Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania Northumberland County

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Lancaster, Berks, Bedford, Cumberland, and Northampton Counties 21 March 1772.
 * County Seat: Sunbury
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Montour and Lycoming (north) • Dauphin (south) •  Snyder and Juniata (west)  • Columbia (northeast)  •  Schuylkill (east)  •  Perry (southwest) •  Union (northwest)

Named for the County of Northumberland in England.

Boundary Changes
Several times the county was divided over the years:


 * 25 September 1786: Luzerne
 * 19 September 1789: Mifflin
 * 13 April 1795: Lycoming
 * 13 February 1800: Centre
 * 26 March 1804: Clearfield
 * 22 March 1813: Columbia and Union

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

Holy Cross Cemetery, Mount Carmel BillionGraves

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.com – $; 7,542,774 entries. This database is incomplete for all counties.

Baptists
There were many Baptist churches established in Northumberland County, including the Milton Baptist Church organized with 9 members in 1826.

Lutheran
There were many Lutheran churches in the county. One of the earliest Lutheran churches built was the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sunbury in 1791. In Milton, the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church gathered in a union church with the Reformed Church in 1807 although they met before that date. St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northumberland was dedicated in 1818 although they also met together before that date.


 * 1774-1846 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1846: Schwaben Creek at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Washington Township, also called Himmel Lutheran and Reformed Church, includes baptism, marriages, and burials
 * 1777-1854 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1777-1854: Stone Valley Lutheran and Reformed Congregations at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Lower Mahanoy Township, includes baptism, marriages, and burials
 * 1851-1892 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1851-1892: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Sunbury Township, includes baptism, marriages, and burials

Presbyterian
In Northumberland, the Presbyterians first record of gathering was written in a journal in 1775, although it was 1787 before they were officially organized.

Reformed
The first Reformed Church in Sunbury was organized in 1784 and met in the same church building as the Presbyterians until 1841 when they built their own church. It is believed the Reformed Church was the first religion to practice in Milton. However, they didn't have an official building until 1807 when they began meeting in a union church with the Lutherans. The Associate Reformed Church in Milton was organized in 1818 by members originally associated with the Presbyterian church.


 * 1774-1846 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1846: Schwaben Creek at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Washington Township, also called Himmel Lutheran and Reformed Church, includes baptism, marriages, and burials
 * 1777-1854 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1777-1854: Stone Valley Lutheran and Reformed Congregations at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Lower Mahanoy Township, includes baptism, marriages, and burials

Roman Catholics
In Milton, St. Joseph's Catholic Church was created just after 1783. More Catholic churches were organized as more immigrants moved to the county, including St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church organized by Polish immigrants in 1861.

Land and Property
Land records in Northumberland County began in 1772. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, and maps. Property records include liens as well as livestock brands and estray records.

The following are examples of available resources:

Online Land Records


 * 1903–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1770-1914 Deeds, 1770-1866; Index, 1772-1914. Deeds earlier than 1770 were created in the applicable parent county.
 * 1772–1974 Mortgages, 1793-1838; Index, 1772-1974.

Additional Resources

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

See Pennsylvania Land and Property for more information about using land records, especially about original land warrants, surveys, and patents filed at the state land office.

Additional resources can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Northumberland County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


 * Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog.)
 * (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search.)

Maps
Ancestor Trackshas posted free downloadable images from the Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania from Actual Surveys by G.M. Hopkins, published by J.A.J. Cummings in 1858. 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.

A historical map of displaying township boundaries and names of early settlers is available online in County Historical Maps of Pennsylvania at  - free. Counties arranged alphabetically.

Revolutionary War
Northumberland County men also served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Probate Records

 * Fisher, Charles A. Wills and Administrations of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Including Wills and Administrations of Union, Mifflin and Indiana Counties. 1950. Digital version at - free. Abstracts and index.

Courthouse

 * Northumberland County Courthouse
 * 201 Market Street
 * Sunbury, PA 17801
 * Phone: (570) 988-4148


 * Copies of documents including birth, marriages, deaths, divorces, land, and probate records can be obtained by using: Pennsylvania Public Record. Click on the link for the record you wish to request.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Nazareth Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Sunbury Pennsylvania Family History Center

Societies
The Northumberland County Historical Society 1150 North Front St. Sunbury, PA 17801-1126 Phone/Fax: (570) 286-4083

Montour County Genealogical Society, MCGS 205 Ferry Street Danville PA 17821 570-275-6177 Genealogy Room: Thomas Beaver Free Library, 2nd Floor Hours: Saturdays 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Mondays 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fee: $2.00 an hour for non-members, no charge for members  The collection includes records for Columbia, Montour and Northumberland Counties. Research requests may be submitted in writing using a printable form which includes the fee schedule

Taxation

 * 1778-1787 - 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 version at Google Books - free.


 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

County-wide Database

 * 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties. Includes 35,000 marriage records from vol. VIII of of the second series of the Pennsylvania Archives.

Birth

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Births Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.
 * "Birthday Book" of Clara Reichley on PAGenWeb - free, information varies, appears to be from a birthday book kept by a local resident living in Northumberland, NOT COMPLETE

Marriage

 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years.
 * Northumberland County Marriage Index Female Surname on PAGenWeb – free, alphabetical order
 * Northumberland County Marriage Index Male Surname on PAGenWeb – free, alphabetical order

Divorce
Divorce records are handled by the office of the Prothonotary. While no on-line indexes or records are available, records may be obtained by visiting or writing to the Prothonotary at: Office of the Prothonotary 201 Market St Sunbury, Pa 17801 Phone: 570-988-4151

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.
 * "Birthday Book" of Clara Reichley on PAGenWeb - free, information varies, appears to be from a birthday book kept by a local resident living in Northumberland, NOT COMPLETE
 * Names of persons killed in the mines of Northumberland County on PAGenWeb – free, covers various years

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.