Huntingdon County Orphans' Court Records Overview
Pennsylvania places probate and related family-protective filings in Orphans' Court. In Huntingdon County, the same elected office serves as Register of Wills, Recorder of Deeds, and Clerk of Orphans' Court. Kelsey Dunn is the Register and Recorder / Clerk of Orphans' Court, and the office is at the courthouse at 223 Penn Street, Huntingdon, PA 16652.
The state court structure map for Huntingdon County identifies probate material as a secondary clerk function. That matters because civil and criminal Common Pleas records go to the Prothonotary / Clerk of Courts, while estates, wills, guardianships, adoptions, and marriage license records go to this Orphans' Court office.
The local office page is the main source for probate, genealogy, marriage, and adoption directions. Bankruptcy matters, by contrast, are handled in federal court rather than the Huntingdon County Orphans' Court.
View the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania page.
Bankruptcy records are federal records and do not replace Huntingdon County estate filings in Orphans' Court.
Huntingdon County Probate Records Contact Card
Use the Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphans' Court for estate openings, will probate, guardianship filings, adoption-record procedure, marriage-license records, genealogy access, and copies from public Register records. Call ahead when a filing may need an appointment, fee confirmation, or attorney review.
Register of Wills / Recorder of Deeds / Clerk of Orphans' Court
Official: Kelsey Dunn
Huntingdon County Courthouse
223 Penn Street
Huntingdon, PA 16652
814-643-2740
Fax: 814-643-6849
Email: regrec@huntingdoncounty.net
Huntingdon County Register of Wills Duties
The Register of Wills decides probate of the will of a Huntingdon County resident decedent and of a nonresident decedent who owned real estate in the county. The office also acts as agent for the Commonwealth for inheritance tax and maintains estate records such as wills, estate inventories, fiduciary accounts, inheritance-tax records, and related estate filings.
Public Register of Wills records filed in the office are available online through Infocon. In-person research remains important for older files, copies, and questions about what is actually in a local estate packet.
Documents Needed to Open a Huntingdon County Estate
Huntingdon County lists core documents for opening an estate, and the office recommends using an attorney to process an estate. The exact filing package can change based on whether there is a will, whether someone renounces appointment, and whether witness oaths are needed.
| Document | When used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Petition for Grant of Letters | Estate opening | Core Register of Wills filing. |
| Original Will or Codicil | When a will exists | The original document is needed for probate. |
| Death Certificate | Estate opening | Identifies the decedent and death information. |
| Estate Information Sheet | Estate opening | Used for estate administration information. |
| Renunciations | When applicable | Used when a person gives up appointment rights. |
| Witness oaths | When applicable | Subscribing or non-subscribing witness oaths may be required. |
| Applicable fees | At filing | Confirm the current amount with the office or fee schedule. |
How to Search Huntingdon County Probate Records
Huntingdon County probate access has several channels. Public Register records may be searched through Infocon, the courthouse office remains available for public research during normal operating hours, and mail requests can be sent with enough information to identify the estate or record. Guardianship reporting has its own authorized UJS route.
- Start with the decedent name, estate number if known, approximate date of death, and record type.
- Use Infocon for online public Register of Wills or Recorder records where available.
- Call 814-643-2740 if the record is old, unclear, sealed, or requires a certified copy.
- Visit the courthouse for public genealogy or estate research during normal office access.
- Use the UJS Guardianship Tracking System only for authorized guardianship reports after receiving access instructions.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options or format notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| County / office selection | Portal navigation | Yes | Select Huntingdon Register of Wills / Recorder records where available. |
| Name / party | Text | Unspecified | Use decedent, party, or other record name when supported. |
| Instrument / record type | Dropdown or text | Unspecified | Register records, Recorder records from 1982-present, or Old Book Inquiry for older deed records. |
| Date / book-page | Text or date | Unspecified | Use known dates, docket numbers, or book and page references to narrow results. |
Huntingdon County Probate Records Terms Defined
Probate files use short legal terms that can affect which form, copy, or court office a person needs. These definitions are general office-use terms, not legal advice about a specific estate.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named in a will to carry out estate administration after appointment.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which changes how estate authority is handled.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised arrangement for a minor or incapacitated person, tracked through Orphans' Court records and reporting.
- Conservatorship
- A protective financial-management concept often discussed with guardianship, though Pennsylvania Orphans' Court forms use guardianship terminology.
Huntingdon County Orphans' Court Forms and Guardianship Tracking
State Orphans' Court forms include decedent estate petitions, trust estate forms, guardianship petitions, notices of claim, reports, inventories, and Register of Wills forms. Useful form numbers include OC 01 for decedent estate adjudication, OC 03 for incapacitated person guardianship, OC 04 for minor guardianship, RW-02 for Petition for Grant of Letters, RW-06 for Renunciation, RW-07 for Notice of Estate Administration, and RW-09 for Inventory.
Guardianship reports G-05, G-02, and G-03 may be electronically filed through the Guardianship Tracking System after obtaining an access code from the Clerk of Orphans' Court. Annual guardianship reports can be filed online through a UJS account login.
Genealogy, Adoption, and Restricted Huntingdon County Probate Records
Huntingdon County does not employ genealogical researchers, but records are open for public research during normal operating hours. There is no fee to research. Copies are $.25 per page up to 11 x 17, and the office directs genealogy questions to 814-643-2740.
Adoption records are different. The Clerk of Orphans' Court files adoption records, but the county page states adoption records are sealed by the court and not open without proper verification under Act 101. Guardianship records involving minors or incapacitated persons may also contain sensitive information, so public access can be narrower than ordinary estate records.
For federal bankruptcy docket lookup, the official PACER court lookup identifies the Middle District of Pennsylvania bankruptcy court separately from county probate records.
Open the PACER lookup for Pennsylvania Middle Bankruptcy Court.
Use Huntingdon County Orphans' Court for estate files and PACER only when the matter is a federal bankruptcy case.