Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania Cumberland County

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Lancaster County 27 January 1750.
 * County Seat: Carlisle
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Perry (north) • Franklin (west) • Adams (south) • Dauphin (east) • York (southeast)

The Scotch-Irish settled heavily in the Cumberland Valley. It is estimated that they made up 90% of the population in the eighteenth century.

==== Boundary Changes ====


 * 10 March 1682: Chester County was created from the Colonial lands, including the whole part of future Cumberland County.
 * 14 October 1728: Lancaster County was set off from Chester County, including the future Cumberland County.
 * 9 March 1771: Bedford County was created from Cumberland County. By this time, Cumberland County included all what is now of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Franklin, plus parts of Centre, Union, Snyder counties as well as the current county.
 * 9 September 1784: Franklin County was set off, no part of it was taken for any future counties.
 * 19 September 1789: Mifflin County was created from Cumberland and Northumberland counties, including the parts for future Centre and Juniata Counties.
 * 22 March 1820: Perry County was created from Cumberland County.

African Americans

 * Slave returns

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, 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.


 * 1737-1898 - Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Church Records at Ancestry ($). Big Spring Presbyterian Church (Newville, Pa.), Bobenmayer Church (Upper Frankford, Pa.), First Evangelical Lutheran Church (Carlisle, Pa.), Meeting-House Springs, Middle Spring Presbyterian Church, Poplar Evangelical Lutheran Church (Shiremanstown, Pa.), German Reformed Church (Shippenstown, Pa.), St. James Episcopal Church, St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran Church (New Kingston, Pa.), First Presbyterian Church (Carlisle, Pa.), Trindle Spring Lutheran Church, Ziegler's Church (Mifflin Twp., Pa.) and other miscellaneous church records.

Catholic

 * "100 years of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese 1843–1943". Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Quarterly, 17:1. FamilySearch Library book 974.8 B2wg. Contains chronolgy, map, county-by-county information.

Episcopalian
St. John's Church, Carlisle

Registers begin in 1793.

Lutheran

 * 1896-1936 - Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lemoyne, Pa. Parish Register 1896-1936 at Ancestry ($).

Presbyterian
Silvers' Spring Presbyterian Church, near the present site of Mechanicsburg, was organized in 1734. Meeting House Spring Presbyterian Church was organized in Middleton Township (present site of Carlisle) in 1734. Big Spring Presbyterian Church was organized in what is now the town of Newville by 1737. Falling Spring Presbyterian Church was organized, at a Scotch-Irish settlement in what is now Franklin County (formerly Lancaster and then Cumberland counties), in 1738. Middle Spring Presbyterian Church, in Southampton Township, was organized by the 1740s. Upper West Conococheague Presbyterian Church was organized at what is now the town of Mercersburg in 1738. Another Presbyterian church at the "Conococheague Settlement" (present-day Greencastle) was organized by 1738.

First Presbyterian Church


 * 1785-1812 - Marriage Record of the First Presbyterian Church, at Carlisle, 1785-1812 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 8, Part 4) at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.

Lutheran

 * 1896-1936 - Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1896-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($); book transcription.

Quarter Sessions

 * 1750-1785 - Greene, Diane E. Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Quarter Session Dockets 1750-1785. Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield, 2001. Digital version at Ancestry ($);.

Land and Property
Land records in Cumberland County began in 1750. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Carlisle, 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


 * 1973–present Cumberland County offers free online access to indexes. Fees apply to view images since 1993. Check the website for current information on availability and fees.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1750–1954 Deeds and Miscellaneous Records, 1750-1866; Indexes, 1750-1954.
 * 1738–1890 Land Drafts and Warrants.
 * 1777–1956 Mortgages, 1777-1826; Indexes, 1777-1956.

Additional Resources

Note that the "Maps" section below 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 Cumberland 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
Click the image to view an enlarged version

Ancestor Tracks has posted free, downloadable images from the 1872 Atlas of Cumberland Co., Pennsylvania, from Actual Surveys by and under the Direction of F.W. Beers. 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.

French and Indian War
In 1756, Colonel Armstrong recruited many Scotch-Irish men from Cumberland County. They attacked and destroyed the Indian village at Kittanning (present-day Armstrong County).

Colonel Henry Bouquet led a group of Scotch-Irish men from Cumberland County to rescue Fort Pitt. They decisively defeated the Indians at the Battle of Bushy Run.

Reverend John Elder, pastor of Derry and Paxtang churches, recruited Scotch-Irish rangers from his congregation in Cumberland County. Known as the Paxton Rangers or Paxton Boys, they provided security for white settlements between the Blue Mountains and the Susquehanna River. They are remembered for playing a prominent role in Pontiac's War.

Revolutionary War
Cumberland County men also served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment and the 9th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Newspapers
Newspapers of Cumberland County


 * Pennsylvania Newspapers
 * Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory

Online Newspaper Abstracts


 * PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Cumberland County.

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 Cumberland County.
 * The Sentinel Online Obituaries are archived from 1997 to the present. To find a name, use the advanced search tab.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records

Original probate records for some Pennsylvania counties are available free online as digital images at FamilySearch.org. The dates vary significantly for each county and not all counties are listed. Some counties may only have probate indexes. This Pennsylvania collection of images may be browsed through the links listed below:

Complete Collection:


 * 1683-1994- at FamilySearch.org

Chester County Only:


 * 1750-1937-Cumberland County Probate Records

Archives
Cumberland County Archives 1 Courthouse Square Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: 717.240.7886 Hours: By Appointment Only (Mon-Fri)

The Archives holds deeds (1831-1908), mortgages (1839-1924), births, marriages, and deaths (1852-1855), letters of administration (1887-1937) and more.

Courthouse
Cumberland County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Carlisle, PA 17013 Hours: M-F 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Phone: 717-240-6100 Toll Free: 1-888-697-0371

Recorder of Deeds can be reached at 717.240.6370 and is open M-F from 8 am - 4:30 pm.

The Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans' Court is located in room 102 of the County Courthouse and is available at 717-240-6345. The office is open from 8 am - 4:30 pm.

The County Archives (see above) holds deeds (1831-1908), mortgages (1839-1924), births, marriages, and deaths (1852-1855), letters of administration (1887-1937) and more.

Prothonotary Office 1 Courthouse Sq. Suite 100 Carlisle, PA 17013 Phone: 717–240–6195

Taxation

 * 1778-1782, 1785 - State and Supply Transcripts of the County of Cumberland: For the Years 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1785. (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 20). Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books - free.


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

Birth

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

Marriage

 * 1700-1821 - Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years.
 * Pre-1810 – Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) 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.
 * 1885-1950 - Extracted marriage records – free. This database is incomplete for all counties. May also contain marriage records earlier than 1885.

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.

Web Sites

 * Cumberland County Historical Society
 * Cumberland County PA Genealogy
 * Linkpendium - Cumberland County
 * USGenWeb project.