History, Geography, and Genealogy
Updated: February 5th, 2024
Historical events and geography have an impact on the records a researcher must consult and where they might be found! Here are some important factors to consider when searching for documents in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Border disputes Between the Colonies.
The boundaries between the colonies were not clearly defined in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in what was known as the backcountry. The land grants that created the colonies were ‘sea to sea.’ Much of the western frontier was not surveyed because these uncharted territories were Indian lands and considered dangerous. During this period, Pennsylvania’s colonial government was embroiled in long-standing disputes with Connecticut; New York; Maryland; and, in our region, Virginia.
Beginning in the mid-1750s, Virginia claimed the area of western Pennsylvania as its West Augusta District, with the counties of Monongalia, Ohio, and Yohogania. Many settlers purchased land through Virginia, and the majority of these people settled in present day Washington, Green, Fayette, and part of Allegheny and Beaver counties, as well as the southwestern tip of present-day Westmoreland County. When Pennsylvania and Virginia both issued warrants and patents for the same piece of land, a lot of confusion and hostility were created regarding rightful ownership. Attempts were made to resolve the issue in 1780, but the official boundaries were not established until 1784-1785. Some of the West Augusta District records can be found in Washington County and in the Virginia State Archives in Richmond. Go to the Library of Virginia to view the online catalogues.
You can find more information about the Pennsylvania/Virginia border dispute at www.virginiaplaces.org
The New Purchase of 1768
On April 3, 1769, settlers could legally purchase frontier land from the Penn proprietary government through a lottery. At that time, this western region was part of Cumberland County. As settlement expanded into the wilderness, so did organized government. In 1771, Bedford County was formed out of Cumberland, and this region was considered the western part of Bedford. Westmoreland County was formed in February of 1773. Official government records before 1773 are in either Cumberland or Bedford counties.
Go to www.mypennsylvaniagenealogy.com and click on Rotating Formation Pennsylvania Boundary County Maps to see how the borders between the colonies were defined and how the counties changed over time.
Westmoreland County Townships
One of the first actions of the newly founded county government of Westmoreland was to establish the township borders. The original county encompassed a huge geographical region that includes areas that were separated to create other counties. Original townships that are still within present day Westmoreland County – although not the same size- include Hempfield, Rostraver, Huntingdon (later divided North and South), Mount Pleasant, Donegal, and Fairfield. Original townships that eventually became other counties or townships outside of Westmoreland include Pitt, Springhill, Menallin, Tyrone, and Armstrong.
Between 1775 and 1879, other townships were formed from Westmoreland’s original 11. Several townships, Wheatfield, formed in 1776, and Wharton, formed in 1781, are now part of Indiana and Fayette counties, respectively. Mississiniwa, which was near present day West Newton, existed only from 1847 – 1850. Click on Township and Borough Formations to see the list.
Understanding the shifting lines of the county and township borders is important when doing genealogical research. For example, suppose your ancestor settled on a tract of land in 1769 that is in present day Upper Burrell Township. Although the family may have retained ownership of the property to the present day, the county in which they resided changed three times, and the township changed five times. Attempting to find original land records for an ancestor registered in Upper Burrell in 1769 would be a frustrating experience because that township did not exist until 1879. The family in question would have lived in Bedford Township, Cumberland County in 1769, and in either Pitt or Hempfield Township in 1771 when Bedford County was created out of Cumberland. These townships retained their names and basic geography when Westmoreland County was formed in 1773.
Official records for Westmoreland County have been generated from 1773 to present. Most of these documents are housed at the county courthouse. The earliest records include wills, deeds, Orphans Court, criminal court and Prothonotary (civil cases) records, Naturalization Dockets (1802-1907), and Declaration of Intention (1886-1903.) The WCHS has indexes for many of these records.
Official Vital Records related to births and deaths that occurred from 1893 to 1905 are housed in the Register of Wills office. The Pennsylvania Department of Health administers the Vital Records that were filed from 1906 to the present.
Marriage records span from 1885 to the present and are housed in the Register of Wills. Early documents were maintained by the churches and families. The German church records for many of the Lutheran and German Reforms ministers have been transcribed and can be consulted in our library. Records for other denominations are generally not available.
The Register of Wills has incomplete vital and marriage records from 1852 to 1855. There is an index of these in the WCHS library.