Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania  Sullivan County

Historical Facts
Named for Senator Charles Sullivan, leader of the Pennsylvania Senate.

Parent County
15 March 1847: Sullivan County was created from Lycoming County.

Neighboring Counties
Bradford | Columbia | Luzerne | Lycoming | Wyoming

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

Church Records
Many denominations dot the landscape of Berks County. Visiting the church your ancestor attended is recommended; however, many times, due to distance, that is not possible. The Historical Society of Berks County has an on-line index of more then 1.2 millions names, gleaned from the records of more than 300 local churches. It is not a complete index but still worth your time if you are looking for baptism, marriage, and burial records. The index is searchable in numerous ways, but searching by last name or church name is probably most popular. The index lists the name of the record, volume and page number where the individual record can be found. The volume and page number refer to books located at the historical society. To view the actual record, use the printable on-line form that can be mailed to obtain a copy of the record or visit the society. There is a fee for acquiring the record by mail.

Published Histories
History of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania: compendium of biography. by Thomas J. Ingham. Salem, MS: Higgison, [1998]

Land and Property
Land records in Sullivan County began in 1847. These records are filed with the Register of Deeds office in Laporte, 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


 * 1847 - present Images are available on-line from 1847 to the present using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1847-1876 Deeds, 1847-1866; Index, 1847-1876.
 * 1848–1931 Orphans Court Dockets, 1848-1879; Index, 1848-1931.

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 Sullivan 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 from the Topographical Map of Sullivan Co. Pennsylvania from Recent and Actual Surveys and Records under the Superintendence of F.W. Beers (A. Pomeroy &amp; Co., New York, 1872). 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 be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.

Courthouse
Sullivan County Courthouse 245 Muncy Street P.O. Box 157 Laporte, PA 18626 Phone: 570-946-7351

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Birth

 * 1726-1930 - - free index. Not complete for all years.

Marriage
Sullivan County Courthouse 245 Muncy Street LaPorte, PA 18626 Phone: 570-946-7351

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:

Sullivan County Prothonotary 245 Muncy Street Laporte, PA 18626 Hours of Operation: 8:30AM-4PM EST Phone: 570-946-7351

Web Sites

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