Northampton County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Northampton 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.

Northampton County Pennsylvania Historical Facts
Parent Counties: Formed from Bucks County 14 October 1751.

County Seat: Easton

Neighboring Counties: Northampton County residents may also have records in:


 * Monroe
 * Bucks
 * Lehigh
 * Carbon
 * Warren County, New Jersey

Scotch-Irish immigrants made a settlement in what is now Northampton County (then Bucks County) in 1728. The settlement grew rapidly and became known as "Craig Settlement" or "Irish Settlement."

Description
The county was named for Northamptonshire. It's county seat is Easton and was founded March 11, 1752. It is located in the Mideastern Central tip of the state.

Boundary Changes
Several counties set off:


 * 21 March 1798: Wayne
 * 1 March 1811: Schuylkill
 * 6 March 1812: Lehigh
 * 1 April 1836: Monroe
 * 13 February 1843: Carbon

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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

Additional Cemetery Resources


 * 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.

Church Records


The Northampton County Genealogical Society has various records for churches throughout the Northampton County area. However, the society has not put the records on-line and to view the records one must go to the society. The society will do limited lookups in the records. See their website for details.

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
 * Bangor: First United Methodist Church
 * Bethlehem: Cathedral Church of the Nativity; Emmanuel Evangelical Congregational Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church; First Presbyterian Church; Fritz Memorial United Methodist Church; Grace Community United Church of Christ; Olivet Evangelical Congregational Church; Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church; Trinity Episcopal Church
 * Bushkill Center: Holy Cross Lutheran Church Bushkill Center
 * Chapman: Chapman Quarries United Methodist Church
 * Easton: Christ United Methodist Church; First Colored Lutheran Church; First United Church of Christ; First United Church of Christ Easton; St. John's Lutheran Church; St. John's Lutheran Church New Williams; St. Mark's United Church of Christ; St. Paul's Lutheran Church; The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd; Trinity Episcopal Church; Zion Lutheran Church
 * Emmanuelsville: Emmanuel Lutheran Church
 * Freemansburg: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church
 * Hecktown: Dryland Reformed (with private records of Rev. Martin A. Smith)
 * Hellertown: Lower Saucon United Church of Christ
 * Howertown: St. John's Lutheran Church
 * Lower Saucon: Lower Saucon United Church of Christ
 * Moore: Salem United Church of Christ
 * Moorestown: Salem United Church of Christ
 * Nazareth: St. John's United Church of Christ; St. Paul's Episcopal Church
 * Northampton: Grace United Church of Christ; St. Paul's United Church of Christ
 * Richmond: Richmond United Methodist Church
 * Seemsville: St. Peter's United Church of Christ
 * Upper Mount Bethel: Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church; Christ Lutheran Church
 * Williams Township: St. Luke's Lutheran Church


 * 1774-1840 Northampton County, Pennsylvania Church Records, 1774-1840 at Ancestry.com - ($), births, marriages, and deaths from Lutheran and Reformed congregations of Moore Township


 * 1733-1800 Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Northampton County, 1733-1800. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 1991..


 * Contains baptisms from the church records of Williams Township Congregation; Nazareth Moravian Congregation including affiliated Congregations of Gnadenthal, Friedensthal and Niskey; Reformed Congregation in Lower Saucon Township; Emanuel Petersville Church in Moore Township; Reformed and Lutheran Congregations in Lower Nazareth Township, also known as the Dryland Church; First Reformed Church of Easton, Pennsylvania; Moravian Congregation at Schoeneck in Upper Nazareth Township; St. Peter's Union Lutheran and Reformed Church, Plainfield Township; German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Easton, Pennsylvania; Stone Church near Kreidersville, Allen Township [Lutheran and Reformed]; Salem Lutheran and Reformed Congregations of Moore Township; Mt. Bethel Lutheran and Reformed Congregations in Upper Mt. Bethel Township; Bethlehem Moravian Congregation; Daniel Schumacher's baptismal register.


 * 1758-1806 Hecktown Baptism Index 1758-1806 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1758-1806 Hecktown Marriage Index 1758-1806 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Lutheran
Trinity Lutheran and Dryland Reformed Church, Hecktown


 * 1763-1832 Dryland Union Lutheran Church, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 1763-1832 at Ancestry.com – ($), includes baptism, marriages, and burials

Methodist

 * 1836-1885 First Methodist Church, Marriages, 1836-1885 at PAGenWeb – Free, church located in Easton, Pennsylvania but some of the marriages may have taken place in Warren County, New Jersey

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.


 * Moravian Church Marriages Bethlehem, 1742-1800; Nazareth 1742-1800; Emmaus 1758-1800. Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Presbyterian
Several Presbyterian churches were built in what is now Northampton County (Bucks County until 1751) to accommodate Scotch-Irish settlers. A Presbyterian Church was organized at "Craig's Settlement" by 1737. Mount Bethel Prebyterian Church was organized in 1738 in "Hunter's Settlement" in Lower and Upper Mount Bethel Townships.

First Presbyterian Church, Easton


 * First Presbyterian Church, Easton Alphabetical Listing. Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Prebyterian Church, Allen Township


 * 1822-1875 Presbyterian Church, Allen Township, Baptism Index 1822-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1822-1889 Presbyterian Church, Allen Township, Marriage Index 1822-1889 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Reformed
The Third Street Reformed Church located in Easton was organized between 1745 and 1750 and was the first Reformed church in the area.


 * Deaths and Burials of Reformed Churches of Easton 1768-1844 Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Christ Union Church


 * 1756-1845 Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 1756-1845: Christ Union Church at Ancestry.com – ($), Reformed Congregation of the Christ Union Church located in Saucon Township, includes births, marriages, and deaths

Grace Reformed Church


 * Grace Reformed Church RecordsCourtesy USGenWeb Archives

Lowhill Reformed Congregation


 * 1769-1881 Lowhill Reformed Congregation, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 1769-1881 at Ancestry.com – ($), Lowhill Reformed Congregation Church, includes baptism, marriages, and burials

Roman Catholic
Before 1828, those living in what was Northampton County would have attended the Blessed Sacrament Church in Goshenhoppen now Bally) in Berks County. Records thereafter would be found in St. John the Baptist Church at Hayock. St. Bernard's Church in Easton was dedicated in 1836.

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. Northampton 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.

Orphan's Court

 * 1752–1882 Orphans court records (index 1752–1882)

History

 * Davis' History of Northampton Cuonty, Pennsylvania, 1877courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Land and Property
Land records in Northampton County began in 1752. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Easton, Pennsylvania. Most of the 19th century deeds are preserved in the county Archives.

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


 * 1985–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1752-1926 Deeds, 1752-1866; Miscellaneous Records, 1815-1866, and Index, 1752-1926
 * 1752–1922 Mortgages, 1799-1822; Index, 1752-1922.

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 Northampton County Pennsylvania Land in online catalogs such as:


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

Maps



 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images from the 1860 Map of Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, published by Smith, Gallup and Co. 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.
 * Township Maps courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Northampton County for European settlers included:


 * Delaware River a pre-historic patthway serving as the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania rises in Schoharie County, New York and flows by the Lehigh Canal in Pennsylvania, Frenchtown, Trenton where river meets tidewater, and past Bordentown in 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 and parts of Pennsylvania including the Lehigh Canal and Northampton County with the D and R Canal at Frenchtown.
 * Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.
 * Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpike  to the Great Valley Road.

Revolutionary War
Many Germans from Northampton County served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. Northampton County men also served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment (probably) and the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment.

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1740-1773 Pennsylvania Naturalizations, 1740-1773 on Ancestry.com - ($), incomplete for all counties
 * 1795-1952  on FamilySearch.org - free, National Archives publication M1248, browsesable images of card index
 * 1795-1931  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1795-1930 Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1795-1930 on Fold3.com - ($), 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.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1522

Newspapers
Newspapers of Northampton 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 Northampton 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


 * 1867-1890 Obituary/Biographical Article Indexes by the Bethlehem Area Public Library - covers the newspapers: Bethlehem Times, Bethlehem Globe, Bethlehem Globe-Times, and Express-Times; copies can be obtained from the Bethlehem Area Public Library
 * 1895-1983 Morning Call Online Obituary Index by the Allentown Public Library - incomplete for some years, copies can be obtained from the Allentown Public Library
 * 1902-2011 Easton Express/Express Times Newspaper Obituary Index by the Easton Area Public Library - copies can be obtained from the Library
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
 * USGenWeb Northampton County Genealogy Obituaries

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:


 * 1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1683-1994  at FamilySearch.org

Northampton County Only:


 * 1743–1909 Northampton County Probate Records

Online Probate Abstracts


 * Abstracts of Northampton County, PA; 1752-1802 courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1752–1907 Will books (index 1752–1966)
 * 1752–1882 Orphans court records(index 1752–1882)
 * Papers, warrants, surveys, wills, accounts, bonds and agreements, minutes, etc. of Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Repositories

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

Archives

 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052
 * National Archives at Philadelphia 14700 Townsend Road Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096 Phone: 215-305-2044 Fax: 215-305-2052


 * The Moravian Archives 41 West Locust Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone: 610-866-3255 Email: [mailto:info@moravianchurcharchives.org info@moravianchurcharchives.org]
 * The Moravian Archives is the official repository for the records of the Moravian Church in America – Northern Province. This covers the Moravian churches in the United States (except for North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Virginia) and Canada. The Archives in Bethlehem also holds records from the Moravian church in Alaska, Labrador, Nicaragua and the Eastern West Indies. The Archives is located in a modern 9,200 square foot building with two climate-controlled vaults. It contains approximately 8,000 linear feet of material.


 * Visit the website to learn more about:


 * List of Holdings
 * Currently Available Inventories
 * Archives Library
 * Bibliographies
 * List of Congregation Records
 * Bethlehem Digital History Project
 * Hours available


 * The collection includes finding aids of the Moravian collections, church registers, the Memoir Index, records of the mission to the American Indians from 1740 to 1820 (indexed in the Fliegel Index), historical newspapers on microfilm, and a photo collection.


 * Services include monthly lectures, tours, a German Script course, research by mail, reproduction orders, translation, and publications including a monthly electronic newsletter.

Courthouse

 * Northampton County Courthouse 669 Washington Street Easton, PA 18042-7475 Phone: 610-829-6500
 * Courthouse Archives Phone: 610-829-1220


 * Orphans' Court Phone: 610-829-6490


 * Office of the Prothonotary 669 Washington Street Easton, PA 18042-7475 Phone: 610-829-6458

Libraries

 * Easton Area Public Library 515 Church Street Easton, PA 18042-3587 Phone: 610-258-2917
 * The Easton Area Public Library has the Marx Local History Room. Hours are different from the rest of the library. The Marx Room holdings contain:
 * Online Newspaper Obituary Indexes
 * Specialized indexes to local records
 * WPA Index to Church Records
 * Online index of Church Records (not included in the WPA index) compiled by the Library
 * Online Index of Cemetery Records compiled by the Library
 * Marriage and Death indexes, 1799-1902
 * Eastern Library Company's original collection, 1811-1825
 * Newspaper microfilm from 1799-current
 * 15,000 books
 * Periodicals
 * Census microfilm
 * Family files
 * Maps
 * Manuscript material


 * Some services provided:
 * Photocopies of microfilmed obituaries for a fee - see Obituary copies
 * Photocopies of transcribed church records for a few - see Church transcriptions


 * Jane S. Moyer Library and Research Facility 342 Northampton St. Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-253-1222
 * Visit website for hours
 * This Northampton County local and family history collection includes:
 * 5,000 books
 * 10,000 manuscript items
 * 6,000 surname files
 * 2,000 history vertical files
 * 120,000 photographs
 * Thousands of maps, drawings, and architectural plans detailing the history and families of Northampton County, PA


 * The Mennonite Heritage Center 565 Yoder Road Harleysville, PA 19438-1020 Phone: 215-256-3020 Email: [mailto:library@mhep.org library@mhep.org]
 * Visit website for hours
 * The Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania support 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

 * Sigal Museum 342 Northampton St Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-253-1222
 * Headquarters of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society (NCHGS).
 * Visit website for hours


 * Historic Bethlehem 505 Main Street Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone (Toll-free): 800-360-TOUR Phone: 610-691-6055 Mailing Address: 74 West Broad Street, Suite 260 Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone: 610-882-0450


 * The Historic Bethlehem has a library and archives. Their collection includes:
 * City directories from 1800s/1900s
 * Historic maps and documents

Societies

 * Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society Sigal Museum and Jane S. Moyer Library 3432 Northampton Street Easton, PA 18042 Phone: 610-253-1222


 * The Moravian Historical Society (in affiliation with the Moravian Archives) 214 E. Center St. Nazareth, PA 18064 Phone: 610-759-5070 Email: [mailto:info@moravianhistoricalsociety.org info@moravianhistoricalsociety.org]
 * The Moravian Historical Society has a genealogy collection. Visit website for fee amount to utilize their collection in person. They also provide research by mail for a fee. Their collection includes:
 * Obituaries for Lehigh Valley
 * Local history books
 * Cemetery records
 * Family charts
 * Family history books

Taxation

 * 1762 Lynn Twp
 * 1772, 1785-1786, 1788 Proprietary, Supply, and State Tax Lists of the Counties of Northampton and Northumberland: For the Years 1772 to 1787. (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 3, Vol. 19). Digital versions at Don's List - free; Google Books - free.


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

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth

 * 1726-1930  - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic 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.com – $ Index with images.
 * 1888-1907 Easton Birth Index 1888-1907 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1626-2016 - Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry.com – ($) This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * 1725-1976  - free index. Not complete for all years. This index is an electronic database of information. The entries are primarily from the International Genealogical Index (IGI) along with some entries derived from compiled and original records such as: Family Records, Church Records, Civil Registration. It may also include indexes generated by the internet indexing project sponsored by the LDS Church.
 * Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) 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 – ($) Index with images.
 * 1772-1774, 1824-1836 Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Marriage Licenses issued by Isaac Hicks at Ancestry.com - ($); index only.
 * 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.
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch — index and 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.
 * 1888-1907 Easton Death Index 1888-1907 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1893-1912 Northampton County Death Index 1893-1912 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch — index and images

Northampton County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Northampton County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * USGenWeb
 * Northampton County PA Genealogy