Northampton County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Northamptonshire. The county is located in the Mideastern Central tip of the state.

County Courthouse
Northampton County Courthouse 669 Washington Street Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-829-6500 Northampton County

Courthouse Archives: 610-829-1220 Office of the Prothonotary: 610-829-6457 Orphan's Court: 610-829-6488 or 610-829-6494 Register of Wills Phone:  610-829-6488   Fax:  610-559-3735

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

 * Davis' History of Northampton Cuonty, Pennsylvania, 1877courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Indentured Servants

Cemeteries

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

Additional Cemetery Resources
 * ca.1700-ca.1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * The Cemetery Database at the Mennonite Heritage Center includes 86,000 burial records from 125 local cemeteries. Records cover cemeteries in the counties of Berks, Bucks, Butler, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Westmoreland. The database provides transcriptions from Mennonite, Brethren, Lutheran, Reformed, Union, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, community, and private cemeteries. Search the list of cemeteries and the alphabetical surname lists in Adobe PDF format.

Church Records


The Northampton County Genealogical Society has various records for churches throughout the Northampton County area. However, the society has not put the records on-line and to view the records one must go to the society. The society will do limited lookups in the records. See their website for details.

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 the church records of:
 * Jonathan Worrall, J.P./Misc. Marriage Licenses, 1890-1915
 * Bangor: First United Methodist Church
 * Bethlehem: Cathedral Church of the Nativity; Emmanuel Evangelical Congregational Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church; First Presbyterian Church; Fritz Memorial United Methodist Church; Grace Community United Church of Christ; Olivet Evangelical Congregational Church; Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church; Trinity Episcopal Church
 * Bushkill Center: Holy Cross Lutheran Church Bushkill Center
 * Chapman: Chapman Quarries United Methodist Church
 * Easton: Christ United Methodist Church; First Colored Lutheran Church; First United Church of Christ; First United Church of Christ Easton; St. John's Lutheran Church; St. John's Lutheran Church New Williams; St. Mark's United Church of Christ; St. Paul's Lutheran Church; The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd; Trinity Episcopal Church; Zion Lutheran Church
 * Emmanuelsville: Emmanuel Lutheran Church
 * Freemansburg: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church
 * Hecktown: Dryland Reformed (with private records of Rev. Martin A. Smith)
 * Hellertown: Lower Saucon United Church of Christ
 * Howertown: St. John's Lutheran Church
 * Lower Saucon: Lower Saucon United Church of Christ
 * Moore: Salem United Church of Christ
 * Moorestown: Salem United Church of Christ
 * Nazareth: St. John's United Church of Christ; St. Paul's Episcopal Church
 * Northampton: Grace United Church of Christ; St. Paul's United Church of Christ
 * Richmond: Richmond United Methodist Church
 * Seemsville: St. Peter's United Church of Christ
 * Upper Mount Bethel: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church; Christ Lutheran Church
 * Williams Township: St. Luke's Lutheran Church


 * 1733-1800 Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Northampton County, 1733-1800 Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1991..
 * 1774-1840 Northampton County, Pennsylvania Church Records, 1774-1840 at Ancestry $


 * Contains baptisms from the church records of Williams Township Congregation; Nazareth Moravian Congregation including affiliated Congregations of Gnadenthal, Friedensthal and Niskey; Reformed Congregation in Lower Saucon Township; Emanuel Petersville Church in Moore Township; Reformed and Lutheran Congregations in Lower Nazareth Township, also known as the Dryland Church; First Reformed Church of Easton, Pennsylvania; Moravian Congregation at Schoeneck in Upper Nazareth Township; St. Peter's Union Lutheran and Reformed Church, Plainfield Township; German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Easton, Pennsylvania; Stone Church near Kreidersville, Allen Township [Lutheran and Reformed]; Salem Lutheran and Reformed Congregations of Moore Township; Mt. Bethel Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Upper Mt. Bethel Township; Bethlehem Moravian Congregation; Daniel Schumacher's baptismal register.


 * 1758-1806 Hecktown Baptism Index 1758-1806 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1758-1806 Hecktown Marriage Index 1758-1806 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Lutheran

Trinity Lutheran and Dryland Reformed Church, Hecktown


 * 1763-1832 Dryland Union Lutheran Church, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 1763-1832 at Ancestry $

Methodist
 * 1836-1885 First Methodist Church, Marriages, 1836-1885 at PAGenWeb – Free, church located in Easton, Pennsylvania but some of the marriages may have taken place in Warren County, New Jersey

Moravian Moravians established a settlement at Bethlehem in 1741. The Bethlehem Digital History Project (winner of a National Endowments for the Humanities prize) includes community records, Bethlehem diary, bills of sale and manumissions, business activity, meeting minutes, Moravian Indian diaries 1763-1765, registers of baptisms, marriages, and deaths, and church regulations.


 * Moravian Church Marriages Bethlehem, 1742-1800; Nazareth 1742-1800; Emmaus 1758-1800. Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Presbyterian Several Presbyterian churches were built in what is now Northampton County (Bucks until 1751) to accommodate Scotch-Irish settlers. A Presbyterian Church was organized at "Craig's Settlement" by 1737. Mount Bethel Prebyterian Church was organized in 1738 in "Hunter's Settlement" in Lower and Upper Mount Bethel Townships.

First Presbyterian Church, Easton


 * First Presbyterian Church, Easton Alphabetical Listing. Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Prebyterian Church, Allen Township


 * 1822-1875 Presbyterian Church, Allen Township, Baptism Index 1822-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1822-1889 Presbyterian Church, Allen Township, Marriage Index 1822-1889 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Reformed The Third Street Reformed Church located in Easton was organized between 1745 and 1750 and was the first Reformed church in the area.


 * Deaths and Burials of Reformed Churches of Easton 1768-1844 Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Christ Union Church


 * 1756-1845 Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 1756-1845: Christ Union Church at Ancestry $

Grace Reformed Church


 * Grace Reformed Church RecordsCourtesy USGenWeb Archives

Lowhill Reformed Congregation


 * 1769-1881 Lowhill Reformed Congregation, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 1769-1881 at Ancestry $

Roman Catholic Before 1828, those living in what was Northampton County would have attended the Blessed Sacrament Church in Goshenhoppen now Bally) in Berks County. Records thereafter would be found in St. John the Baptist Church at Hayock. St. Bernard's Church in Easton was dedicated in 1836. List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration
Indentured Servants

Guardianship

 * 1752 -1882 Orphans court records (index 1752–1882)

Land and Property Records
Land records in Northampton County began in 1752. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Easton, Pennsylvania. Most of the 19th century deeds are preserved in the county Archives.

Online Land Records


 * 1985–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1752 -1922 Mortgages, 1799-1822; Index, 1752-1922.
 * 1752-1926 Deeds, 1752-1866; Miscellaneous Records, 1815-1866, and Index, 1752-1926

Note that the "Maps" section below also includes maps related to land ownership.

Maps and Gazetteers


Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1860 Map of Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, published by Smith, Gallup and Co. 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 to be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.
 * Township Maps courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Northampton County for European settlers included:


 * Delaware River a pre-historic patthway serving as the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania rises in Schoharie (NY) and flows by the Lehigh Canal in Pennsylvania, Frenchtown, Trenton where river meets tidewater, and past Bordentown in New Jersey, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania to empty into the North Atlantic Ocean.
 * Delaware and Raritan Canal 1834 connected New Brunswick, New Jersey on the Raritan River (and NY City) to Bordontown, New Jersey on the Delaware River and parts of Pennsylvania including the Lehigh Canal and Northampton County with the D and R Canal at Frenchtown.
 * Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.

Military Records
Revolutionary War

Many Germans from Northampton County served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. Northampton County men also served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment (probably) and the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1740-1773 Pennsylvania Naturalizations, 1740-1773 on Ancestry $
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1795-1930 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1522, incomplete for all counties
 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch
 * 1795-1952  on FamilySearch.org, National Archives publication M1248, browsable images of card index

Newspapers
Newspapers of Northampton County


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

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.

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch
 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts


 * 1867-1890 Obituary/Biographical Article Indexes by the Bethlehem Area Public Library - covers the newspapers: Bethlehem Times, Bethlehem Globe, Bethlehem Globe-Times, and Express-Times; copies can be obtained from the Bethlehem Area Public Library
 * 1895-1983 Morning Call Online Obituary Index by the Allentown Public Library - incomplete for some years, copies can be obtained from the Allentown Public Library
 * 1902-2011 Easton Express/Express Times Newspaper Obituary Index by the Easton Area Public Library - copies can be obtained from the Library
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
 * USGenWeb Northampton County Genealogy Obituaries

Probate Records
Online Probate Records


 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch

Northampton County Only:


 * 1743 -1909 Northampton County Probate Records

Online Probate Abstracts


 * Abstracts of Northampton County, PA; 1752-1802 courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1752 -1882 Orphans court records(index 1752–1882)
 * 1752 -1907 Will books (index 1752–1966)
 * Papers, warrants, surveys, wills, accounts, bonds and agreements, minutes, etc. of Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Tax Records

 * 1762 Lynn Township, Lehigh Co, PA
 * 1772, 1785-1786, 1788 Proprietary, Supply, and State Tax Lists of the Counties of Northampton and Northumberland: For the Years 1772 to 1787 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 19). Digital versions at Don's List; Google Books - free.
 * 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Birth

 * 1726-1930  index. Not complete for all years. This collection is an index for the years 1726 to 1930. It is not necessarily intended to index any specific set of records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 1888-1907 Easton Birth Index 1888-1907 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Marriage

 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 1725-1976  index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic database of information. The entries are primarily from the International Genealogical Index (IGI) along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as: Family Records, Church Records, Civil Registration. It may also include indexes generated by the internet indexing project sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 * 1772-1774, 1824-1836 Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Marriage Licenses issued by Isaac Hicks at Ancestry $
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
 * 1885-1950 - Extracted marriage records – free. Most of the records consist of marriage licenses, certificates, applications, docket books, and affidavits. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1888-1907 Easton Death Index 1888-1907 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * 1893-1912 Northampton County Death Index 1893-1912 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Archives

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


 * The Moravian Archives 41 West Locust Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone: 610-866-3255 Website Email: [mailto:info@moravianchurcharchives.org info@moravianchurcharchives.org]
 * The Moravian Archives is the official repository for the records of the Moravian Church in America – Northern Province. This covers the Moravian churches in the United States (except for North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Virginia) and Canada. The Archives in Bethlehem also holds records from the Moravian church in Alaska, Labrador, Nicaragua and the Eastern West Indies. The Archives is located in a modern 9,200 square foot building with two climate-controlled vaults. It contains approximately 8,000 linear feet of material. The collection includes finding aids of the Moravian collections, church registers, the Memoir Index, records of the mission to the American Indians from 1740 to 1820 (indexed in the Fliegel Index), historical newspapers on microfilm, and a photo collection. Services include monthly lectures, tours, a German Script course, research by mail, reproduction orders, translation, and publications including a monthly electronic newsletter.

Family History Centers

 * Nazareth Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

 * Easton Area Public Library 515 Church Street Easton, PA 18042-3587 Phone: 610-258-2917 Website
 * The library has the Marx Local History Room and contains: Online newspaper obituary indexes, specialized indexes to local records, WPA Index to church records, online index of church records (not included in the WPA index), online index of cemetery records compiled by the Library, marriage and death indexes, 1799-1902. Easton Library also contains an original collection, 1811-1825 which includes: Newspaper microfilm from 1799-current, 15,000 books, periodicals, census microfilm, family files, maps, manuscript material.


 * Some services provided: Photocopies of microfilmed obituaries for a fee - see Obituary copies, photocopies of transcribed church records for a few - see Church transcriptions


 * Jane S. Moyer Library 342 Northampton St. Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-253-1222 Website This Northampton County local and family history collection includes: 5,000 books, 10,000 manuscript items, 6,000 surname files, 2,000 history vertical files, 120,000 photographs, thousands of maps, drawings, and architectural plans detailing the history and families of Northampton County, PA

Museums

 * Sigal Museum 342 Northampton Street Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-253-1222 Website


 * Historic Bethlehem 505 Main Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone: 800-360-TOUR or 610-691-6055 Mailing Address: 74 West Broad Street, Suite 260 Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone: 610-882-0450 Website
 * The Historic Bethlehem collection includes: City directories from 1800s/1900s, historic maps and documents.

Societies

 * The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville, PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 Email: [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Website Visit website for hours
 * The Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania support the John L. Ruth Historical Library and Museum at the Mennonite Heritage Center. Located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania the records and resources of this treasure also cover the counties of Bucks, Chester, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Philadelphia. The website provides a comprehensive overview of library resources, online cemetery database, manuscript collections, photo collections, archival collections, and more.


 * Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society Sigal Museum and Jane S. Moyer Library 3432 Northampton Street Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-253-1222 Website


 * The Moravian Historical Society (see Moravian Archives) 214 E. Center St. Nazareth, PA 18064 Phone: 610-759-5070 Email: [mailto:info@moravianhistoricalsociety.org info@moravianhistoricalsociety.org] Website
 * The Moravian Historical Society has a genealogy collection which includes: Obituaries for Lehigh Valley, local history books, cemetery records, family charts, family history books.

Websites

 * USGenWeb
 * Northampton 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.