Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Sullivan County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The county is located in the northeastern central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Sullivan County Courthouse 245 Muncy Street P.O. Box 157 Laporte, PA 18626 Phone: 570-946-5201 Prothonotary, Recorder Of Deeds, Clerk Of Courts, Register Of Wills And Clerk Of Orphan's Court Phone: 570-946-7351 Sullivan County Website

In Sullivan County, the prothonotary is responsible for five different offices: Prothonotary, Recorder, Register of Wills, Clerk of Courts, and Clerk of Orphan's Court. Clerk of Orphan Court has birth and death records 1893-1905 and marriage records from 1885 Prothonotary Office has divorce and court records from 1847 Register of Wills has Probate records from 1847 Recorder of Deeds has land records

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline

 * Ingham's History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, 1899 courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * Biographies from Ingham's History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, 1899 courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries

 * Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images (incomplete)

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1620-1991 (*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * Sullivan County Historical Society and Museum has listed in their resources, Compilings, Churches - individually. They may have the church records for your ancestors. You may visit them or use their volunteers for a fee. Email: [mailto:museum@scpahistory.com museum@scpahistory.com].
 * Linkpendium

County-wide Database - Multi-denominational
 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – $, free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry $
 * Contains records of:
 * Dushore: Peace Lutheran Church; Zion Lutheran Church
 * Mildred: Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Court of Common Pleas The Courts of Common Pleas are the trial courts of Pennsylvania. Major civil and criminal cases are heard in these courts. Judges also decide cases involving adoption, divorce, child custody, abuse, juvenile delinquency, estates, guardianships, charitable organizations and many other matters.

The Common Pleas courts are organized into 60 judicial districts. Sullivan County shares its judicial district with Wyoming. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.

District Court The District Court is presided over by a Magisterial District Judge. The judge has responsibility for non-jury trials and civil cases involving amounts under $12,000, and also performs marriages.

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1798-1828  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Alphabet index then by numbered entry
 * 1900-1923  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1952-1957   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Guardianship
Orphan In Sullivan County, the Prothonotary is the clerk of the Orphan's Court. In fact five different offices are combined into one office.
 * 1848-1879 Orphans Court Dockets (index 1848 -1931)

Land and Property Records
Land records in Sullivan County began in 1847. These records are filed with the Register of Deeds office in Laporte, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1848-1931 Orphans Court Dockets, 1848-1879; Index, 1848-1931.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1847-1876 Deeds, 1847-1866; Index, 1847-1876.  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1847-present Images are available on-line from 1847 to the present using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Local Histories

 * History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. 1899. By Thomas J. Ingham. Chicago, Lewis Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
 * History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. 192?. By George Streby. N.p: n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust;.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the Topographical Map of Sullivan Co. Pennsylvania from Recent and Actual Surveys and Records under the Superintendence of F.W. Beers (A. Pomeroy &amp; Co., New York, 1872). This wall map located in the Library of Congress shows major landowners and geographic sites at the date of publishing. While the physical maps are in the public domain, the images we have taken of the maps belong to us and are not be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Civil War
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1865-1936  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II
 * 1933-1947  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1795-1952  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1848-1906 Naturalization records, 1848-1906,  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1901-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. Circuit and District Courts for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 1906-1930; and 1901-1906 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records.
 * 1901-1930 Middle District, US Circuit and District Courts: Naturalization petitions, 1906-1930 located in U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) database on Ancestry $

Newspapers
Newspapers of Sullivan County

Online Newspapers

To learn if there are newspapers online for a specific town or city in Pennsylvania, see news.google.com/newspapers and search for the town or the name of a newspaper.


 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.

Obituaries

 * 1947-2021  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1977-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died. However, sometimes an obituary is found in the location from which he or she originated. To find an obituary, see the information under the Sullivan

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.
 * Obituaries from The Sullivan Review in Dunshore, PA 1899-2010. (USGenWeb)
 * Wilston Funeral Home Obituaries (USGenWeb)
 * P. Dean Homer Funeral Home (USGenWeb)


 * The Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Historical Society and Museum contains an obituaries list from 1800 to 1999.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
 * 1847-1913 Sullivan County Probate Records at FamilySearch
 * 1847-1913 Wills  - images only; click on the camera icon to view images; index included 1847 -1931.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014  at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

 * 1808 1808 Sullivan County Taxables at RootsWeb
 * 1824 1824 Sullivan County Taxables at RootsWeb

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1941-1976  at FamilySerch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1512-1989  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1682-1976  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1700-1821  Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1709-1940  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * Pre-1810  Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Marriage Docket of Edward Eldred, J.P. 1809-1835

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1867-1905 Sullivan County Death Index 1867-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary which is located in the Sullivan County Courthouse.

Archives
National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052 Website

Family History Centers

 * Towanda Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Williamsport Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society - an affiliate library.

Museums
Sullivan County Historical Society and Museum 458 Meylert St Laporte, PA 18626 Website Extensive collection of genealogies as well as historical records and documents. Additionally, the museum contains a large listing of maps and an obituaries list from 1800 to 2019. Endless Mountains War Memorial Museum 103 Main Street Box 7166 Sonestown, PA 17758 Phone: 570-482-2610 Facebook Lists of casualties, genealogical information and memorabilia.

Societies
Sullivan County Historical Society and Museum 458 Meylert St Laporte, PA 18626 Phone: 570-946-5020 Email: [mailto:museum@scpahistory.com museum@scpahistory.com] Website The Sullivan County Historical Society holdings are housed at the museum.

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. Sullivan County May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Sullivan County PA Genealogy
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.