Monroe County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named James Monroe. It is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse 610 Monroe Street Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Phone: 570-517-3370 Fax:  570-420-3582 Register of Wills  Phone: 570-517-3359 Monroe County Recorder Phone: 570-517-3969 Monroe County Website County Clerk has birth records 1892-1905, marriage records from 1885, court records from 1845, and divorce records from 1900 Register of Wills has probate records 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:

Bible Records

 * Bible Records at PA USGenWeb Archives
 * Staples Bible Records, Somerset Co, NJ and Monroe Co, PA at USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries
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)


 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry ($)

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

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:
 * Brodheadsville: Zion United Church Lutheran Broadheadsville
 * Clifford: East Stroudsburg Presbyterian Church
 * East Stroudsburg: Middle Smithfield Presbyterian Church
 * Paradise Valley: Keokee United Methodist Church
 * Stroudsburg: Christ Episcopal Church; St. John's Lutheran Church; Stroudsburg United Methodist Church
 * Tannersville: United Church of Christ



Dutch Reformed The first church in Monroe County was a Dutch Reformed Church, organized in 1737 and called the Old Log Church. It was located in Smithfield. The Smithfield Church was one of the four Dutch Reformed churches built in about 1741 in the area. The other 3 churches were all built on the other side of the Delaware River in Minisink Valley area (Northwestern New Jersey).
 * 1741-1825 Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Carbon County, 1795-1825; Monroe County, 1741-1825; Schuylkill County, 1755-1825. Washington, D.C.: PA Genealogy Books, 2006. .:Contains church records of the Dutch Reformed Church, Smithfield Township; Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Hamilton Township; Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Lower Smithfield Township; Stroudsburg Monthly Meeting; and Lutheran and Reformed Congregations at Gilbert in Chestnuthill Township.
 * 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

Hamilton Church


 * Miscellaneous Hamilton Church Records on at PAGenWeb – free, incomplete

Salem Reformed and Lutheran Church, Chestnut Hill Township


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

Salem Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church, Gilbert


 * 1807-1866 Salem Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church, Gilbert, Baptism Index 1807-1866 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Methodist The Delaware Water Gap Methodist Church (also called Dutotsburg) began in 1800.

Presbyterian The Smithfield Stone Church was erected in 1752 and later became known as the Presbyterian Church in 1853 (Image courtesy of the Monroe County Historical Association). The church welcomed all Protestant denominations. The Church of the Mountain was organized in Delaware Water Gap in 1854.


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

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

Funeral Homes

 * Bensing-Thomas Funeral Home in Stroudsburg
 * Bolock Funeral Home and Crematory Inc. in Cresco
 * Gower Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. in Gilbert
 * Joseph J. Pula Funeral Home, Inc. in Stroudsburg
 * William H. Clark Funeral Home in Stroudsburg
 * William H. Kresge Funeral Home, Inc. in Brodheadsville
 * Yanac Funeral & Cremation Service, Inc. in Mt Pocono

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

Online Land Indexes and 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.

Local Histories

 * History of Monroe County, Pennsylvania. 1927. By Robert Brown Keller. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania : Monroe Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.
 * History of Northampton, Lehigh, Monroe, Carbon, and Schuylkill Counties. 1885. By I. Daniel Rupp. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania : Hickok and Cantine. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania. 1886. Ed. by Alfred Mathews. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : R.T. Peck. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * 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 Ancestor Tracks.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
The migration routes used by early European settlers to and from Monroe County included:


 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths 1766 from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.
 * Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.
 * Delaware River.

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


 * 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
Monroe County Newspapers and Dates of Publication
 * Morning Press: 19 May 1913 - 3 April 1929
 * Morning Sun: 1 Jan 1926 -26 Feb 1928
 * East Stroudsburg Press: 7 Aug 1919 - 20 Dec 1923
 * Jeffersonian Republican: 15 Jan 1840 - 12 Jan 1900
 * Daily Times Stroudsburg: 2 Apr 1894 - 31 Dec 1908
 * Monroe Democrat: 18 Oct 1860 -19 Oct 1865; 5 Sep 1907 - 28 Dec 1910
 * Stroudsburg Times, Times Democrat, Monroe Records, Daily Record, East Stroudsburg Press: 20 Jul 1888 - 27 May 1930
 * Daily Record: 28 May 1930 - 1 Dec 1964
 * The Pocono Record: Jan 1965 - current
 * Pennsylvania Chronicle: 26 Jan 1767 - 8 Feb 1774
 * Pennsylvania Gazette: 24 Dec 1728 - 30 Dec 1762; 3 Jun 1799 - 4 Sep 1811; 6 Jan 1763 - 11 Oct 1815
 * Pennsylvania Journal: 2 Dec 1742 - 29 Dec 1781; 2 Jan 1782 - Aug 1793
 * Pennsylvania Packet: 27 Oct 1771 - 31 Dec 1790
 * Pennsylvania Ledger and Freemans Journal: 4 Nov 1775 - 16 May 1792
 * Independent Gazetteer: 13 Aug 1782 - 29 Apr 1795

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
 * The Jeffersonian (Stroudsburg, PA) 1853-1911
 * Monroe County Newspapers at LDSGenealogy

Online Newspaper Abstracts


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

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


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

Probate Records

 * Monroe County Wills Filed at Easton, North Hampton County, Pennsylvania. This is brief extract of information contained in about 60 wills found on the Monroe County, Pennsylvania USGenWeb site.

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
 * 1752-1802 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1775-1847 Tax Lists for Monroe County, PA at PAGenWeb

Birth

 * 1520-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1709-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
 * 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 $
 * 1860-1865 Marriage Abstracts from Monroe Democrat, courtesy USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1885-1950  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1856-1971  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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

Archives
Monroe County Archives One Quaker Plaza, Room 207 Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Phone: 570-517-3189 Website National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Rd Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052 Email: [mailto:philadelphia.archives@nara.gov philadelphia.archives@nara.gov] Website Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

 * Allentown Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Nazareth Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Barrett Paradise Friendly Library - an affiliate library.
 * Eastern Monroe Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Easton Area Public Library 515 Church St Easton, PA 18042-3597 Phone: 610-258-2917 Email: [mailto:eaplibrary@gmail.com eaplibrary@gmail.com] Website Facebook
 * In their dedicated family history research room, the Marx Room, you will find over 15,000 items of interest to researchers looking for ancestors who lived in Northampton County prior to the formation of Monroe County in 1836. A partial list of the library's collection includes: family history books, periodicals, local newspapers from 1799 - current, obituary indexes, 175 volumes of Northampton County church and cemetery records, Northampton court records, extracts, DAR publications, vertical family files.

Eastern Monroe Public Library Hughes Library (Main Branch) 1002 N Ninth St Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Phone: 570-421-0800 Email: [mailto:reference@monroepl.org reference@monroepl.org] Website Facebook
 * Collection includes: The history of Monroe County and the surrounding areas, some family history Books, Pennsylvania Civil War Conscientious Objectors database, Access to Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest.

Western Pocono Community Library 131 Pilgrim Wy Brodheadsville, PA 18322 Phone: 570-992-7934 Email: [mailto:wpcl6@ptd.net wpcl6@ptd.net] Website Facebook
 * Limited number of family genealogies. Microfilm of 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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Access these films at FamilySearch online or through your local FamilySearch library.

Museums
Cresco Station Museum Route 390 and Sand Spring Rd Cresco, PA 18326 Phone: 570-595-6157 Email: [mailto:stationmuseum@verizon.net stationmuseum@verizon.net] Website
 * The museum maintains an archive; they collect information and will also scan records and return them to the original owner. Contact the archivist for more information: [mailto:leeanne@uplink.net leeanne@uplink.net].

Societies
Barrett Township Historical Society Cresco Train Station Museum 142 Sand Spring Rd Cresco, PA 18326 Mailing Address: PO Box 358 Mountainhome, PA 18342 Phone: 570-595-6157 Email: [mailto:stationmuseum@gmail.com stationmuseum@gmail.com] Website Facebook Chestnuthill Township Historical Society PO Box 866 Brodheadsville, PA 18322 Phone: 570-992-7247 Website Facebook Coolbaugh Township Historical Association Wills Mansion 5590 Municipal Dr PO Box 244 Tobyhanna, PA 18466 Phone: 570-894-4207 Email: [mailto:ctha@ptd.net ctha@ptd.net] Website Facebook Eldred Township Historical Society PO Box 635 490 Kunkletown Rd Kunkletown, PA 18058 Phone: 610-381-3100 Facebook Historical Association of Tobyhanna Township PO Box 2084 Pocono Pines, PA 18350 Phone: 570-972-6812 Website Monroe County Historical Association 900 Main St Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Phone: 570-421-7703 Email: [mailto:info@monroehistorical.org info@monroehistorical.org] Website Facebook Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Inc. (NEPGS) Kirby Annex II 57 N Franklin St Wilkes-Barré, PA 18701 Phone: 570-829-1765 Email: [mailto:nepgsmail@gmail.com nepgsmail@gmail.com] Website Facebook Paradise Historical Society PO Box 94 Henryville, PA 18332 Phone: 570-595-9880 Website Facebook Pocono/Jackson Historical Society 2937 PA-611 PO Box 572 Tannersville, PA 18372 Email: [mailto:PoconoJacksonHistoricalSociety@gmail.com PoconoJacksonHistoricalSociety@gmail.com] Facebook

Websites

 * USGenWeb
 * Monroe 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.