The Clerk of the Orphans’ Court serves as the filing office and custodian of records for matters including adoptions, guardianships of minors and incapacitated persons, accounts, estate litigation, and other miscellaneous court filings. The office also processes marriage license applications to couples who plan to marry in Pennsylvania.
The primary duties of the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court include:
- Processing Applications for and issuance of Marriage Licenses
- Issue Certified Copies of Marriage Licenses and other Helpful Information and Links on Marriage
- Maintaining marriage license records from 1885 to the present
- Administration and maintenance of Orphans’ Court matters including termination of parental rights, adoptions, accounts, and guardianship dockets and files.
Genealogy & Historical Records
As official record keeping offices, the Register of Wills & Clerk of the Orphans’ Court are valuable resources for genealogical information.
In addition to modern marriage and estate records, these offices are the record keeper of:
- Marriage Licenses from 1885 to the present.
- Estates filed from 1750 to the present.
- Inheritance tax dockets from 1915 to 1919.
- Orphans’ Court records from 1750 to the present.
- Birth and Death records from 1894 to 1906.
Most historic documents must be viewed in the offices. Online Records from 1988 to the present are accessible here: Search Records
Birth or death records from 1906 forward, please visit PA Dept of Health