Northampton County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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Guide to Northampton County, Pennsylvania ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Easton
Organized: October 14, 1751
Parent County(s): Bucks[1]
Neighboring Counties
Monroe  • Bucks  • Lehigh  • Carbon  • Warren (NJ)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Northampton County, Pennsylvania Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Northampton County PA Map.png
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for Northamptonshire. The county is located in the mideastern central tip of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

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

Courthouse Archives: 610-829-1220
Office of the Prothonotary: 610-829-6457
Orphan's Court: 610-829-6488 or 610-829-6494
Register of Wills Phone: 610-829-6488 Fax: 610-559-3735

Clerk of Orphan Court has birth records 1893-1936 and marriage records from 1885
Prothonotary Office has divorce and court records
Register of Wills has probate records
Recorder of Deeds has land records[3]

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1893 1885 bef 1906 1752 1752 1752 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • Formed from Bucks County 14 October 1751. [5]
  • County seat: Easton[6]

Several counties set off:

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.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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:[7]

Cities
Boroughs
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Indentured Servants

  • Immigrant Servants Database hosted by Price Genealogy - Includes indentured/imported servants and transported convicts who served labor terms in Colonial York County, Pennsylvania.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Northampton County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

 

  • 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.

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Federal Census

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 24,220 —
1800 30,062 24.1%
1810 38,145 26.9%
1820 31,765 −16.7%
1830 39,482 24.3%
1840 40,996 3.8%
1850 40,235 −1.9%
1860 47,904 19.1%
1870 61,432 28.2%
1880 70,312 14.5%
1890 84,220 19.8%
1900 99,687 18.4%
1910 127,667 28.1%
1920 153,506 20.2%
1930 169,304 10.3%
1940 168,959 −0.2%
1950 185,243 9.6%
1960 201,412 8.7%
1970 214,368 6.4%
1980 225,418 5.2%
1990 247,105 9.6%
2000 267,066 8.1%
2010 297,735 11.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. For members, they may contain: age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage date and maiden name; death/burial date. For general information about Pennsylvania denominations, see Pennsylvania Church Records.

Northampton County Pennsylvania Churches

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

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
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.

Lutheran

Trinity Lutheran and Dryland Reformed Church, Hecktown

Methodist

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.

Presbyterian
Several Presbyterian churches were built in what is now Northampton County (Bucks 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

Prebyterian Church, Allen Township

Reformed
The Third Street Reformed Church located in Easton was organized between 1745 and 1750 and was the first Reformed church in the area.[9]

Christ Union Church

Grace Reformed Church

Lowhill Reformed Congregation

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.[10]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

For information about records kept in the Orphan's court, Prothonotary Court, Court of Common Pleas, and other courts in counties of Pennsylvania, visit the Pennsylvania Court Records Wiki page.

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

For online resources, passenger lists, and specific groups coming to Pennsylvania, see Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration.

Indentured Servants

  • Immigrant Servants Database hosted by Price Genealogy - Includes indentured/imported servants and transported convicts who served labor terms in Colonial York County, Pennsylvania.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

For groups that came, see People section of the Pennsylvania Emigration page.

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

The Orphan's Court ensures the best interests of those not capable of handling their own affairs: minors, incapacitated persons, decedents' estates, and more.[11]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a specific location and reveal family relationships. Records include: deeds, abstracts, indexes, mortgages, leases, grants, sheriff sales, land patents, maps and more. For more information, see Pennsylvania 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.

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

Note that the "Maps" section below also includes maps related to land ownership.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Monroe CountyCarbon CountyLehigh CountyBucks CountyHunterdon CountyWarren CountyPA NORTHAMPTON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Early migration routes to and from Northampton County for European settlers included:[12]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War
Local men served in the Northampton County Militia. A guide at the Pennsylvania State Archives website identifies townships where specific companies recruited soldiers, see Revolutionary War Militia Battalions and Companies, Arranged by County.

Many Germans from Northampton County served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment.[13][14] Northampton County men also served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment (probably)[14] and the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment.[14]

Civil War

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Naturalization records can contain information about immigration and nativity. Prior to 1906, it is rare to find the town of origin in naturalization records. For more information, see Pennsylvania Naturalization

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Newspapers may contain obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings. Newspapers are often found in local or university libraries, historical or genealogical societies, or state archives in the area where the newspaper was published. See Pennsylvania Newspapers for more information.

Newspapers of Northampton 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

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Obituaries are generally found in local newspapers where the person died or where family members lived. Local libraries or societies may have indexes or other sources.

Online Obituary Abstracts

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate matters in Northampton County are handled by the Orphans' Court and start when the county was created.

In addition to wills and administrations, the Orphans' Court also handles: audits of accounts of executors, administrators, trustees, and guardians; distribution of estates; appointments of guardians; adoptions; appeals from the Register of Wills; inheritance tax appeals, and various petitions and motions.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Northampton County Only:

Online Probate Abstracts

Original Probate Records on Microfilm

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

  • 1762 Lynn Township, Lehigh Co, PA
  • 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; Google Books - free.
  • 1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital records are handled by the County Orphans' Court. Between the years 1852-1855 Pennsylvania made a failed attempt to record birth, marriage and death events at the county level. County marriage records were kept in earnest in 1885. Births and deaths, at the county level, were begun in 1893 and kept through 1905. For the most complete set of records, contact the County Orphans' Court.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Early births 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For more information, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Pennsylvania marriages were created by county officials. Contact Northampton County Courthouse


Death[edit | edit source]

Early deaths 1893–1905 are located at the County Orphans' Court. For indexes and records, 1906 and later, see Pennsylvania Vital Records.

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Northampton County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

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

The Moravian Archives
41 West Locust Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Phone: 610-866-3255
Email: info@moravianchurcharchives.org
Website
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. 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.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Northampton County. For state-wide library facilities, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

Easton Area Public Library
515 Church Street
Easton, PA 18042-3587
Phone: 610-258-2917
Website
The Henry F. Marx Local History Room offers: 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) and cemetery records compiled by the library, marriage and death indexes, 1799-1902. Easton Library also contains an original collection, 1811-1825 which includes: Newspaper microfilm from 1799-current, 15,000 books, periodicals, census microfilm, family files, maps, manuscript material. Check website for available services and fees for some photocopy requests.

Jane S. Moyer Library
342 Northampton St.
Easton, PA 18042
Phone: 610-253-1222
Website
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.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Sigal Museum
342 Northampton Street
Easton, PA 18042
Phone: 610-253-1222
Website

Historic Bethlehem
505 Main Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Phone: 800-360-TOUR or 610-691-6055
Mailing Address:
74 West Broad Street, Suite 260
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Phone: 610-882-0450
Website
The Historic Bethlehem collection includes: City directories from 1800s/1900s, historic maps and documents.

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Northampton County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Pennsylvania Societies.

The Mennonite Heritage Center
565 Yoder Road
Harleysville, PA 19438-1020
Phone: 215-256-3020
Email: library@mhep.org
Website

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

The Moravian Historical Society (see Moravian Archives)
214 E. Center St.
Nazareth, PA 18064
Phone: 610-759-5070
Email: info@moravianhistoricalsociety.org
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton_County,_Pennsylvania accessed 2/12/2017
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002) Northampton County, Pennsylvania, p.591
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Northampton County, Pennsylvania," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton_County%2C_Pennsylvania, accessed 30 January 2020.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/1/10/Igipennsylvaniall.pdf.
  9. ↑ Davis, ed., History of Northampton County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Reading: Peter Fritts, 1877.), 179 and 181; Digital Version Online; FamilySearch Digital Library
  10. ↑ History of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and the Grand Valley of the Lehigh (New York, New York : American Historical Society, 1920), 1:362; FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL book 974.82 D3h vol. 2 and 3
  11. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at Common Pleas accessed 10 July 2012
  12. ↑ Handybook, 847-61.
  13. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "1st Pennsylvania Regiment," in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Pennsylvania_Regiment, accessed 31 May 2012.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 John B.B. Trussell and Charles C. Dallas, The Pennsylvania Line; Regimental Organization and Operations, 1776-1783 (Harrisburg, Pa.: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1977). Digital version at Family History Archive.
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