Monday, November 01, 2004 - In leading up to tomorrow's election, it might be apt to bring up an old adage that can be adapted to genealogy as well as balloting: "All politics is local." A recent trip to lecture in Jefferson County reminded me that "all genealogy is local," too. So many of the records that assist genealogists in proving ancestral lines -- things such as estate papers, deeds, tax lists, marriage licenses and loads of lesser-used documents -- are county records. And since counties were subdivided frequently in the 1700s and 1800s, genealogists just starting out don't always realize that an ancestor could live in the same exact spot his whole life and yet have records relating to him in several county courthouses. So, among the basic facts that a genealogist needs to know is when counties were erected and from what "mother" counties they drew their land. Pennsylvania's original counties -- and the only ones erected in the 1600s -- were Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester. Lancaster was next in 1729, and more counties were erected, sometimes extended, and usually subdivided until the state reached its current 67 counties in 1878. And, of course, there are the oddities that really separate the savvy genealogists from the greenhorns. That takes us back to Jefferson County. This county was one of many erected in the early years of the 19th century -- the year 1804, in the case of Jefferson. However, as Jim Sterrett of Brockway pointed out during a meeting of the Jefferson County genealogy group, Jefferson County was without a county seat until 1828, so it was controlled by remote-control from Indiana County. The bottom line for genealogists? Records from that early era of Jefferson County are found in the Indiana courthouse. Another quirk that lies in wait to ensnare genealogists is the fact that there are dozens of 18th-century wills that were probated in Philadelphia County, even though they pertain to individuals from other counties. As with many genealogy detective searches, it's useful in the first instance to figure out where records should be -- and then be prepared to put on the thinking cap some more to decide where they might also be found. Genealogy News: Earl Gates