Jefferson County, PA Genealogy

Historic records, indexes, and research guides for Jefferson County family history.

Volunteer-run resources for vital records, cemeteries, biographies, maps, and more.

Start Research Jefferson County History Center Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Society

Jefferson County Courthouse, Brookville, PA

Jefferson County Courthouse, Brookville, Pennsylvania

About Jefferson County

Founded in 1804 and named for President Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson County lies along the Allegheny Plateau of northwestern Pennsylvania. Once a vast forest frontier, it became a hub for lumbering, coal mining, glassmaking, natural gas and railroads.

From Brookville, the county seat, to Punxsutawney, Reynoldsville, and Brockway, generations of families worked timber camps, coal seams, and rail lines—leaving a rich trail of deeds, tax rolls, church registers, and newspapers that make Jefferson County rewarding for genealogical research.

New to local research? Start with historic maps to find early townships, then explore cemetery listings, probate files, and obituaries to trace your family’s story.

What’s New

Oct 28, 2025 – Vital Records page: added Delayed Births guidance and links.
Oct 26, 2025 – Cemeteries: new layout + Find A Grave county index integration.

Explore

Vital Records

Births, marriages, deaths, probates, and where to find them.

View resources

Cemeteries

Find A Grave links and transcriptions for 170+ cemeteries.

Browse cemeteries

Maps

Historic atlases, township maps, Sanborn fire maps, and more.

See maps

Military

Civil War rolls, veterans schedules, headstone applications.

Military resources

Obituaries

Indexes and digitized obituaries from archives and libraries.

Find obituaries

Biographies

County histories and biographical volumes with Jefferson names.

Biographies

How to Research on This Site

Search the site for surnames & townships.
Check Vital Records for county/state collections (births, marriages, deaths, delayed birth certs).
Use Maps to locate early townships & boundary changes.
Look for burials in Cemeteries and veterans in Military (e.g., Civil War rolls, headstones).
Verify with original images where possible (links marked “PDF” or “FamilySearch”).

Volunteer

If you have a connection to Jefferson County and experience in web design, consider becoming a PAGenWeb County Coordinator.

Learn more on the USGenWeb Volunteer page, then email Nancy (PA State Coordinator).

About the USGenWeb Project

The USGenWeb Project is a volunteer-driven effort providing free genealogical and historical data online. Each county and state is maintained by volunteers and linked through The PAGenWeb Project.

For additional donated records and transcriptions, visit the Pennsylvania USGenWeb Archives or browse Jefferson County Archives.