Genealogy and History in Washington County

Our Mission

The GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA is a non-profit, educational organization, formed so that members may assist one another, and others, in discovering and preserving information about their families. It is primarily concerned with recording and preserving the ancestral heritage of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, for which our Society is named, is all that area which was the original Washington County, formed March 28, 1781. This is the land to the west of the Monongahela River, from the West Virginia line north, and west and south of the Ohio River to the Ohio line. Parts of the original Washington County are now all of Greene and portions of Beaver and Allegheny Counties.

This southwestern Pennsylvania portion of the Commonwealth was originally claimed by both Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The first National Road, Route 40, came through our area, along with endless visits by the famous surveyor, George Washington, along with visits by Lafayette, George Rogers Clark, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson as well as many other renowned people.

Learn more about our county's notable ancestry, and possibly your own, by joining The Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania and receiving our quarterly publication, the Keyhole.

The Special Reference Room, which houses the genealogical material, is located at Citizens Library, 55 South College Street, Washington, Pennsylvania, directly across from Washington and Jefferson College (the College also being established in 1781).

Our Society is dedicated to preserving documents from Washington County, to giving funds, annually, in research books for the Special Reference Room, and in presenting Spring and Fall educational programs. Check our monthly meeting programs listed below under Program Schedule. The Washington County Tourism Agency will list additional company events and hotels.