Many of Fayette County’s local history books have been digitized, but finding them online can be tricky. On this page, we’ve gathered our recommended titles for researching different subjects and, where possible, provided links to digital copies.

Among our top sources for digitized books are Archive.org, Google Books, HathiTrust, and Historic Pittsburgh. In many cases, these sites offer the option of downloading and saving the books to your personal computer.

For more information on our collection, please visit Pennsylvania Room: Books. To search our catalog directly, go to the WAGGIN Online Catalog. When using the catalog, be sure to use the filters in the left hand column to select books at the Uniontown Public Library.

History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men edited by Franklin Ellis, 1882. An excellent starting place for Fayette County research. This history is broken into sections by township and borough, each of which contain information on prominent residents, local churches, cemeteries, and other subjects. Available on Archive.org or Historic Pittsburgh.

The Monongahela of Old, or, Historical Sketches of Southwestern Pennsylvania to the Year 1800 by James Veech, 1858. Highlights the early communities, events, and settlers of the area. Available on Archive.org or Google Books.

The Old Pike by Thomas Searight, 1894. Genealogists will be interested in the information on wagoners, tavernkeepers, and others who made their living on the National Road. Available on Archive.org or Google Books.

The following titles are still in copyright or otherwise unavailable online. For access, visit the Pennsylvania Room or check with your local library.

Another Look: Uniontown and Fayette County by Walter “Buzz” Storey, 2001.

County Chronicles by Ceane O’Hanlon Lincoln, multiple volumes.

Some Facts and Figures of Fayette County by S.M. Berg, multiple editions published from the 1930s into the 1950s. A useful resource for determining the origins of town and community names in Fayette County, as well as information on local businesses, natural resources, historical landmarks, and other features.

Stories of Uniontown and Fayette County by Walter “Buzz” Storey, 1993. Written by a long-time local journalist, this book is a highly readable introduction to Fayette County’s history, people, and folklore.

Westward of ye Laurall Hills by Helen Vogt, 1976. An eclectic history of southwestern Pennsylvania with a particular focus on its early settlement and pioneers.

Centennial History of the Borough of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, 1806 – 1906 by J.C. McClenathan et al., 1906. A history of Connellsville, including the city’s development, its people, and its businesses and institutions. Available on Archive.org and on HathiTrust.

Hart’s History and Directory of the Three Towns: Brownsville, Bridgeport, and West Brownsville by J.P. Hart, 1904. A history of Brownsville and its neighboring communities of Bridgeport and West Brownsville, including profiles of citizens, businesses, institutions, and transportation. The “Necrological Record of the Three Towns,” with headstone readings dating to 1869, may be of particular interest. Available on Archive.org and on Google Books.

A History of Uniontown by James Hadden, 1913. An in-depth look at Uniontown’s past with an interesting street-by-street approach to recalling the city’s residents and properties. Includes the history of the city’s schools, industries, churches, cemeteries, and even secret orders. Available on Archive.org and on HathiTrust.

The following titles are still in copyright or otherwise unavailable online. For access, visit the Pennsylvania Room or check with your local library. For books on other communities, check our Online Catalog.

Around Connellsville by Paul E. Eckman, Karen Hechler, and the Connellsville Area Historical Society, 2013.

Around Uniontown by Victoria Dutko Leonelli, 2003.

Beesontown: A Look into the Past by Pauline R. Semans, 1978.

Dunbar, 1883-1983: The Furnace Town by the Dunbar Centennial Book Committee,1983.

Dunbar and its Neighbors by the Dunbar Historical Society, 2013.

Fairchance Through the Years by The Fairchance Centennial History Committee, 1989.

A History of Mill Run by the History Committee of the Socialite Club, 1970.

I Remember German by Dennis Ballas, 2010.

Images of America: Around Connellsville by Paul E. Eckman, Karen Hechler and the Connellsville Area Historical Society, 2013.

Images of America: Dunbar by the Dunbar Historical Society, 2009.

Masontown, Pennsylvania and Its Environs by Robert C. McClellund, 1962.

Point Marion… From the Beginning by the Community Civic Organization, 2000.

Republic: Hub City by the “History of Republic” Book Committee.

Yesteryear in Masontown and Surrounding Communities by Marci Lynn McGuinness, 1994.

Yesteryear in Ohiopyle and Surrounding Mountain Communities by Marci Lynn McGuinness, 1993. Multiple volumes.

Yesteryear in Smithfield and Point Marion: A Pictorial History by Marci Lynn McGuinness, 1996.

Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Fayette County by John Gresham, 1889. Available on Archive.org.

Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Fayette County edited by S.B. Nelson, 1900. Features biographies of many Fayette County families. You will find this book bound as a single (huge!) volume or split into two to three books. Available on HathiTrust or on Archive.org (Volume 1 – Volume 2 – Volume 3).

Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County edited by John Jordan and James Hadden, 1912. Features biographies of many Fayette County families. Available on HathiTrust or on Google Books (Volume 1 – Volume 2 – Volume 3).

History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men edited by Franklin Ellis, 1882. An excellent starting place for Fayette County research. This history is broken into sections by township and borough, each of which contain information on prominent residents, local churches, cemeteries, and other subjects. Available on Archive.org or Historic Pittsburgh.

The following titles are still in copyright or otherwise unavailable online. For access, visit the Pennsylvania Room or check with your local library.

1859 Directory of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Valleys by Geo. H. Thurston, 1859. This very early directory captures the residents and businesses of communities in Fayette, Greene, and Washington County, along with some adjacent areas.

Fayette Families by the Fayette County Genealogical Society. The official newsletter of the Society contains member-submitted articles on the history of local families.

Lafayette: The History and Genealogy of Fayette County by Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services. This series contains abstracts from court records, newspapers, and other documents and will prove particularly valuable to those researching family from the later 1700s and early 1800s. Similar journals were produced for Somerset (Somerset Past) and Westmoreland (Old Westmoreland) counties.

Pennsylvania Annual Report of the Mines by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Available from 1870 to 1979, these reports offer information on the conditions in various mines, their output, and their accidents. Some reports may list casualities of mine accidents in particular districts. Keep in mind that Fayette County has bituminous coal, not anthracite coal. Available via Penn State.

The following titles are still in copyright or otherwise unavailable online. For access, visit the Pennsylvania Room or check with your local library.

Another Time, Another World by John A. Enman, 2010.

The Beehive Coke Years by John K. Gates. An extensive collection of local coal and coke images.

Bugdust and Blackdamp: Life and Work in the Old Coal Patch by Thomas H. Coode, 1986.

Cloud by Day by Muriel Earley Sheppard, 1947.

Coal and Coke in Pennsylvania by Carmen DiCiccio, 1996.

Common Lives of Uncommon Strength: The Women of the Coal and Coke Era of Southwestern Pennsylvania,1880-1970 by Evelyn A. Hovanec, 2001.

Fayette County, Pennsylvania: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites by the National Park Service, 1990. An excellent source of information on individual company towns and historic industrial sites in Fayette County.

Patch/Work Voices: The Culture and Lore of a Mining People by Dennis F. Brestensky, Evelyn A. Hovanec, and Albert N. Skomra, 1977.

Patches of History by Regis M. Maher, 1999.

History of Greene County, Pennsylvania by Samuel P. Bates, 1888. Available on Archive.org and on Google Books.

The Tenmile Country and Its Pioneer Families by Howard L. Leckey, 1977. (Not yet digitized.)

Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania by J.H. Beers & Co., 1893. Available on Archive.org.

History of Washington County by Alfred Creigh, LL. D., 1871. Available on HathiTrust.

History of Washington County, Pennsylvania edited by Boyd Crumrine, 1882. Available on Archive.org.

Twentieth Century History of the City of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens by Joseph F. McFarland, 1910. Available on Archive.org.

Around Scottdale and Everson by Paul E. Eckman and Tom Zwierzelewski with the Scottdale Historical Society, 2012.

Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania edited by John M. Gresham & Co., 1890. Available on Archive.org and on Google Books.

History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania edited by George Dallas Albert, 1882. Available on Archive.org and on Google Books.

Old and New Westmoreland by John N. Boucher, 1918. Multiple volumes. Available on HathiTrust.

Annals of Southwestern Pennsylvania by Lewis Clark Walkinshaw, A. M., 1939. Multiple volumes. Available on Historic Pittsburgh (Volume 1 – Volume 2 – Volume 3 – Volume 4).

Book of Prominent Pennsylvanians by Alex Moore. Available on Archive.org and on Google Books.

Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania by John W. Jordan, LL. D., 1915. Multiple volumes. Available on Historic Pittsburgh (Volume 1 – Volume 2 – Volume 3).

Western Pennsylvanians edited by Charles Rook. Available on Archive.org and on Historic Pittsburgh.

The following titles are still in copyright or otherwise unavailable online. For access, visit the Pennsylvania Room or check with your local library.

Artwork of Fayette County by the Gravure Illustration Company, 1905.

Do You Remember When . . . by Victoria Dutko Leonelli, 2007.

In Other Years: Uniontown and Southern Fayette County by John K. Gates, 1979.

Banks and Bankers of the Keystone State by The Finance Company in Pittsburgh, 1905. Biographies of banking professionals and histories of banking institutions in Pennsylvania. Available on Archive.org.

A History of the Medical Profession of Fayette County, Pennsylvania by Jacob Sidwell Hackney, 1924. As the title suggests, this book offers information on local medical professionals and medical facilities dating back to the county’s founding. Index-only availability on HathiTrust.

A History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865 by S.P. Bates, 1869. A regiment-by-regiment history of the PA Volunteers and an indispensable resource for those researching a Civil War ancestor. Between Archive.org and Google Books, all volumes are available online. (Volume 1 – Volume 2 – Volume 3 – Volume 4 – Volume 5) See also the Pennsylvania Civil War Soldiers website.

Heroes All. (Published circa ~1946.) A yearbook-style publication that features profiles and pictures of local World War II soldiers. One volume covers Uniontown and South Union Township, while the other features North Union Township veterans. This book is not yet digitized but is available in the Pennsylvania Room.

Inventory of the County Archives of Pennsylvania: Fayette County prepared by the Historical Records Survey, 1940. This inventory completed by the Works Progress Administration describes the functions of each department within the county government and the records they held as of 1940. This book is not yet digitized but is available in the Pennsylvania Room.

Uniontown’s Part in the World War compiled by O’Neil Kennedy, Ralph W. Hook, and Robert C. Bierer, 1919. A yearbook-style publication that features profiles and pictures of local World War I soldiers. While mainly focused on Uniontown veterans, the book also features a supplement with soldiers from Dunbar, Masontown, Perry Township, and Point Marion. Available on Archive.org.