Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

United States

Pennsylvania

Lackawanna County

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

County Facts County seat: Scranton Organized: August 21, 1878 Parent County(s): Luzerne Neighboring Counties Susquehanna  • Wayne  • Luzerne  • Wyoming  • Monroe See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: PA Roots and its members who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The county was named for the Lackawanna River. The county is located in the Northeast corner of the state.

County Courthouse

Lackawanna County Courthouse
200 North Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
Phone: 570-963-6773 FAX: 570-963-6477
Register of Wills / Clerk of Orphan's Court Phone: 570-963-6702
Recorder of Deeds Phone: 570-963-6775 Email: mcnultye@lackawannacounty.org
Lackawanna County Website

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Record Dates

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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
bef 1906	1878	bef 1906	1878	1878	1878	1790
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

Formed from Luzerne County 21 August 1878. County seat: Scranton 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

The following are locations in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania:

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com HomeTownLocator PAGenWeb Archives Tombstone Photos PAGenWeb Pennsylvania Genealogy BillionGraves (name)
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com BillionGraves Linkpendium PAGravestones Epodunk Access Genealogy Interment
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

 

Additional Cemetery Resources

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

Census Records

For links and tips on using Federal (or United States) census records online for Lackawanna County, see: Pennsylvania Census.

Church Records

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.

County-wide Database – Multi-denominational

Lackawanna County Pennsylvania Churches

• 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:

• Carbondale: Clarks Green United Methodist Church; First Presbyterian Church; Peckville United Methodist Church
• Jermyn: Trinity Church Carbondale and St. James Church; Worth Baptist Church
• Newton: United Methodist Church
• Scranton: Dallas United Methodist Church; Elm Park United Methodist Church; Emmanuel Lutheran Church; Hyde Park Presbyterian Church; Petersburg Presbyterian Church; Providence United Methodist Church; St. David's Episcopal Church; St. John's Lutheran Church; St. Luke's Episcopal Church; St. Mary's Greek Catholic Church; Westminster Presbyterian Church

Because Lackawanna County was not formed until 1878, many early congregations are discussed in the Luzerne County church records.

Baptist
The Baptist church was first organized in Scranton in 1859.

Catholic
An early church and cemetery was built near Roaring Brook. Later the congregation moved to Scranton in the Hyde Park area. The Cathedral was erected in 1865. The property included a convent and college.

• Diocese of Scranton: Parish directory, and a Directory of diocesan cemeteries.
  Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Inc. has digitized the Sacramental Records of every chapel, church, mission, and parish within the Diocese of Scranton, now open and closed. This includes over three hundred churches encompassing eleven counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.
  

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Scranton
• Scranton Dist

Episcopal
Early services were conducted by the Wilkes-Barre leaders. A congregation was organized in 1851, with service in the Methodist church. A frame church was built in Scranton in 1853 and, later a new edifice was completed in 1871.

• 1894-1910 Baptisms, marriages, and burials of St. David's Episcopal Church, West Scranton, Pa. at The USGenWeb Project

Lutheran

• 1897-1933 Baptisms and deaths of Immanuel Lutheran Church, North Scranton, Pa. at The USGenWeb Project

Methodist
Methodism was first introduced into Luzerne County in about 1787. Meetings were held in homes and shops. By 1800, monthly meetings were held in Providence. he first meetinghouse was erected in 1828 in Carbondale. Most early preaching was done by traveling circuit-riding ministers. Later congregations were found in Hanover, Newport and the Plains.

In the 1840's the Methodist congregation built a church in Scranton. This building was used every other week for Methodist services and for various other congregations the other weeks.

• 1851-1913 Baptisms and marriages of Providence Methodist Church at The USGenWeb Project
• Primitive Methodist Church, Taylor, Pennsylvania, most records before 1936 were destroyed. See History for more information about this church.

Presbyterian
Presbyterians met in Scranton in the Methodist church in the 1840's. In 1845 they moved their meetings to the Odd Fellow's Hall. A new building was completed in 1852.

Presbyterian Church, Baldmount

• 1842-1876 Presbyterian Church, Baldmount, Baptism Index 1842-1876 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch. Batch C524021

Court Records

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.

• 1995–present Clerk of Judicial Records' dockets for both Civil and Family Courts are available online.

Directories

• Scranton Directory (1859) - via the Internet Archive

Emigration and Immigration

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

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

Guardianship

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

Land and Property Records

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 Lackawanna County began in 1878. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Records

• The Recorder of Deeds offers online access to land records. Log in is required. (IQS Lackawanna County web access technical support 800-320-2617.)
• Merrifield, Edward. "The Territory of Scranton Immediately Prior to the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Co. Purchase." Lackawanna Institute of History and Science. Historical series, no. 4. Scranton, 1896. Digital version at Internet Archive. At various libraries (WorldCat)

Local Histories

• Early History of Scranton and The First Presbyterian Church (1948) - via the Internet Archive
• Founders of Scranton (1916) - via the Internet Archive
• History and directory of Newton and Ransom townships, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania (1912)
• History of Scranton Post Office (1901) - via the Internet Archive.
• History and Geography of Scranton and its Vicinity (1957) - via the Internet Archive
• Reminiscences of The Early History of Dark Hollow, Slocum Hollow, Harrison Lackawanna Iron Works, Scrantonia and Scranton, Pa. (1889) - via the Internet Archive

Maps and Gazetteers

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Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

• Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)

Migration

The migration routes used by early European settlers to and from Lackawanna County included:

• Lehigh and Lackawanna Paths 1766 from Unadilla, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Catskill Turnpike to the Great Valley Road.
• Minsi Path from Kingston, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that is, from the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike to the Great Valley Road.

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Naturalization records for Lackawanna 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 $

Newspapers

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 Lackawanna 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.

• Chronicling America Scranton Tribune 1891-1910 Scranton, Pennsylvania.
• The Aquinas - The Student Newspaper of the University of Scranton

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• 1947-2010 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch
• PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
• USGenWeb Lackawanna County Newspapers

Obituaries

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

• PA-Roots Obituaries for Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
• USGenWeb Lackawanna County Obituaries

Probate Records

Probate matters in Lackawanna 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 Records

• 1683 -1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
• 1878-1885 Lackawanna County Probate Records at FamilySearch
• 1878-1939 Will Indexes for Lackawanna County 1878-1939 at PAGenWeb
• 1878-1885 Lackawanna County (Pennsylvania) Probate Files FHL film 2315518 (first of 7 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
• 1878–present Searchable digital images of will and probate records are available online through the office of the Register of Wills

Vital Records

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

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

• 1726-1930 Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950 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.
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Births Ancestry $
• 1893-1905 Births (excluding city of Scranton) prior to 1906 at county government website

Marriage

Pennsylvania marriages were created by county officals. Contact Lackawanna County Courthouse

• 1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1677-1950 Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950 at FamilySearch
• 1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
• 1725-1976 Pennsylvania, Marriages, 1709-1940 index. Not complete for all years. This index 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.
• Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
• 1885-present Searchable digital images of marriage applications are available online through the office of the Clerk of the Orphans Court.
• 1885-1914 Lackawanna County Marriage Licenses Index at The USGenWeb Project

Death

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

• 1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
• 1878-1905 Deaths for Scranton are located at the Lackawanna.
• 1893-1905 Deaths prior to 1906 at county government website

Divorce

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

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Scranton Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries

• Albright Memorial Library
  

  Albright Memorial Library
  
  500 Vine Street
  Scranton, PA 18509
  Phone: 570-348-3000
  Website

The Albright Library remains in its original 1893 building and has a genealogy research room which includes census records, vital records, newspapers, family surname files, a biographical index to their local history collection, some church records, and Scranton city directories.The library will do research for a fee. The library is housed in its original building built in 1893.

Museums

• Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum
  22 Bald Mountain Road
  McDade Park
  Scranton, PA 18504
  Phone: 570-963-4845
  Website

Societies

• Lackawanna Historical Society
  The Catlin House
  232 Monroe Ave.
  Scranton, PA 18510
  Phone: 570–344–3841
  Website
  

• Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Inc(NEPGS)
  57 North Franklin Street
  Wilkes-Barré, PA 18701
  Phone: 570-829-1765
  Website
  Email: nepgsmail@gmail.com
  

The NEPGS is the archive of Teresa M. McAndrew Catholic Church Records Collection. NEPGS has digitized the Sacramental Records of every chapel, church, mission, and parish within the Diocese of Scranton, now open and closed. This includes over three hundred churches encompassing eleven counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Websites

• Lackawanna County, PAGenWeb genealogical resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
• Lackawanna Valley Digital Archives
• Lackawanna County PA Genealogy
• FamilySearch Catalog – 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.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.