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Index to Official County Records

Washington County Pennsylvania
and State of Pennsylvania

What do you need to know ?

Compiled by Judith Florian

CLERK OF COURTS OFFICE  - Court records for Criminal activities

This information was checked for accuracy Jan 2019.

This office has Court Cases and misc. records.  Records go back to beginning of the County.

For more current cases, ONLINE: You may want to check the Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System Statewide Look-ups at http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/default.aspx  - Go to "Secure E-Services" then go to Public Web Docket Sheets.   The docket sheets give you basic information on RECENT or CURRENT cases, which you can then use to make your request for the full record.  "The Public Web Docket Sheets option provides access to search, view and print the docket sheets for Pennsylvania’s Appellate Courts, Criminal Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts and the Philadelphia Municipal Court. In addition, a Court Summary Information report is available for Criminal Courts of Common Pleas and Philadelphia Municipal Court cases."

At the same site (http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/default.aspx)   you can click The Secure Web Docket Sheet.  There is a yearly fee associated with this website service.

Searching these dockets can take time because the Court employees access them.  Try searching during OFF hours and on weekends when the Court House is closed.

ROAD PETITIONS

Also has the oldest Road Petitions;  Misc. Records, Roads to Bridges: 1781-present; and the Docket Book of the Road overseer

You may visit the Office.  Make list of who you are looking for, with as much information as possible, or plan extra time to browse.  ASK the staff for instructions how to read their indices (indexes).

You may make your REQUEST for a look-up and record IN WRITING.  You must include in your request:  The FULL NAME of the person you want; DATE OF BIRTH, TYPE OF CASE (if known), YEAR of court case (or approximate years if known), (Person's Social Security number for recent cases).  If you have Docket # and Year, or citation number, these will help the Staff do the search.

Fee: $10.00 PER NAME, plus copies.  The office searches for the record, sends you a form letter stating how much for copies, and after you pay the copying fee they will send you the record.

The office takes Personal Check, money order, made out to "Clerk of Courts."

From The Observer-Reporter, Washington, Washington Co., Pa., digital version, Sept. 14, 2007 :

Clerk of courts records can aid family history research 

WAYNESBURG - At the Cornerstone Genealogical Society meeting earlier this month, the Greene County clerk of courts explained how records in her office can help people research their family histories.
Shirley Stockdale explained that her office encompasses both the criminal court and orphans court. 

The criminal court deals with the Accelerated Rehabilitation Program and juvenile records. The Orphans court handles records chronicling births, marriages, deaths, adoptions, guardianship for incapacitated people and estate settlement. 

The marriage licenses all are digitially (sic) archived and can be accessed through the computer. Marriage licenses from 1885 are available at the courthouse, along with births from 1843 to1915. Birth records after 1915 are maintained in New Castle. 

Adoptions are all sealed in Greene County; they cannot be opened without court approval. And as with a juvenile record, they are impounded.

When court is in session, Stockdale explained, it is her job to take all the pertinent files for each defendant to the courtroom. She also will swear-in witnesses. 

There are old criminal dockets still housed at the courthouse, but in 1996 the county started using the computer for criminal dockets. The courthouse has an extensive index list of criminal records dating from 1800. 

Under the Orphans Court, there are several ways to settle an estate including first and final account that can take as little as 30 days to settle as long as there are no exceptions. Secondly, receipt and release occurs when all the heirs sign a release, and third, a family settlement decree is issued when everyone is in agreement. If an estate is not settled in the allotted time a warrant can be issued for arrest. 

During the business meeting, Don King, vice president, reported that the Waychoff Book has been reprinted and delivered. It is for sale at the Genealogy Library. 

Librarian Ruth Craft reported that the volunteers are working diligently on indexing the obituary card files. This is a daunting task, for there are probably thousands of obituary cards, but the volunteers are tireless. This will be another great asset to the genealogy library once this index is completed. 

The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 9.

Washington County Courthouse (Main Address)
100 W. Beau St. 
Washington, PA 15301-4402
Phone: (724)-228-6700 
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

 The links on this page should help researchers know which offices have what records, 
and will give assistance about how to write for records.  

County of Washington, ss. 
Register of Wills Office

*A line break or spaces were inserted into some Wills for readability.

Return to Wills Index

Return to the Index page for the Washington County PAGenWeb Genealogy Project

Added July 2008