Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Lehigh 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 after the Lehigh River, whose name is derived from the Delaware Indian term Lechauweki or Lechauwekink, meaning "where there are forks". It is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Lehigh County Courthouse 455 West Hamilton Street Allentown, PA 18101-1614 Court of Common Pleas Phone: 610-782-3000 Clerk of Courts 610-782-3148 Prothonotary 610-782-3148 Orphans' Court 610-782-3220 Recorder of Deeds 610-782-3162 Register of Wills 610-782-3170 Lehigh County Website Clerk of the Orphan Court has birth records 1895-1905, death records 1893-1904, and marriage records from 1885 Prothonotary Court has divorce and court records from 1812 Register of Wills has probate records from 1812 Recorder of Deeds has land records from 1812

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:

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
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry($)
 * Mennonite Cemetery Database

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.


 * Contains the church records of:
 * Jonathan Worrall, J.P./Misc. Marriage Licenses, 1890-1915
 * Alburtis: Zion Lehigh Evangelical Lutheran Church
 * Allentown: Asbury United Methodist Church; Christ Lutheran Church; Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Allentown; Jordan United Church of Christ; Salem United Church of Christ; Salem United Methodist Church; St. John's United Church of Christ; St. Joseph's Evangelical Lutheran Church; St. Paul's Lutheran Church; The Church of the Mediator; Trinity United Church of Christ; United Methodist Church
 * Catasauqua: Presbyterian Church of Catasaqua
 * Coplay: St. John's Lutheran Church
 * Emmaus: Emmaus Moravian Church; Old Moravian Cemetery; St. John's Lutheran Church; St. Margaret's Episcopal Church
 * Old Zionsville: United Church of Christ
 * Schoenersville: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church; Christ Reformed Church
 * Slatington: Christ Episcopal Church; Methodist Episcopal Church; St. John's United Church of Christ
 * Spinnerstown: Trinity Great Swamp Church
 * Wescosville: Bethany United Methodist Church


 * 1730 -1779 Pennsylvania, Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages at Ancestry $
 * Lehigh County, Pennsylvania: Hilffrich Pastoral Records at Ancestry $
 * 1734-1800 Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Lehigh County, 1734-1800 Washington, D.C.: Humphrey Publications, 1992.


 * Contains the baptism records of Egypt Reformed Church in Whitehall Township; Great Swamp Reformed Congregation, Lower Milford Township; St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Upper Saucon Township, also known as St. Paul's Blue Church; Jordan Lutheran Congregation in South Whitehall Township; Daniel Schumacher's baptismal register; First Evangelical Lutheran Congregation in Upper Milford Township; Moravian Congregation at Emmaus in Salisbury Township; Zion's Lutheran Church in Lower Macungie Township; Ziegel Church in Weissenberg Township; Reformed Congregation in Upper Milford Township, also known as Zion's Reformed Church in Zionsville; Weissenberg Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Weissenberg Township; Reformed Congregation in Lower Milford Township; Zion Lutheran Congregation, Zionsville, Upper Milford Township; Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Western Salisbury Township; Frieden's Union Church, Friedensville, Upper Saucon Township; Schlosser's Reformed Church in North Whitehall Township, also known as Union Church in Unionville; Jordan Reformed Congregation in South Whitehall Township; Zion Reformed Church, Allentown; Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Eastern Salisbury Township; Lowhill Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Lowhill Township; Heidelberg Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Heidelberg Township; Reformed Congregation at Schoenersville in Hanover Township; Lutheran Congregation at Schoenersville in Hanover Township; Trexlertown Union Church in Upper Macungie Township; Union Church at Neffs in North Whitehall Township; Chestnuthill Reformed Congregation in Lower Milford Township; St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Allentown; Allemangel Moravian Congregation in Lynn Township.


 * 1784 -1882 Trexlertown Union Church, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1784-1882 at Ancestry $


 * The Lehigh County Pennsylvania Historical Society has a list of church records available in their collection. You can access these records by completing a search request form.

Lutheran Lutheran churches in Lehigh County were German in respect to the language used in the services and to the origin of the clergy. Congregations were established as early as 1734 in Upper Milford. Reformed and Lutheran congregations often shared a building. Union organizations were two congregations who purchased property and erected a church shared by both organizations. Fifteen Lutheran congregations existed in 1784.

Early records of the "Blue Church" have been published:


 * 1750-1764 Beckel, Clarence E. "Records of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Lehigh Co., Penna., 1750-1764," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 35 (1911):188-198. Includes marriages, deaths, and communicants. For free online access, see WeRelate.
 * Churches of Coopersburg Lutheran Charge, St John's, St. Paul's, the Blue, Upper Saucona, New Jerusalem or Apples, Leithsville – at Ancestry $

Christ Church, Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Congregation, Shoenersville


 * 1780-1880 Centennial of Christ Church at Shoenersville, Pa 1880. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1781-1875 Christ Reformed Lutheran Congregation, Shoenersville, Baptism Index 1781-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1782-1889 Christ Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Shoenersville, Baptism Index 1782-1889 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1782 -1856 Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1782-1856: Christ Lutheran Congregation at Ancestry $
 * 1853-1880 Christ Reformed Lutheran Congregation, Shoenersville, Marriage Index 1853-1880 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Ebenezer Union Church

Ebenezer Union Church 1740-1990 -- Stones of Help. Appendixes B and D have lists of baptisms with names of children with their dates of birth and baptism and names of their parents. Also lists of confirmations, marriages, and funerals.

Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed Congregation


 * Membership and burial record of Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed congregations and cemeteries at Ancestry $

St. John's Reformed and Evangelical Lutheran Church, Laury's Station


 * 1868-1908 St. John's Reformed and Evangelical Lutheran Church, Laury's Station, Baptism Index 1868-1908 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1861-1874 St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Records - birth, death, burial 1786-1874 at The USGenWeb Project

Ziegel's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Weisenberg Township


 * 1752-1866 Ziegel's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Weisenberg Township, Baptism Index 1752-1866 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Mennonite The first Mennonite congregation was established in 1738 in Upper Saucon. Two congregations existed after 1784.

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.


 * 1740s-1790s Moravian Church, Bethlehem Marriages at The USGenWeb Project

There was also a Moravian congregation at Emmaus:


 * 1758-1800 Moravian Church Marriage Records, Emmaus, Pa. 1758-1800 at The USGenWeb Project

Reformed As early as 1747 there were at least ten Reformed congregations in Lehigh County. By 1784 there were seventeen congregations.

Ebenezer Union Church


 * 1790-1990 Ebenezer Union Church 1740-1990 -- Stones of Help. Appendix C has lists of baptisms with names of children with their dates of birth and baptism and names of their parents. Also lists of marriages and funerals by date.

Egypt Reformed Church


 * 1734-1834 Roberts, Charles R., translator. Records of Egypt Reformed Church, Lehigh County, 1734-1834, in Pennsylvania Archives, Sixth Series, Volume VI. (Harrisburg, PA: Harrisburg Publishing Co., 1907). Includes baptisms.
 * 1736-1834 Egypt Reformed Church, Whitehall Township, Baptism Index 1736-1834 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1752 Egypt Reformed Church, Whitehall Township, Marriage Index 1752 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed Congregation


 * Membership and burial record of Jerusalem Lutheran and Reformed congregations and cemeteries at Ancestry $

Jordan Reformed Congregation, South Whitehall Township


 * 1765-1858 Jordan Reformed Congregation, South Whitehall Township, Burial Index 1765-1858 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1765 -1858 Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1765-1858: Jordan Reformed Congregation at Ancestry $

Reformed Church, Lowhill


 * 1758-1862 Reformed Church, Lowhill, Baptism Index 1758-1862 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Schlosser's or Union Reformed Church, Unionville, North Whitehall Township


 * 1765-1846 Records of Schlosser's or Union Reformed Church, Unionville, North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1765-1846 at The USGenWeb Project – free.
 * 1765-1846 Neff's Schlosser's Reformed Church, Burial Index 1766-1771 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch
 * 1766-1773 Schosser's or Union Reformed Church, Unionville, Marriage Index 1766-1773 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch

Upper Milford Reformed Congregation

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1757 -1885 Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, 1757-1885: Upper Milford Reformed Congregation at Ancestry $
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Prothonotary In Lehigh County the Prothonotary is known as the Civil Division

Guardianship

 * 1752-1882 Orphans Court Records and Index

Land and Property Records
Land records in Lehigh County began in 1812. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Records
 * 1812 -1911 Deed Records 1812-1901; Index 1812-1911 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1812 -1911 Mortgage Records, 1812-1886; Mortgage Index 1812-1911. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 1984–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Local Histories

 * 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 the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 1884. By Alfred Mathews and Austin N. Hungerford. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Everts & Richards. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps
 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1876 Illustrated Atlas of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. This atlas 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 be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania for settlers included:


 * Delaware River a pre-historic pathway serving as the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania rises in Schoharie (NY) and flows by the Lehigh Canal in Pennsylvania, Frenchtown, New Jersey, Trenton, New Jersey where river meets tidewater, and past Bordentown, 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. Lehigh County, Pennsylvania connected via the feeder canal at Frenchtown, New Jersey.

Military Records
Civil War
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * "The Civil War Draft -- Wednesday, 12 August 1863 - Lehigh County, PA," Allentown Democrat, 19 August 1863. Digitized by PAGenWeb

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1795-1952  on FamilySearch.org, National Archives publication M1248, browsesable images of card index
 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1795-1930 on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1522, incomplete for all counties
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $
 * 1812-1906 Naturalization records, 1812-1906.  - Index 1812-1908; images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Newspapers
Newspapers of Lehigh County

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
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory.
 * Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
 * Pennsylvania Newspapers


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

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

Probate Records
Online Probate Index and Records
 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1812-1965 Lehigh County Probate Records - at FamilySearch.org
 * 1812-1920 Probate Records - Index included: 1812-1965 - images only; click on the camera icon to view 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.

Tax Records

 * 1762 Lynn Twp (part of Northampton Co as Lehigh not yet formed)

Birth

 * 1726-1930  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 $

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.
 * 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 $

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

Family History Centers

 * Allentown Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

 * Allentown Public Library 1210 W. Hamilton St. Allentown, PA 18102 Phone: 610-820-2400 website
 * The library collection includes a number of family histories.


 * Bethlehem Area Public Library 11 West Church Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone: 610-867-3761 Website
 * Online, Bethlehem Obituary/Biographic Article Index


 * The Mennonite Heritage Center Library 565 Yoder Road Harleysville, PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 Website
 * The Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania support the 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.

Museums

 * Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum 432 W. Walnut Street Allentown, PA 18102 Phone: 610-435-1074 Website
 * Museum of Indian Culture 2825 Fish Hatchery Road Allentown, PA 18103 (610) 797-2121 Email: [mailto:info@museumofindianculture.org info@museumofindianculture.org] Website
 * Facilities include an onsite research library about the Lenape Indians.


 * Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum 432 W. Walnut St. Allentown, PA 18102 Phone: 610–435-1074 Website
 * Museum is managed by an historical society. The Historical Society's collection includes:
 * Church and Cemetery records – includes records of neighboring counties. See the archived list; Repository for early county records including Orphans' Court, tax and prison records;Compiled family histories; Newspapers – Local German and English-language newspapers; Marriage records on film and card index for newspaper obituary and marriage announcements; City directories for Allentown; Wills on film, with translated German text; Land, census and original survey maps.
 * The Historical Society conducts research for a fee.


 *  The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville, PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 Email: [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org] Website
 * 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.
 * Visit the Mennonite Heritage Center to search the cemetery database by various criteria. The transcriptions are available for further research at the MHC library.

Societies

 * The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville, PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 Website
 * The Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania support the 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.

Websites

 * USGenWeb
 * Lehigh 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.