Pike County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Pike County

Guide to Pike County, Pennsylvania ancestry, family history and genealogy in courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

Pike County Pennsylvania Historical Facts



 * Parent Counties: Formed from Wayne County 26 March 1814.


 * County Seat: Milford


 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in:


 * Sullivan County, New York (north)
 * Warren County, New Jersey (south)
 * Orange County, New York (northeast)
 * Monroe (southwest)
 * Sussex County, New Jersey (southeast)
 * Wayne (west)

Named for General Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr., American soldier and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. His Pike expedition mapped much of the southern part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Boundary Changes
1 April 1836: Monroe County was set off.

For animated maps illustrating Pennsylvania county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Pennsylvania County Boundary Maps" (1673-1878) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
For a list of record loss in Pennsylvania counties see: Pennsylvania Counties with Burned Courthouses

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

Pine Grove Cemetery, Tafton 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.

Methodist
Members of the Methodist Church at Dingman's Ferry started gathering in 1830 although the church was not erected until 1870.

Presbyterian Church
The Presbyterian Church in this county was created in 1825 in Milford.

Reformed
In 1737, the Reformed Church in Port Jervis was founded.

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. County has its own judicial district. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.

Land and Property
Land records in Pike County began in 1814. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Milford, 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.

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 Pike County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


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

Maps

 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has a CD of the First Landowners of PA: Warrantees of Wayne &amp; Pike Counties, Map &amp; Index by Jason Torrey, 1814 ($). The CD contains first landowner names and tracts, the warrant register index for Northampton County (the source for both Pike and Wayne Counties), and the warrant registers for both counties.

Migration
Early migration routes to Pike County for European settlers included:


 * Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 * Delaware River.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Naturalization records available for Pike County, Pennsylvania include the following:

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 - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records
 * 1901-1930 - Middle District, US Circuit and District Courts: Naturalization petitions, 1906-1930 located in U.S. Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) database on Ancestry.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records

Newspapers
Newspapers of Pike 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


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

Obituaries
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 Newspaper heading

Online Obituary Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Repositories

 * List of Pennsylvania Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Courthouse
Pike County Courthouse


 * 412 Broad Street
 * Milford, PA 18337
 * Phone: (570) 296-7231
 * Hours: M-F 8:30 - 4:30


 * 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.

Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts Office


 * 412 Broad Street
 * Milford, PA 18337
 * Phone: 570-296-7231

Orphans' Court/Register of Wills


 * 506 Broad Street
 * Milford, PA 18337
 * Phone: 570-296-3508

Libraries
The Pike County Public Library has several branches with the main library being at 201 Broad Street, Milford, Pennsylvania, 18337. Their phone number is (570) 296-8211.

Societies
Pike County Historical Society 608 Broad Street Milford, PA 570-296-8126 Hours: 1 to 4 pm Wednesday–Sunday e-mail: pikemuse@ptd.net facebook

Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. (GRSNP) 110 Main Street Peckville, PA 18452 Phone: 570-383-7661 FAX: 570-383-7466 E-mail: info@grsnp.org


 * Hours: Monday through Thursday 9:00–2:00 and Wednesday night 6:00 pm–900 pm and Saturday by appointment
 * A simple search of a dated name or event $20 - Detailed searches are at the rate of $40 an hour. Postage and photocopies up to $1 are included.

The GRSNP serves northeastern counties:


 * Lackawanna
 * Luzerne
 * Monroe
 * Pike
 * Susquehanna
 * Wayne
 * Wyoming

There resources include the research center and library, newsletters, and database queries.

Research Guides
Woodroofe's guide to Pike County "hidden sources" at The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania is available online:


 * Woodroofe, Helen Hutchison. "A Genealogist's Guide to Pennsylvania Records," The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 34, No. 3 (1986):239-240. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth

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

Marriage

 * 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.
 * 1852-1854 - Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Death

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

Pike County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Pike County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.