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Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Lebanon
Organized: February 16, 1813
Parent County(s): Dauphin, Lancaster[1]
Neighboring Counties
Schuylkill • Berks • Lancaster • Dauphin •
See County Maps
Courthouse
Pennsylvania, Lebanon County.png
Location Map
Lebanon County PA Map.png

County Information

Description

The county is located in the east-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Lebanon County Building
400 South 8th Street
Lebanon, PA 17042-2801
Phone: 717-274-2801
Clerk of Courts 717-228-4419
Prothonotarys Office, 717-228-4418
Registers of Wills/Clerk of Orphans' Court, 717-228-4415
Lebanon County Website

Clerk of the Orphan Court has birth records 1895-1905, death records 1893-1904, and marriage records from 1885
Prothonotary Court has divorce and court records from 1812
Register of Wills has probate records from 1812
Recorder of Deeds has land records from 1812[3]

Lebanon 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 Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1893 1885 bef 1906 1813 1813 1813 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

Populated Places

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
Unincorporated communities
  • Anthracite
  • Bellegrove
  • Beverly Heights
  • Bordnersville
  • Buffalo Springs
  • Bunker Hill
  • Canaan Grove
  • Clear Spring
  • Coffeetown
  • Coheva
  • Colebrook
  • Dogtown
  • East Hanover
  • Ebenezer
  • Edisonville
  • Flintville
  • Fontana
  • Fort Indiantown Gap
  • Freeport Mills
  • Gold Mine
  • Gravel Hill
  • Greble
  • Green Point
  • Pansy Hill
  • Plainville
  • Prescott
  • Reinholdsville
  • Reistville
  • Rocherty
  • Rockwood
  • Sheridan
  • Shirksville
  • Springhaven
  • Stricklerstown
  • Syner
  • Union Water Works
  • Upper Lawn
  • Valley Glenn
  • Weavertown, Jackson Township
  • Weavertown, North Lebanon Township
  • West Jonestown
  • Westmont
  • Woodfort
  • Zinns Mill
Census-designated places
Townships
Ghost towns


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lebanon 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

Census Records

Federal Census

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 16,988 —
1830 20,557 21.0%
1840 21,872 6.4%
1850 26,071 19.2%
1860 31,831 22.1%
1870 34,096 7.1%
1880 38,476 12.8%
1890 48,131 25.1%
1900 53,827 11.8%
1910 59,565 10.7%
1920 63,152 6.0%
1930 67,103 6.3%
1940 72,641 8.3%
1950 81,683 12.4%
1960 90,853 11.2%
1970 99,665 9.7%
1980 108,582 8.9%
1990 113,744 4.8%
2000 120,327 5.8%
2010 133,568 11.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

County-wide Database – Multi-denominational

Lebanon County Pennsylvania Churches
Contains the church records of:
  • Jonestown: St. Mark's Episcopal Church
  • Lebanon: St. Luke's Episcopal Church
  • Palmyra: Lutheran Church; Trinity United Church of Christ
  • Schaefferstown: St. Luke's Lutheran Church; St. Paul's United Church of Christ
Information taken from these church records: records of John Casper Stoever, Jr.; Quitopahilla or Hill Lutheran Church in North Annville Township; Tulpehocken Reformed Church in Jackson Township; Bindnagel's Lutheran Church in North Londonderry Township; Tabor Reformed Church in Lebanon; Swatara Reformed Church in Bethel Township; Bethel Moravian Church; Salem Lutheran Church in Lebanon; Millbach Reformed Church in Millcreek Township; Klopp's Reformed Church in Bethel Township; Heidelberg Reformed Church in Schaefferstown; Heidelberg Lutheran Church in Schaefferstown; Ziegel Lutheran Church in Bethel Township; St. John's Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg; Kimmerling's Reformed Church in Lebanon Township; Campbelltown Lutheran Church in Campbelltown; Quitopahilla Reformed Church in Cleona; Zion Lutheran Church in Jonestown.

Union Churches
It was common in Lebanon County to have Union churches. These were churches where two congregations shared a common property. Each congregation usually held independent services. Often the Union churches in Lebanon County were Lutheran and Reformed congregations. [8]

Catholic
The first Catholic church was built in Lebanon City between 1810-1814.

Lutheran
The first Lutheran congregation was Hill church established in 1733 by John Caspar Stoever, near Quitopahila. Early churches were also formed in Stouchsburg and North Annville and Lebanon. The Millbach church was a union church of Lutherans and Reformed Calvinists. In 1787 in Heidelburg and Lebanon, the Lutherans and Reformed churches had separate buildings. In most other towns there were union churches.

Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Campbellstown

Goshert's Zion Lutheran Church

Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Annville

Quitapohila Hill Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lebanon Township

St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church formerly Heidelberg Congregation, Schaefferstown

Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lebanon

Sattazahn's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Union Township

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Colebrook

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Jonestown

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Manheim

Zoar Evangelical Lutheran Church, North Annville Township

Zoar Evangelical Lutheran Church

Methodist
Methodism first entered Lebanon in 1827 and the first building was built in Lebanon City in 1840.

Moravian
The Moravians entered Lebanon County in 1740. Until 1752 it was the leading religious group in the county. Early congregations were formed in Bethel, Tulpehocken and Hebron.[10]

Presbyterian
The Hanover Presbyterian Church was built in 1736 in a Scotch-Irish settlement. This settlement was previously in Dauphin County, before Lebanon County was formed, and in Lancaster County, before Dauphin County was formed.[11] As the county grew, the Presbyterian faith became less prominent than the Lutheran, Reformed, Moravian and Mennonite congregations.[12]

Reformed
Reformed congregations (also called Calvinists) often shared their property with local Lutheran congregations. These were called union churches. In 1787 in Heidelburg and Lebanon, the Lutherans and Reformed churches had separate buildings. Millbach, Heidelberg and Tulpehocken were all early Reformed congregations.

  • 1763-1769 Kelker, Luther R. "Record of Marriages Performed by Rev. John Conrad Bucher, 1763-1769," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 26 (1902):375-381. For free online access, see WeRelate.

Heidelberg Reformed Church

Kimmerling's Reformed Church, North Lebanon Township

Millbach Reformed Church

Trinity Tulpehocken Reformed Church

United Brethren
The first congregation was established in Lebanon in 1820. Another church was built near Annville in 1823.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

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.

  • 1811-1905 Court Dockets, 1811-1905(*); Justice of the Peace at FamilySearch Catalog — images
  • The First Trial, Conviction and Execution for Murder in Lebanon County, Pa. : Paper Read Before the Lebanon County Historical Society, April 18, 1902, V. 2, No. 5. By Heilman, Samuel P. Heilman Dale, Pennsylvania : S. P. Heilman, 1902. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Directories

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.

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

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.[14]

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 Lebanon County began in 1813. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Landowner Maps

  • 1805 -1824 Patent Book of Land Surveys. FS Library film 1032469 Item 4 The earlier land records for what would become Lebanon County are for the applicable parent counties.

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Dauphin CountySchuylkill CountyBerks CountyLancaster CountyPA LEBANON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

Migration

Military Records

See more databases at Pennsylvania Military Records and US Military Records.


Civil War

World War II

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

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

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 Lebanon 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

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

Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts

  • Translated and transcribed by Robert A. Heilman, Deaths Reported by Der Libanon Demokrat, a German Language Newspaper Published at Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 1832-1864 (Bowie, Maryland:Heritage Books, c1990) At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Catalog book 974.819/L1 V4h
  • Scrapbook by Schuyler C. Brossman; Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pennsylvania,) Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, War Dead of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Part of the Vietnan War as Published in the Daily News, Lebanon, Pennsylvania With a Few Related Clippings (SLC, Utah, 1992) FS Library film 1597995 item 8
  • Brossman, Schuyler C., Veterans of Western Berks County, Pennsylvania (SLC, Utah, 1963-64,1967-68, 1976, 1988, 1995) FS Library film 363885 (1st of 8)

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate matters in Lebanon 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

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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.


Marriage

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

Death

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

Divorce

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Research Facilities

Archives

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

National Archives at Philadelphia
14700 Townsend Rd
Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Phone: 215-305-2044
Fax: 215-305-2052
Email: philadelphia.archives@nara.gov
Website
Facebook

FamilySearch Centers

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

  • FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

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

Museums

Societies

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

Lebanon County Historical Society
924 Cumberland St
Lebanon, PA 17042
Phone: 717 -272-1473
Email: office@lchsociety.org
Website
Facebook

Websites

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

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon_County,_Pennsylvania accessed 2/12/2017
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002) Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, p.591
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lebanon County, Pennsylvania," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon_County,_Pennsylvania, accessed 25 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Theodore E. Schmauck, The Early Churches of Lebanon County (Lebanon, Pennsylvania: The Century Printing Co., 1902).
  9. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/9/92/Igipennsylvaniaf.pdf.
  10. ↑ Theodore E. Schmauck, The Early Churches of Lebanon County (Lebanon, Pennsylvania: The Century Printing Co., 1902).
  11. ↑ Wayland F. Dunaway, The Scotch-Irish of Colonial Pennsylvania (Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press, 1944), 53-54. Free digital version at PA's Past: Digital Bookshelf at Penn State.
  12. ↑ Theodore E. Schmauck, The Early Churches of Lebanon County (Lebanon, Pennsylvania: The Century Printing Co., 1902).
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at Common Pleas accessed 10 July 2012
  15. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/9/92/Igipennsylvaniaf.pdf.
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