Atlases & Landownership
Use for: identifying property owners and FAN (Friends/Associates/Neighbors). Often includes directories and business ads.
Jefferson County & Local Collections
Locality Guide Excerpt — Where originals live
- Recorder of Deeds (Brookville): Deeds, mortgages, land indexes (tie to Warrantee + Caldwell).
- Register & Recorder / Orphans’ Court: Probate, guardianships (correlate atlas owners to estates).
- Prothonotary: Civil cases (roads, disputes—maps sometimes in files).
- Tax Assessment / Commissioners: Assessment books and some historic parcel maps.
- GIS Department: Modern parcel overlays to confirm historic locations.
- Jefferson County History Center (Brookville): Atlases, township/borough map copies, vertical files.
- Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society: Borough maps, Sanborns, local indexes.
Tip: Locate the modern parcel in GIS, then walk deeds/tax backward to the warrantee tract and atlas plate.
Caldwell’s Illustrated Historical Atlas (1878)
View Caldwell’s Atlas (Library of Congress)The definitive 1878 Jefferson County atlas by J.A. Caldwell—includes township plates, property owners, and business directories.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Browse Jefferson County Sanborn MapsBuilding-level detail for boroughs—businesses, materials, and street changes from the late 1800s through early 1900s.
Locality note: Brookville (county seat) · Punxsutawney (historically Clayville; Young Twp) · Reynoldsville (Winslow Twp) · Sykesville (Winslow Twp) · Brockway (Brockwayville; Horton Twp).
Borough Plans & Recorded Plats
- Recorder of Deeds (Plan/Plat books): recorded town plans, subdivisions, lot renumberings.
- Township/Borough offices: working copies of historic plans (varies by locality).
- USGenWeb Archives (selected scans): search for plan/plat terms alongside borough names.
When a deed says “lot in the borough per recorded plan,” use the plan book and lot number to pinpoint the exact parcel and block. Then correlate with Sanborn and tax maps.
Tip: Plans are sometimes indexed separately from deed books—ask the Recorder for the plan index.
PHMC — Pennsylvania State Archives Map Collections
Access Warrantee Township MapsDigitized maps from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, including Warrantee Township Maps (original land tracts) and MG-11 County Atlases (1850s–1870s).
Locality note: Warrantee maps show first-title tracts by patent; correlate with deeds, tax lists, and Caldwell 1878. See the Townships page.
USGenWeb Archives — Digital Map Collection
Browse Jefferson County Digital Map ArchivesDigitized historic maps from the USGenWeb Archives covering Jefferson County and nearby western Pennsylvania.
Provided by the USGenWeb Archives Project — a volunteer-run digital preservation initiative.
Jefferson County GIS Department
Visit the GIS Portal- Office: 200 Main Street, Brookville, PA 15825
- ArcGIS Online Viewer
Use modern parcels, roads, and township boundaries to confirm locations from historic tracts before chaining deeds/taxes backward.
Pennsylvania Statewide & Aggregators
MapsofPA
Comprehensive site featuring early Pennsylvania county maps, boundary formations, and atlases. Excellent statewide overview.
Visit MapsofPAOld Maps Online
Meta-search engine that aggregates maps from major archives. Zoom to Jefferson County or search by township for results.
Search Old Maps OnlineLibrary of Congress — Jefferson County Maps
Search all Library of Congress holdings for Jefferson County maps, including Sanborns, atlases, and topographic sheets.
Browse LoC Jefferson County MapsPennsylvania State Archives — Map Collection
Search all Pennsylvania State Archives holdings for Jefferson County maps.
Browse the Pennsylvania State Archives Map CollectionsLocality Guide Excerpt — Parent & Neighbor Research
For families near county lines or before township formation, also check Clarion, Clearfield, Armstrong, Armstrong, Indiana, Forest, Elk.
FamilySearch Catalog — Jefferson County Maps
Land Ownership Map (1857)
Shows landowners, township boundaries, and early roads based on mid-19th-century surveys.
View Land Ownership Map (1857)Land Atlas and Plat Book
Jefferson County land atlas and plat book with indexed property owners (available at the FamilySearch Library).
View Land Atlas & Plat BookPublic Roads Map (1911)
Produced by the Pennsylvania State Highway Department; shows detailed road alignments for 1911 Jefferson County.
View Public Roads Map (1911)Pennsylvania County Outline Maps
Book of statewide county outlines (available online) including Jefferson County—useful for understanding border changes.
View County Outline Maps (Book)County Outline, Indian, and Travelway Maps
Includes Indian trails, travel routes, and Pennsylvania county boundaries—useful for migration studies.
View Indian & Travelway Maps (Book)Historic & Vanished Places (Jefferson County)
Use this glossary to translate older place names you’ll see on Caldwell (1878), Sanborn maps, warrantee township maps, early post-office lists, and coal directories. “Status” helps you decide whether to look for modern maps (active/renamed) or historic collections (former/coal patch/region).
| Modern name | Historic / variant | Township / Borough | Status | Attested | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punxsutawney | Clayville | Young Twp · Borough | Renamed | mid-19th c. | Sanborn; Caldwell 1878 |
| Brockway | Brockwayville | Horton Twp · Borough | Renamed | 19th–early 20th c. | Caldwell 1878; Sanborn |
| Reynoldsville | — | Winslow Twp · Borough | Active | 19th c. | Caldwell 1878 |
| Sykesville | — | Winslow Twp · Borough | Active | 19th c. | Caldwell 1878 |
| Big Run | — | Big Run · Borough | Active | 19th–20th c. | County histories; GNIS |
| Stump Creek | Kramer; Stump Creek P.O. | Henderson Twp (unincorporated) | Renamed | late 19th–20th c. | GNIS; postal gazetteers; Sanborn (regional) |
| Soldier | Soldier Mines | Winslow Twp (coal patch) | Former coal community | ca. 1890s–1910s | Coal directories; GNIS |
| Anita | — | Young Twp (coal patch) | Former coal community | ca. 1890s–1910s | Coal directories; GNIS |
| Rathmel | Rathmel Mines | Winslow Twp (near Reynoldsville) | Former coal community | ca. 1880s–1910s | Coal directories; local maps |
| Horatio | — | Bell Twp (hamlet) | Hamlet | 19th–20th c. | GNIS; early P.O. lists |
| Emerickville | Emerick | Pine Creek Twp (hamlet) | Hamlet | 19th–20th c. | GNIS; local histories |
| Richardsville | Richardsville P.O. | Warsaw Twp (hamlet) | Hamlet | 19th–20th c. | GNIS; postal gazetteers |
| Desire | — | Warsaw Twp (hamlet) | Hamlet | late 19th–20th c. | GNIS; local maps |
| Panic | — | Pine Creek Twp (hamlet) | Hamlet | late 19th–20th c. | GNIS; local maps |
| Beechwoods | Beech Woods | Washington & Pine Creek Twps (district / parish area) | Historic region | 19th c. | Local histories; church records |
| Sprankle Mills | Fredericksburg (variant) | Oliver Twp (village) | Hamlet / village | 19th–20th c. | Caldwell 1878; GNIS; local histories |
| Oliveburg | Oliveburgh (variant) | Oliver Twp (village) | Hamlet / village | 19th–20th c. | GNIS; county histories |
| Valier | — | Mahoning Twp (village) | Hamlet / village | early 20th c. | GNIS; local maps |
| Bells Mills | Bells Mills P.O. | Bell Twp (locality) | Historic locality | 19th c. | Postal lists; county histories |
| Frostburg | — | Henderson / Washington Twp fringe (locality near Punxsutawney) | Historic locality | 19th–20th c. | Historic maps |
| Walston | — | Young Twp (coal community / CDP) | Hamlet / CDP | late 19th–20th c. | Coal directories; GNIS |
Still-current place names (no older variants): Reynoldsville · Sykesville · Anita · Horatio · Big Run · Desire · Panic · Valier · Frostburg · Walston
Tip: If a name isn’t found in the modern GIS, try the variant here and then correlate with deeds/tax and the township plate.
Notes: Status is for researcher workflow only. “Former coal community” indicates a patch town that may survive only in records, photos, or maps. Township attributions follow Caldwell (1878), Sanborn, GNIS, and county histories.
Boundary Changes & County Formation
Knowing when and how Jefferson County’s townships and borders formed helps determine where to search for earlier records.
Neighboring County Map Links
- PAClarion County
- PAClearfield County
- PAArmstrong County
- PAIndiana County
- PAForest County
- PAElk County
Prefer a statewide timeline? See the Boundary Changes section above.
How to Cite Maps
Include: title, creator (if any), map type/plate, town/township, county, state, repository (collection), URL, and access date. For landownership atlases, add the plate number and publisher (e.g., Caldwell).
Example: J. A. Caldwell, Illustrated Historical Atlas of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: 1878), Rose Twp, plate XX; Library of Congress, URL (accessed YYYY-MM-DD).
Research Tips for Using Maps
- Correlate maps and records. Match deeds, tax lists, and censuses to ownership or township maps.
- Track boundary shifts. County lines changed—check the right courthouse for each year.
- Overlay old with new. Use GIS or modern topo to locate historic features still visible today.
- Check variant place names. Older maps list vanished towns and local landmarks.
- Annotate your copies. Mark family lands, neighbors, churches, and schools for quick reference.