Montour County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania Montour County

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Columbia County 3 May 1850.
 * County Seat: Danville
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Lycoming (north) • Northumberland (south) • Columbia (east)


 * Named for Elizabeth Catherine Montour, better known as Madame Montour, a prominent Indian leader during the colonial era.

Note of Interest
Smallest county in the state of Pennsylvania.

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.

Baptist


In 1842, the First Baptist Church of Danville was organized. The Immanuel Baptist Church was created from members of the First Baptist Church in 1892, but the church was dissolved by the members in 1908.

Evangelical
The first pastor was appointed for the Evangelical Church in 1867, although previous pastors did perform services before that time. This congregation was eventually called the Emanuel Evangelical Church and their first church building was dedicated in 1871.

Lutheran
The first sign of the Lutheran denomination in Montour County was in 1820 with the creation of what is now known as the Pine Street Lutheran Church. Before then, they would go to the Lutheran Church in Mahoning Township, Northumberland County. In 1845, a church was built and the congregation was known as Evangelical Lutheran Church of Danville (now called St. John's Lutheran Church). But the congregation eventually outgrew the building and the Pine Street Lutheran Church was built in 1859.

The Trinity Lutheran Church was created in 1859 from members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (eventually called the Pine Street Lutheran Church) that did not agree with the location of the new church building agreed upon by the majority of the congregation.

Methodist Episcopal
The St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church was the second religious organization established in Danville in about 1791, although a permanent church building was not erected until 1839.

The Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1868 from members of the St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church who lived in the north side of town.

Presbyterian
The Mahoning Presbyterian Church, later changed to the Grove Presbyterian Church, was the first religious organization in Danville in about 1778.

Protestant Episcopal
The Protestant Episcopal congregation (now known as Christ's Church) was officially established in 1829, sharing a church building with the Lutheran congregation. Difficulties with the Lutheran Congregation eventually lead to them leaving the church building in 1836 and was left exclusively to the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Reformed
The Shiloh Reformed Church in Danville was formally created in 1893, when it split from a larger congregation of the Reformed Church that began in 1856 and covered Danville, Catawissa, St. James (Mahoning) and Mausdale.

Roman Catholic
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church began as a mission in 1847. It's first building was on the corner of Center and Ferry streets and later moved to its current lot in 1869.

Because of the large influx of German Catholics by 1859, a congregation was created and called the St. Hubert's German Catholic Church. Previously, German Catholics attended St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

Synagogue
The B'nai Zion Synagogue was built in 1871. Previously, the congregation met in their schoolhouse built in 1853.

Land and Property
Land records in Montour County began in 1850. These records are filed with the &gt;Register and Recorder office in Danville, 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:

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1850-1958 Deeds, 1850-1866; Deed Index, 1850-1958.

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 Montour 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
Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images fromthe atlas of Columbia and Montour Counties of Pennsylvania from Recent &amp; Actual Surveys &amp; Records Under the Superintendence of G.H. Walker &amp; C.F. Jewett published by F.W. Beers &amp; Co in 1876. 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 to be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.

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

Montour County Only:


 * 1850–1912 – Montour County Probate Records

Courthouse

 * Montour County Courthouse
 * 29 Mill Street
 * Danville, PA 17821
 * Phone: (570) 271-3010


 * County courthouse has:
 * 1893-1905: Birth and Death records
 * 1885 to present: Marriage license
 * 1883-1905: Delayed birth registration
 * 1850-1904: Naturalization Records

Libraries
The Thomas Beaver Free Library is located at 205 Ferry Street, Danville, Pennsylvania, 17821. Their phone number is (570) 275-4180. The Montour County Genealogical Society keep their genealogical records at the library.

The Montour County Genealogical Society collection includes but is not limited to the following records:


 * Obituary files
 * Family histories
 * Church records
 * County histories
 * Newsletters form various Pennsylvania genealogical societies
 * Surname files

Societies
Montour County Genealogical Society, MCGS 205 Ferry Street Danville PA 17821 570-275-6177 Genealogy Room: Thomas Beaver Free Library, 2nd Floor Hours: Saturdays 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Mondays 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fee: $2.00 an hour for non-members, no charge for members  The collection includes records for Columbia, Montour and Northumberland Counties. Research requests may be submitted in writing using a printable form which includes the fee schedule.

Montour County Historical Society, MCHS PO Box 8 1 Mill Street Danville PA 17821 Located in the Montgomery House Museum, corner of Bloom and Mill Streets Hours: Sundays 2:00–4:00 Sundays, Memorial day thru September Or by appointment 275-7875 or 275-0383  A small library contains local and county histories, industrial record books, business and law ledgers, military references, photographs, tax records, and maps.

County-wide Database

 * 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.

Birth

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

Marriage

 * Marriage records of Columbia and Montour Counties at Ancestry.com - ($); book transcription.

Divorce
Divorce records are handled by the office of the Prothonotary. While no on-line indexes or records are available, records may be obtained by visiting or writing to the Prothonotary at:

Office of the Prothonotary Montour County Court House 29 Mill Street Danville, PA 17821 Phone: 570-271-3010

Death

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

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.