Montour County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Montour 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 Andrew Montour. The county is located in the mid-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Montour County Courthouse 29 Mill Street Danville, PA 17821 Phone: 570-271-3010 Register of Wills/Recorder or Deeds/Orphan’s Court Phone:  570-271-3012 County Recorder Phone:  570-271-3012 or 570-271-3014 Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts Phone: 570-271-3010 Montour County Website Prothonotary and Clerk Courts has birth and death records from 1893-1905, delayed birth registration from 1883-1905, marriage licenses from 1885, divorce and court records from 1850, and naturalization records from 1850-1904.

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:

History Timeline

 * History of Montour County from "The History of Colubmia and Montour Counties" Battle, 1887 courtesy USGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * History of Montour County from "The History of Colubmia and Montour Counties" Battle, 1887 Includes "Some of the Early Families" and "Montour County Bios" Courtesy USGenWeb Archives

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
 * PA-Roots
 * Names in Stone
 * Ancestry($)

Church Records
The Montour County Genealogical Society has various records for churches throughout the Montour 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 $


 * Contains the church records of:
 * Bloomsburg: Trinity Reformed Church (United Church of Christ)
 * Danville: Beaver Library; Lutheran Church; Presbyterian Church; Reformed Church; Shiloh United Church of Christ
 * Hemlock: Hemlock Township Union Church
 * Mooresburg: Presbyterian Church

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. List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Prothonotary
 * 1850 -1907 Common Pleas Docket, vol. 1–2

Guardianship

 * 1851 -1865 Orphans Court Docket, vol. 1–2

Land and Property Records
Land records in Montour County began in 1850. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Danville, Pennsylvania.

Land Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1958 Deeds, 1850-1866; Deed Index, 1850-1958. - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Local Histories

 * Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania. 2 volumes. 1915. Chicago, Illinois : J.H. Beers & Co. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 -Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania. 1887. Edited by J. H. Battle. Chicago, Illinois : A. Warner. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
 * Ancestor Tracks has posted free downloadable images fromthe atlas of Columbia and Montour Counties of Pennsylvania from Recent Actual Surveys; Records Under the Superintendence of G.H. Walker C.F. Jewett published by F.W. Beers 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.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1850-1907 Common Pleas Docket - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
 * 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 $

Newspapers
Newspapers of Montour 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 Montour County, Pennsylvania.

Obituaries
Online Obituary Abstracts
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch
 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Montour County, Pennsylvania.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1683 -1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
 * 1850 -1912 Montour County Probate Records at FamilySearch
 * 1850-Present Montour County Index of Wills 1850 to the Present. Free index found on the Mountor County, Pennsylvania website. Index includes name, book, and page number.
 * 1850 -1912 Wills - 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.

Birth

 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $

Marriage

 * 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1677-1950  at FamilySearch
 * 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
 * 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.
 * Marriage records of Columbia and Montour Counties at Ancestry $
 * 1947-2010  at FamilySearch

Death

 * 1720-1999  at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
 * 1893-1905 Montour County Death Index 1893-1905 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary Montour County Courthouse.

Archives

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

Family History Centers

 * Sunbury Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Berwick Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

 * Thomas Beaver Free Library 205 Ferry Street Danville, PA 17821 Phone: 570-275-4180. Website

Museums

 * Montgomery House Museum 1 Bloom Street Box 8 Danville, PA 17821 Phone: 570-275-8528 Website A small library contains local and county histories, industrial record books, business and law ledgers, military references, photographs, tax records, and maps. Currently open by appointment.

Societies

 * Montour County Genealogical Society 205 Ferry Street Danville PA 17821 Phone: 570-275-6177 Website
 * The Montour County Genealogical Society collection is located at the Thomas Beaver Free Library and includes: Obituary files, family histories, church records, county histories, newsletters form various Pennsylvania genealogical societies surname files. 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 P.O. Box 8 1 Mill Street Danville, PA 17821 Phone: 570-271-0830 Website

Websites

 * Montour County PA Genealogy
 * Montour County PAGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * – 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.