McKean County Genealogy Records
McKean County genealogy records are held at the courthouse in Smethport and extend back to the county's formation in 1804. Researchers tracing McKean County ancestry can find marriage licenses, birth and death records, wills, estate files, and land deeds through county government offices. The county's remote location in Pennsylvania's northern tier and its history of oil and railroad development shaped the families who settled here. McKean County genealogy resources can help researchers document ancestors who came to this region during the oil boom of the 1860s and the decades that followed.
McKean County Genealogy Quick Facts
McKean County Genealogy Records Overview
McKean County was formed from part of Lycoming County on March 26, 1804, and its government records begin from that date. The county occupies the northern tier of Pennsylvania and shares a border with New York State. Bradford, the largest city, grew rapidly during the oil rush of the late 19th century. Families from across the northeastern United States and from Europe arrived in McKean County during the 1870s and 1880s to work in the petroleum industry. That migration makes McKean County genealogy research important for researchers with northeastern PA roots.
Core McKean County genealogy records include marriage licenses from 1885 to the present, birth and death records from 1893 to 1905, wills and probate records from 1804 to the present, and land deeds from 1804 forward. Records for the period before 1804 may appear in Lycoming County, from which McKean County was formed. The McKean County government website provides contact information for the Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds offices in Smethport.
The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford maintains library resources that may be useful for McKean County researchers. The Eldred World War II Museum also holds records related to McKean County residents who served in that conflict. Both are supplementary resources beyond the courthouse for specialized McKean County genealogy research.
The image above represents genealogical resources available in McKean County. Contact the courthouse in Smethport or visit the county website for specific research guidance.
McKean County Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds
The combined Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds office in Smethport holds the most essential records for McKean County genealogy research. The Register of Wills maintains marriage licenses from 1885 forward, birth and death records from 1893 to 1905, and all wills and probate records from 1804. Wills and estate files in McKean County routinely list children, spouses, and other heirs, making them powerful tools for building family trees and verifying family relationships in this remote Pennsylvania county.
The Recorder of Deeds holds land records for McKean County from 1804. Deed books track property transfers across all townships in the county and can trace how families moved into and within McKean County over generations. Grantor and grantee indexes make it possible to search for a specific ancestor's land transactions. Under the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. § 67.101, most courthouse records are public and available to any researcher.
| Office | McKean County Register of Wills / Recorder of Deeds Smethport, PA |
|---|---|
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Website | mckeancountypa.org |
Vital Records in McKean County Pennsylvania
Vital records in McKean County follow the same pattern as all Pennsylvania counties. Birth and death records from 1893 to 1905 are at the Register of Wills in Smethport. For births and deaths after 1906, the Pennsylvania Department of Health maintains statewide vital records. Under 35 P.S. § 450.801, birth records become publicly available after 105 years and death records after 50 years. This means many early 20th-century McKean County vital records are now open to researchers at the State Archives.
Marriage licenses in McKean County date from 1885 at the Register of Wills. Researchers looking for McKean County marriages before 1885 must turn to church records. The county had active Protestant congregations, and some of their registers survive in local custody or at the Pennsylvania State Archives. FamilySearch has indexed some Pennsylvania church records covering McKean County congregations at no cost.
Naturalization records for McKean County document immigrants who became U.S. citizens through the county courts. These records can reveal a foreign-born ancestor's home country and arrival date in McKean County. Many McKean County naturalizations from the oil boom era document immigrants from England, Germany, and other European countries who came to work in the petroleum industry.
Land and Probate Records in McKean County
Land records in McKean County begin with the county's formation in 1804. Deed books at the Recorder of Deeds in Smethport document every recorded property transfer across all McKean County townships. Early deeds often contain detailed descriptions of property boundaries and sometimes identify neighboring landowners, which can help locate an ancestor's farm or lot on historical maps. Oil leases from the 1860s through 1880s appear in the deed books as well and can identify ancestors who held mineral rights in McKean County during the petroleum boom.
Probate records at the McKean County Register of Wills span from 1804 to the present. Wills list heirs and their relationships to the deceased. Estate inventories document the possessions of McKean County residents in detail, from farm equipment to household goods and sometimes including accounts receivable from business dealings. Administration records for intestate estates are equally valuable, identifying all legal heirs. Many McKean County probate records through 1993 are accessible through the Pennsylvania State Archives Ancestry.com partnership at no cost to Pennsylvania residents.
Pennsylvania Archives and McKean County Research
The Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg holds microfilm and digital collections that supplement McKean County courthouse records. Military records in the ARIAS database cover McKean County residents who served in Pennsylvania military units from the Revolution through the 20th century. Land Warrant Registers from 1733 to 1957 document early grants for land in what would become McKean County. Under 37 Pa.C.S. § 305.3, records more than 75 years old at the State Archives are generally open for public research.
The State Library of Pennsylvania maintains census records, county histories, and family histories covering McKean County. The Pennsylvania POWER Library provides McKean County residents with free access to MyHeritage Library Edition through their local library. FamilySearch also offers free online access to many McKean County records. Act 127 of 2016 expanded access to adoption records in Pennsylvania, which is relevant to some McKean County genealogy searches.
Note: Researchers tracing McKean County families before 1804 should check Lycoming County records, as McKean County was carved from that territory and pre-formation residents would appear in Lycoming records.
Cities in McKean County
Bradford is the largest city in McKean County and a center for genealogy research in the region. Explore Pennsylvania city resources using the link below.
Nearby Counties
McKean County borders several other northern Pennsylvania counties. Families often moved between neighboring counties, and genealogy research may require checking records in more than one location.