. There are books from previous years when the conferences were held. A complete set would be great.

59. "Record of Births - Washington County." Washington, PA, 1893-1906.

This source is held at the Washington county Courthouse in Washington, PA. It consists of three large ledgers in which the births between 1893 and 1906 are recorded. The information contains: name of child, sex, color, full name of father, full name of mother, residence of parents, occupation of father, date of birth, place of birth, date recorded. The same records should be held at each county courthouse. Excellent source of genealogy information especially when all fields are filled in. Ideally these records should be digitized and made available electronically as they are heavily used and showing a lot of wear.


60. Albert, George Dallas. History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co, 1882.

Information on boroughs and townships, biographical, illustrations, history, prominent nationalities of the settlers, portraits, maps.


61. Bates, Samuel P. History of Greene County, Pennsylvania Chicago Nelson, Rishforth, 1888.

History, biographical sketches by township, portraits, maps, military roster, county officers, education. Biographical sketches give a lot of family tree information.


62. Boucher, John Newton, and John W. Jordan. History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania,. New York, Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co, 1906.

Early history of the county, soldiers in War of 1812, taverns, canals, Mexican War, railroads, church history, bench and bar, medical profession, Civil War, court houses, Agriculture, Iron, Coal, Coke industry, townships, special biographies.


63. Connors, Patrick. Pennsylvania Historic Towns of Washington County 4vols. Monongahela, PA Historic Towns Publishing, 1996 - 1998.

This is a series of 4 booklets each focusing on different townships in Washington Co. PA. # 1 = Beallsville, Burgettstown, California, Canonsburg, Charleroi, Finleyville, Monongahela, Washington, West Alexander, West Middletown. # 2 = Avella, Bentleyville, Claysville, Donora, Eighty Fou, Hickory, Houston, Morris Township, New Eagle, West Brownsville. # 3 = Centerville, Cross Creek, East Washington, McDonald, Meadow Lands, North Charleroi, Peters, Roscoe, Elco, Stockdale, Allenport, Long Branch, Scenery Hill, West Finley. # 4 = Amwell, Blaine, Buffalo, Cecil, Hanover, Jefferson, Union, Coal Center, Cokeburg, Ellsworth, Marianna, Midway, Speers, Lower Speers. These books have many, many old photos, descriptions and histories of the townships.


64. Creigh, Alfred. History of Washington County from Its First Settlement to the Present Time : First under Virginia as Yohogania, Ohio, or Augusta County until 1781, and Subsequently under Pennsylvania, with Sketches of All the Townships, Boroughs, and Villages, Etc.; and to Which Is Added a Full Account of The Celebrated Mason and Dixon's Line, the Whiskey Insurrection, Indian Warfare, Traditional and Local Historical Events Harrisburg, Pa: B. Singerly, Printer, 1871.

Chapters include: Its Primitive History Under Virginia; A General Outline of History of Pennsylvania; Original Act Establishing Washington County; Proceedings of the Supreme Executive Council; Townships and Boroughs in Washington County; Elected Officials from 1790; Military History; History of Associations, Indian History of Western PA and VA, Whiskey Insurrection.


65. Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania : Including Its Early Settlement and Progress to the Present Time ; a Description of Its Historic and Interesting Localities ; Its Cities, Towns and Villages; Religious, Educational, Social and Military History ; Mining, Manufacturing and Commercial Interests, Improvements, Resources, Statistics, Etc. ; Also, Biographies of Many of Its Representative Citizens. 2 vols. Chicago, Ill: A. Warner & Co, 1889.

The sub-title of this book is a good summary of what is included in the book. The biographies many times go back several generations and are good sources of family genealogies.


66. Daughters of the American Revolution. Canonsburg Chapter (Canonsburg, Pa.). Miscellaneous Cemeteries, Washington Co., Pa. 6 vols. Washington, PA: Citizens Library Genealogical Records Group, 1977.

These 6 volumes contain cemetery transcripts for various cemeteries located around Washington County, PA. The transcriptions were done by members of the Canonsburg Chapter of the DAR. Many of the listings were done in the 1930s. Although there are some errors, this listing was done long enough ago that they have information for some tombstones that are no longer legible or are missing or damaged. There are many other cemetery listing at Citizens Library that come from various sources. Ideally all of these transcriptions would be put together in one electronic database. These types of records are available for all counties.


67. Doyle, Joseph B. 20th Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio and Representative Citizens. Chicago, Ill: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co, 1910.

This is a book similar to the other county histories. They have a lot of very good historical information about the area they cover. The biographical sketches contain a lot of great information on pioneer families and those that were prominent in early days. Many people from Southwestern Pa moved west to Ohio and settled in Jefferson County so this book has many connections to PA families. These old histories have been reprinted and one of the big advantages to the reprints is the all name indexes that were added to the original. It makes searching for specific people much easier.


68. Durant, Samuel W. History of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania / with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Palatial Residences, Public Buildings, Fine Blocks, and Important Manufactories, from Original Sketches by Artists of the Highest Ability. Philadelphia L.H. Everts & Co, 1876.

Major divisions: Illustrations, historical and descriptive, biographical sketches, Allegheny County in the Rebellion, Roster of soldiers, Roll of Honor.


69. Ellis, Franklin. History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men Philadelphia L.H. Everts & Co, 1882.

Chapters include Histories of boroughs and townships. Historic ground of Fayette (locations, boundaries, topography), the Works and relics of an Extinct People, Indian Occupation, biographical sketches


70. Elwood, John W. Elwood's Stories of the Old Ringgold Cavalry, 1847-1865; the First Three Year Cavalry of the Civil War. Coal Center, Pa: The author, J. W. Elwood, 1914.

This book tells mainly about Co A and the battles they were engaged in. The good part of this book for genealogy research are the short bios of soldiers at the end of the book. These were current at the time of the books publication and therefore gives updates of many of the soldiers such as recent deaths, burial locations, etc.


71. Farrar, Samuel Clarke. The Twenty-Second Pennsylvania Cavalry and the Ringgold Battalion, 1861-1865. Akron, O. and Pittsburgh: New Werner Co, 1911.

This book gives the history of this Civil War Regiment. The members of the many companies that comprised this Cavalry regiment were all from Southwestern PA - mostly from around Washington Co. In the back of the book it lists the rosters of the different co, the muster in and muster out dates, etc. It also gives short bios of many of the company members. The bulk of the book gives accounts of the battles that this cavalry unit was engaged in, plus photos of some of the cavalry members. It was written by a soldier who served in Co C and went on to be a principle in the Pittsburgh City School district. Great source if your ancestor served in this regiment.


72. Forrest, Earle Robert. History of Washington County, Pennsylvania 3vols. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co, 1926.

This book concentrates more on the history of the county from 1910 till present (1926) but has comprehensive coverage of older history. These was a subject only briefly touched on by the three previous major histories of Washington Co. (Creigh, Crumrine, McFarland). Includes illustrations.


73. Hanna, William. History of Greene County, Pa.: Containing an Outline of the State from 1682 until the Formation of Washington County in 1781 : History During 15 Years of Union. . Apollo, Pa: Closson Press, 1983 reprint of 1882 publication.

This resource contains the history of the running of Mason's and Dixon's line, whiskey insurrection, history of churches, families, judges, senators, assembly-men and other related information for Greene county. Most of these old county history books are formatted in a similar manner. Indexed in the back.


74. Hastings, Charles Cummins. Pioneer Settlers of Western Pennsylvania, and Their Descendants : 2300 Persons, 250 Surnames San Fernando, Calif.: Custom Print. Co., 1976.

Covers pioneer families that settled Allegheny and Washington Co. PA. The information came from elder surviving descendants, family bible records, record of birth, marriage, death, tombstone, cemetery and church records.


75. Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Research : County and Township Records. Washington, D.C.: PA Genealogy Books, 2006.

Lists by county: courthouse contact info and website, county records available on microfilm, other county wide sources, townships and what records are available such as taxes and warrantee maps, special census. A great current source however, for some reason Butler County was overlooked. The publisher has been notified so hopefully an addendum or supplement will be published.


76. Iams, Elisha B "Iams Notes and Queries Washington County Pa." Washington , PA.

(from description of the book from the Later Day Saints Library Catalog) "During the 1930's and 1940's, genealogist Elisha B. Iams traveled throughout the Upper Ohio Valley, abstracting records. To help him find material in his abstracts he created six indexes. "The name which Mr. Iams abstracted did not always appear in the document itself, but sometimes in the account papers relating to that document. The page number which he listed was usually the page in the original, but sometimes [he used] the page number in his abstract book. Since the time of his work with the documents, some of them have disappeared".
The manuscript collection contains Iams correspondence regarding research he did for several people. It also contains family trees, letters to county clerks, genealogy societies, county of common pleas for various locations, Assoc. of American Railroads, etc. This is a unique, one of a kind collection. The collection was microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1993.


77. Jordan, John W. Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania; Genealogical and Personal Memoirs. New York, Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co, 1911.

Biographical sketches, photos and portraits of prominent men and families in Western Pennsylvania. The First entry is about Westinghouse. Not an extensive source but covers some of the earlier families.


78. Jordan, John W. Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania.
New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co, 1915.

John W. Jordan LL.D is a name that keeps surfacing as editor and compiler of Western Pennsylvania genealogy sources. He was a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Ex-General Registrar of Sons of the Revolution and Registrar of Pennsylvania Society. This 3 volume source lists several family genealogies of Colonial and revolutionary families.


79. Kellogg, Lucy Mary, Edna W Townsend, Robert S Wakefield, and General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Families through Five Generations : Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass., December 1620. Plymouth, MA General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1975.

Contains family genealogies for the Mayflower families, 23 volumes, indexed


80. Leckey, Howard L. The Tenmile Country and Its Pioneer Families. Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 2001 reprint.

This book concentrates on the geographical area near Ten Mile Creek which flows between Washington and Greene Counties. It provides historical and family sketches of some of the early families that settled this area. It has a surname index at the back of the book to make it easy to find the person you are searching for. Mr. Leckey was a nationally recognized genealogist and historian who was born and raised in Southwestern PA.


81. Mackenzie, George Norbury, and Nelson Osgood Rhoades. Colonial Families of the United States of America, in Which Is Given the History, Genealogy, and Armorial Bearings of Colonial Families Who Settled in the American Colonies from the Time of the Settlement of Jamestown, 13th May, 1607, to the Battle of Lexington, 19th April, 1775. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., , 1966.

The extended title gives a good description of what is contained in this source. The editor was a member of the American Historical Association, National Genealogical Society, Old North-West Genealogical Society, Member of the Committee on Heraldry and genealogy of Maryland Historical Society.


82. Munger, Donna Bingham. Pennsylvania Land Records: A History and Guide for Research. Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources Inc,, 1991.

Book Description (from editor) The genealogist trying to locate families, the surveyor or attorney researching old deeds, or the historian seeking data on land settlement will find Pennsylvania Land Records an indispensable aid. The land records of Pennsylvania are among the most


83. Office., Pennsylvania. Adjutant-General's. Record of Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, 1898 Harrisburg, Pa. : W.S. Ray, State Printer, 1901.

Contains name, rank, company, date of enrollment, muster in date, muster out date, etc. There is a list of abbreviations at the start. This publication was authorized by the House of Representatives.


84. Searight, Thomas B. The Old Pike : A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes Thereon Uniontown, Pa: Thomas B. Searight, 1894.

Illustrated. Contains information about the inception of the road, origin of the fund for making the road, the act of congress authorizing the laying out and making of the road, life of the road threatened, life on the road, old wagoners, stage drivers, first mail coaches, old taverns and tavern keepers, etc. This book is very interesting and covers the history of a major travel route for families moving west from


85. Sharon Cook MacInnes, Ph.D. Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Washington County, Pa. Apollo, Pa: Closson Press, 2004.

This is also available on a CD. It contains Maps of Washington Co townships and the names of the early land owners, and the names of their tracts of land. Along with each map is a chart that lists the Warrantee name, tract name, size, warrant date, survey date, patent date, patent book, coordinates. The introduction of the book gives an explanation of the land purchase process, the land office chronology, how to use the maps, further source suggestions. In the back is an all name index to make searching the book easier. Great resource.


86. Society., Western Pennsylvania Genealogical. A List of Immigrants Who Applied for Naturalization Papers in the District Courts of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 3vols. Pittsburgh, PA: Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society., 1978.

This source lists immigrant's name, date of application, birth location, date of naturalization and sponsor. It covers years 1798 - 1869 in this 3 volume set.


87. Stotz, Charles Morse. The Early Architecture of Western Pennsylvania: A Record of Building before 1860 Based Upon the Western Pennsylvania Architectural Survey a Project of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Institute of Architects with an Introduction by Fiske Kimball. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995.

The original book was published in 1936 by the Buhl Foundation, An introduction was written in 1966 by Charles Morse Stotz who was the chairman of the Western Pennsylvania Architectural Survey. In 1995 "The Story of the Book" was added. One of the most wonderful things about this book are the large amount of photos of old buildings around Western Pennsylvania and some of their history. It gives the history of the builders, materials, methods, etc. (The original publication of this book was engraved with the picture of a door that was from the house my grandmother was born and raised in - the Dorsey House in Denbo, PA)


88. Waychoff, Andrew J, and Waynesburg Greene County Historical Society, Pa. Local History of Greene County and Southwestern Pennsylvania : A Project of the American Revolution Bicentennial Observance, 1776-1976. Waynesburg, Pa.: Greene County Historical Society, 1975.

The author of this source taught genealogy for many years and was considered an authority especially for Southwestern Pennsylvania. This contains a series of articles that he wrote about Greene Co. These articles contain lots of genealogy information.