Monroe County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Monroe County

Historical Facts
Named for James Monroe, the 5th President of United States.

Parent Counties
1 April 1836: Monroe County was created from Pike and Northampton Counties.

Boundary Changes
13 March 1843: Carbon County created.

Neighboring Counties
Carbon | Lackawanna | Luzerne | Northampton | Pike | Wayne | New Jersey counties: Sussex | Warren

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

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.

Dutch Reformed

 * 1741-1814 - Canfield, Amos. "Records of the Reformed Dutch Church at Smithfield, Pennsylvania," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Church Officials 1745-1814, Membership Lists 1745-1788, Marriage Banns 1742-1786, Baptisms 1741-1749: Vol. 57, No. 1 (Jan. 1926):63-74; Baptisms 1749-1807: Vol. 57, No. 2 (Apr. 1926):142-152. Digital version at New York Family History ($);.

Lutheran

 * Baptism Records of Salem Reformed and Lutheran Church on at PAGenWeb – free, located in Chestnut Hill Township
 * Miscellaneous Hamilton Church Records on at PAGenWeb – free, not complete

Presbyterian

 * 1832-1853 - "The Smithfield, Pa., Presbyterian Church," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, List of Births, Baptisms 1842-1853, Marriages 1842-1853, Membership Lists 1832-1843: Vol. 57, No. 2 (Apr. 1926):153-160. Digital version at New York Family History ($);.

Reformed

 * Baptism Records of Salem Reformed and Lutheran Church on at PAGenWeb – free, located in Chestnut Hill Township

Land and Property
Land records in Monroe County began in 1836. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Stroudsburg, 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


 * 1958–present Images (since 1958) and an index (since 1979) are available on-line using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

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 Monroe 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 Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the Map of the Counties of Munroe and Carbon, Pennsylvania from the Surveys under the Direction of H.F. Walling (New York, 1860). This wall map located in the Library of Congress shows major landowner 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 Ancetor Tracks.

Newspapers
Monroe County, Pennsylvania Newspapers Microfilms of the following newspapers can be found in the Kemp Library located on the campus of the East Stroudsburg University. This library is located at 200 Prospect Ave, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania 18301 Phone nunber 570-422-3465. Microfilm copies can be made for a minimal fee. See also Kemp Library at East Stroudsburg University

Libraries
Eastern Monroe Public Library, or the Hughes Library is located at 1002 North Ninth Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360. This library has a Local History Room on the second floor. Visit Eastern Monroe Public Library for more information.

A partial listing of their holdings include:


 * The History of Monroe County and the surrounding areas
 * Some Family History Books.
 * Pennsylvania Civil War Conscientous Objectors Database
 * Access to Ancestory.com and Hertiage Quest

All family history books located in the Monroe County Historical Association library are searchable on the public library computers

Western Pocono Community Library is located at 200 Pilgrim Way, Broadheadsville, PA. Phone 570-992-7934.This library has a limited number of family genealogies.They do have microfilm of the records of the Salem Union Church located in Gilbert, Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, for the years 1806-1924. These microfilms are also found in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.To access these films FamilySearch online or through your local family history library.

The Easton Public Library is located at 515 Church Street, Easton, Pa 18042-3597. This library has a dedicated family history research room called The Marx Room. In the Marx Room you will find over 15,000 items of interest to local researchers looking for ancestors who lived in Northampton County prior to the formation of Monroe County in 1836. Click here to learn more about the Easton Public Library Marx Room

The collection includes but is not limited to the following records:


 * Family History Books
 * Periodicals
 * Local Newespapers from 1799 - current
 * Obituary Indexes
 * 175 Volumes of Northampton County Church and Cemetery Records
 * Northampton Court Records, Extracts
 * DAR publications
 * Vertical Family Files

Societies
The Monroe County Historical Association is housed in the Jacob Stroud Manson at 900 Main Street, Stroudsburg, Pa. 18360. Phone 570 421-7703. Curator: Mrs. Amy Lesher. A Reading fee of $5.00 a day is charged for non-members to use the Walters Library. Research requests accepted by mail only. Monroe County Historical Association

A partial listing of the holdings in the Elizabeth D Walters Library are as follows:


 * Many Local Family Histories,
 * U S Census Records
 * Some Newspapers from 1840 - 1999
 * Vertical Files by Surname and Subject
 * Obituary Collections
 * Monroe County Church Records
 * Monroe County Death Records from Sep 1893 - Oct 1905
 * Monroe County Cemetery Lists
 * Monroe County Funeral Home Records
 * County and State Histories
 * City Directories and Phone Books
 * Maps

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.

Marriage

 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years.

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 Monroe County Courthouse 610 Monroe Street Stroudsburg, PA 18360-2115 Phone: 570–517-3386

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.

Web Sites

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