Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Lycoming Counties. Situated in western Pennsylvania, the county is bounded by the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas Rivers and includes the county seat of Kittanning, which was laid out in 1803 on the site of the former Delaware Indian village destroyed during the Revolutionary War. At its formation, Armstrong encompassed a larger area than today, with later reductions contributing to the creation of Clarion, Jefferson, and Indiana Counties. The county began recording land deeds, probate and court records, marriage licenses, tax lists, and federal census returns soon after its establishment in 1800. Early settlements included Kittanning, Leechburg (1829), and Freeport (1790s), along with smaller communities such as Apollo, Ford City, and Parker, many of which developed along the Allegheny River and its tributaries. The county became notable for agriculture, ironworks, and later coal mining and glass manufacturing, reflecting the region’s industrial growth in the 19th century. Armstrong County remains an important locality for studying Pennsylvania frontier settlement, Native American history, Revolutionary and Civil War service, and the rise of industrial communities in the Allegheny Valley.
This county project is part of the much larger American History & Genealogy Project or better known by the abbreviation of AHGP. The project has been in existence online since 2000 and over the years has been spread out across the web. These pages are an attempt to consolidate it under one website of the larger project.