Guide to the Records of Greene County (Pa.), 1785-1877

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Collection of Records from Greene County (Pa.),
Creator
Greene County
Collection Number
MSS#97
Extent
1.5 cubic feet (2 Boxes)
Date
1785-1877
Abstract
Greene County, Pennsylvania is located in the southwest corner of the state and was carved out of Washington County in 1796. These records include court action documents, court minutes and bonds, letters, wills, receipts, bills, estate papers, election papers, tax records, and other sundry items. Justices of the Peace, licensed tavern keepers, and election officers are examples of public figures whose names appear in these records. The records clearly document the operation of the court in the late eighteenth and in most of the nineteenth centuries.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by: Jessica Broadwell on July 7, 1994 . Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Fall, 1999
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History of Greene County, Pennsylvania

Greene County, Pennsylvania is located in the southwest corner of the state and was carved out of Washington County in 1796 in response to residents who complained that the county seat at Washington, Pennsylvania was too far north. Previously, the land that comprises Greene County had, at various times, been part of Westmoreland, Bedford, Cumberland and Lancaster Counties. The land was also part of the dispute between Virginia and Pennsylvania concerning the western border. This dispute was resolved by the creation of the Mason-Dixon Line in 1783. The early settlement is traced to 1764 with the end of the major Native American wars on the colonial settlers. Greene County was named for General Nathaniel Greene, who served in the Rhode Island State Militia and in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Greene County originally had five townships: Greene, Cumberland, Franklin, Morgan and Richhill. Shortly thereafter, the number of townships increased to eighteen. These townships are: Aleppo, Centre, Cumberland, Dunkard, Franklin, Gilmore, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Monongahela, Morgan, Morris, Perry, Richhill, Springhill, Wayne, Washington, and Whiteley.

The city of Waynesburg, located in Franklin Township, is the county seat and Greene County's largest city. In 1843, the city of Waynesburg consisted of 80 dwellings, increasing to approximately 350 by 1906. Greene County's western and southern borders are the Pennsylvania state line and the eastern border is the Monongahela River. Along the Monongahela River were numerous port cities for riverboats that travelled between Morgantown, West Virginia and the communities surrounding Pittsburgh. One of the most active of these port cities was Rices Landing, located in Jefferson Township in the north-east corner of the county. Another early port city in Greene County was Greensboro, located across the Monongahela River from New Geneva, home of Albert Gallatin. In later years, the main industries of Greene County revolved around bituminous coal mining and sheep producing. Greene County's coal reserves were often seen as the richest in Pennsylvania. Greene County also became the biggest producer of merino wool in the country prior to World War II.

Greene County was part of the Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania until 1818, when it became the Fourteenth District of Pennsylvania. The Court of Common Pleas, the Court of Quarter Sessions, the Peace and Orphans' Court, and the Register of Wills were located in Waynesburg. The names of John Boreman and William T. Hays, the first and second Clerks of the Court, Registers, Prothonotaries, and Recorders appear on many of the records between 1796 and 1832. Other notable officeholders in Greene County who appear in these records include R. H. Lindsay, County Sheriff between 1839 and 1842, and John Barnes, Sheriff from 1842 to 1845. Justices of the Peace, licensed tavern keepers, and election officers are more examples of public figures whose names appear in these records.

Scope and Content Notes

The Greene County (Pa.) records include court action documents, court minutes and bonds, letters, wills, receipts, bills, estate papers, election papers, tax records, and other sundry items. The bulk of the records are legal documents relating to trials and court decisions, estate and financial materials, public office, elections, appointments, and taxes. Though rich in genealogical information and material about the legal activities of Greene County, these records provide little readily accessible material to document the commercial, religious, educational, and social activities of Greene County's early residents. The records clearly document the operation of the court in the late eighteenth and in most of the nineteenth centuries. Of interest is documentation of individual court cases and the handling of specific legal matters. Only through close examination of these legal records will researchers find information on other aspects of Greene County's commercial and social life.

Arrangement

The Records are arranged in four series, Trial Documents, Non-Trial Legal Documents, Gree Count Public Functions and Miscellaneous Materials.

The Greene County (Pa.) Records are housed in two archival boxes.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These items came in one accession.

Acc# 1935x Purchase from David K. Webb (Records)

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Jessica Broadwell on July 7, 1994

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Lisa Sheets on September 10, 1999

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • United States. -- Army. -- Pennsylvania Militia. -- 122nd Regiment.
    • Waynesburg Union Society (Pa.)
    • Butler Academy (Greene County, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Barnes, John
    • Boreman, John.
    • Hays, William T., -- 1775-1846.
    • Lindsay, R. H.

    Geographic Names

    • Greene County (Pa.) -- Genealogy.
    • United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Veterans.
    • Greene County (Pa.) -- Courts.
    • Greene County (Pa.) -- Education.
    • Greene County (Pa.) -- Officials and employees.
    • Greene County (Pa.) -- Politics and government.
    • United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
    • Pennsylvania -- Militia

    Other Subjects

    • Courts -- Officials and employees
    • Courts -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Criminal justice personnel -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Education -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Elections -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Genealogy -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Inheritance and succession -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Law -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Real property -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Slavery -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Taxation -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.
    • Veterans -- Pennsylvania -- Greene County.

Container List