Wyoming County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Guide to Wyoming 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.

Wyoming County Pennsylvania Historical Facts
Parent Counties: Formed from Luzerne County 4 April 1842. County Seat: Tunkhannock Neighboring Counties: Wyoming County residents may also have records in
 * Susquehanna
 * Luzerne
 * Sullivan
 * Lackawanna
 * Bradford

Description
It's county seat is Tunkhannock and was founded April 4, 1842. It is located in the Northeastern area of the state.

Boundary Changes

 * 1752-1772 Northampton County - The future Wyoming County was included in Northampton County until Northumberland County was created in 1772.


 * 1772-1786 Northumberland County - The future Wyoming County was included in Northumberland County until Luzerne County was created in 1786


 * 1786-1842  Luzerne County

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.

Church Records



 * Linkpendium

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.

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Church, Braintrim-Windham


 * 1819-1841 Presbyterian Church, Braintrim-Windham, Baptism Index 1819-1841 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches  and.

Presbyterian Church, Meshoppen

Presbyterian Church, Northmoreland Township
 * 1853-1875  Presbyterian Church, Meshoppen, Baptism Index 1853-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1869-1885 Presbyterian Church, Meshoppen, Baptism Index 1869-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.


 * 1821-1872 Presbyterian Church, Northmoreland Township, Baptism Index 1821-1872 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

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. Wyoming County shares its judicial district with Sullivan County. Judges of the Common Pleas courts are elected to 10-year terms. A president judge and a court administrator serve in each judicial district.

Orphans' Court

 * ’’’1843-1866’’’ Orphans Court Docket

Land and Property
Land records in Wyoming County began in 1842. These records are filed with the Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds office in Tunkhannock, 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


 * 1842–present Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds office offers online access to land records through Record Fusion. The online indexes are free but fees apply for copies.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 18421916 Deeds, 1842-1866; Indexes, 1842-1916.

Additional Resources

Note that the "Maps" section below 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 Wyoming 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 of the 1869 Topographical Map of Wyoming Co. Pennsylvania from Recent and Actual Surveys and Records, under the Superintendence of F.W. Beers (New York). 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 given permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 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.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1622, Middle District court was created in 1901, for earlier dates try the Eastern and Western District court records

Original Naturalization Records on Microfilm


 * 1843-1916 - Naturalization dockets, 1843-1916,

Newspapers
Newspapers of Wyoming 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 Wyoming 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


 * PA-Roots Obituaries for Wyoming County, Pennsylvania.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records Though original probate records for some Pennsylvania counties are available online, at this time Wyoming records are not located with the records. You may want to check the digital images at FamilySearch.org to see if Wyoming County has been added.


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


 * 1683-1994 at FamilySearch — images


 * 1842-Present Deeds Index and records. The deed records are primarily used for probate records. They will help to determine what happens to the land after someone dies. This online search is available to access the records that are available in their office. You will need to register. Visit website for fees.

Wyoming County Only:


 * 1842-1908 Wyoming County Probate Records

Original Probate Records on Microfilm


 * 1842-1908 Wills, includes index, 1842–1938  at FamilySearch — images

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

Courthouse

 * Wyoming County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Tunkhannock, PA 18657
 * Prothonotary, Clerk of Courts, Clerk of Orphans Court Phone: 570-996-2232
 * Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds Phone: 570-996-2235
 * Visit websites for hours

Libraries

 * Wyoming County Genealogical Library 3 W Harrison St. P.O. Box 309 Tunkhannock, PA 18657-03209 Phone: 570-835-5303
 * Visit website for hours and services
 * The Library is run by the Wyoming County Historical Society. They have a great collection of cemetery records. Beside records for the Wyoming area, they have numerous books on New England ancestry.


 * Tunkhannock Public Library 220 West Tioga St. Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Phone: 570-869-1677

Museums

 * Wyoming County Historical Museum Harrison St. and Bridge St. P.O. Box 309 Tunkhannock, PA 18657-03209 Phone: 570-835-5303
 * Visit website for hours
 * The Museum is run by the Historical Society. They have items from Wyoming County and the surrounding area, including military artifacts from Civil War as well as World War I and II, and a collection from the Indians in the area.

Societies

 * Wyoming County Historical Society 2 W Harrison St. P.O. Box 309 Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Phone: 570-836-5303 Email: [mailto:society@epix.net society@epix.net]
 * Visit website for hours
 * The library holdings include: vital records, cemetery records with surrounding counties, genealogies, surname index cards.
 * They publish a newsletter semi-annually called Lest We Forget. ;.
 * Abstracts from numerous newspapers are available for scanning from their site.


 * Susquehanna County Historical Society 18 Monument Square Montrose, PA 18801 Phone: 570-278-1881 Email: [mailto:info@susqcohistsoc.org info@susqcohistsoc.org]


 * Genealogical Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. (GRSNP) 1100 Main Street Peckville, PA 18452 Phone: 570-383-7661 FAX: 570-383-7466 Email: [mailto:info@grsnp.org info@grsnp.org]
 * The GRSNP serves northeastern counties:
 * Lackawanna
 * Luzerne
 * Monroe
 * Pike
 * Susquehanna
 * Wayne
 * Wyoming

Vital Records
See also How to order Pennsylvania Vital Records

Birth

 * 1819-1930  – 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.

The county records for births are available from the Clerk of Orphans Court. The dates they cover are from 1893 to 1906.

Marriage

 * 1677-1950   at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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.
 * 1852-1854  Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry.com – ($) Index with images.
 * 1854-1976   – free index. Not complete for all years.
 * 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.

The marriage records at the county are from 1885 to the present. You may request a copy from:

Wyoming County Clerk 1 Courthouse Square Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Phone: 570-996-2232

Divorce
Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary. The office of the Prothonotary is located in the courthouse building.

Death

 * 1893-1906 The county records for deaths are available from the Clerk of Orphans Court.
 * 1893-1904 Wyoming County Death Index 1893-1904 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Wyoming County Pennsylvania Genealogy Websites

 * Wyoming County, PA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * PAGenWeb
 * Wyoming County PA Genealogy