Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States Pennsylvania Northumberland County

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Lancaster, Berks, Bedford, Cumberland, and Northampton Counties 21 March 1772.
 * County Seat: Sunbury
 * Neighboring Counties: residents may also have records in Montour and Lycoming (north) • Dauphin (south) •  Snyder and Juniata (west)  • Columbia (northeast)  •  Schuylkill (east)  •  Perry (southwest) •  Union (northwest)

Named for the County of Northumberland in England.

Boundary Changes
Several times the county was divided over the years:


 * 25 September 1786: Luzerne
 * 19 September 1789: Mifflin
 * 13 April 1795: Lycoming
 * 13 February 1800: Centre
 * 26 March 1804: Clearfield
 * 22 March 1813: Columbia and Union

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

Holy Cross Cemetery, Mount Carmel BillionGraves

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.

Baptists
There were many Baptist churches established in Northumberland County, including the Milton Baptist Church organized with 9 members in 1826.

Lutheran

 * 1774-1846 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1846: Schwaben Creek at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Washington Township, also called Himmel Lutheran and Reformed Church, includes baptism, marriages, and burials
 * 1777-1854 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1777-1854: Stone Valley Lutheran and Reformed Congregations at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Lower Mahanoy Township, includes baptism, marriages, and burials
 * 1851-1892 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1851-1892: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Sunbury Township, includes baptism, marriages, and burials

Reformed

 * 1774-1846 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1774-1846: Schwaben Creek at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Washington Township, also called Himmel Lutheran and Reformed Church, includes baptism, marriages, and burials
 * 1777-1854 – Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, 1777-1854: Stone Valley Lutheran and Reformed Congregations at Ancestry.com – ($), located in Lower Mahanoy Township, includes baptism, marriages, and burials

Land and Property
Land records in Northumberland County began in 1772. These records are filed with the Register and Recorder office in Sunbury, 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


 * 1903–present Images are available online using the Landex system. There is a fee to view the images.

Land Records on Microfilm


 * 1770-1914 Deeds, 1770-1866; Index, 1772-1914. Deeds earlier than 1770 were created in the applicable parent county.
 * 1772–1974 Mortgages, 1793-1838; Index, 1772-1974.

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 Northumberland 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 Trackshas posted free downloadable images from the Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania from Actual Surveys by G.M. Hopkins, published by J.A.J. Cummings in 1858. 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 to be used commercially. We hereby give permission to use them strictly for personal use; please attribute to Ancestor Tracks.

Revolutionary War
Northumberland County men also served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment, the 3rd Pennsylvania Regiment, and the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment.

Courthouse
Northumberland County Courthouse 201 Market Street Sunbury, PA 17801 Phone: 570-988-4148

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Nazareth Pennsylvania Family History Center
 * Sunbury Pennsylvania Family History Center (Northumberland)

Societies
The Northumberland County Historical Society 1150 North Front St. Sunbury, PA 17801-1126 Phone/Fax: (570) 286-4083

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

Taxation

 * 1778-1787 - 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 version at Google Books - free.


 * 1798 - Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

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.
 * "Birthday Book" of Clara Reichley on PAGenWeb - free, information varies, appears to be from a birthday book kept by a local resident living in Northumberland, NOT COMPLETE

Marriage

 * 1725-1976 - - free index. Not complete for all years.
 * Northumberland County Marriage Index Female Surname on PAGenWeb – free, alphabetical order
 * Northumberland County Marriage Index Male Surname on PAGenWeb – free, alphabetical order

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 201 Market St Sunbury, Pa 17801 Phone: 570-988-4151

Death

 * 1852-1854 – Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry.com – $ Index with images.
 * "Birthday Book" of Clara Reichley on PAGenWeb - free, information varies, appears to be from a birthday book kept by a local resident living in Northumberland, NOT COMPLETE
 * Names of persons killed in the mines of Northumberland County on PAGenWeb – free, covers various years

Web Sites

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