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Union County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Lewisburg
Organized: March 22, 1813
Parent County(s): Northumberland[1]
Neighboring Counties
Lycoming • Snyder • Clinton • Centre • Northumberland • Mifflin
See County Maps
Courthouse
Union County Courthouse Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.png
Location Map
Union County PA Map.png

County Information

Description

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

County Courthouse

Union County Courthouse
103 South Second Street
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Phone: 570-524-8641
Fax: 570-524-8644
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts: 570-524-8751
Register of Wills: 570-524-8762
Union County Website

Prothonotary office has birth records from 1893-1905, marriage records from 1885, death records from 1898, divorce and court records from 1813
Registrar and recorder has probate and land records from 1813[3]

Union 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 1893 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:[6]

Boroughs
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Union 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 18,619 —
1830 20,795 11.7%
1840 22,787 9.6%
1850 26,083 14.5%
1860 14,145 −45.8%
1870 15,565 10.0%
1880 16,905 8.6%
1890 17,820 5.4%
1900 17,592 −1.3%
1910 16,249 −7.6%
1920 15,850 −2.5%
1930 17,468 10.2%
1940 20,247 15.9%
1950 23,150 14.3%
1960 25,646 10.8%
1970 28,603 11.5%
1980 32,870 14.9%
1990 36,176 10.1%
2000 41,624 15.1%
2010 44,947 8.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

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.

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.[7]

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 Union County began in 1813. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Land records from 1962 and on are available at the link.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

Lycoming CountyClinton CountyCentre CountyMifflin CountySnyder CountyNorthumberland CountyPA UNION.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

Migration

Military Records

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


Revolutionary War
Men from what is now Union County (then Northumberland County) served in the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment.[8]

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 Union 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

Newspaper and Obituary Excerpts and Abstracts

  • Lontz, Mary Belle, Central Pennsylvania Deaths and Marriages, 1771-1882 Abstracts from Various Newspapers, Publications and Court Records Throughout the Area (Hollidaysburg, PA:Hoenstine Rental Library, 1987?) FS Catalog book 974.8 V28L

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


Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate matters in Union 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 Union 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 which is located in the Union County Courthouse building at 103 S. Second St, Lewisburg, PA .

Research Facilities

Archives

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

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

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 Union County. For state-wide library facilities, see Pennsylvania Archives and Libraries.

Union County Library System
Website

Operates three public libraries in Union County.

Museums

Societies

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

New Berlin Heritage Association
400 Market St
PO Box 223
New Berlin, PA 17855
Phone: 570-966-1783
Email: iane45@dejazzd.com
Facebook

Union County Historical Society
Union County Courthouse
103 S 2nd St
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Phone: 570-524-8666
Email: info@unioncopahistory.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

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/Union_County,_Pennsylvania 2/12/2017
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), p. 592.
  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. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Union County, Pennsylvania," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_County,_Pennsylvania, accessed 3 February 2020.
  7. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at Common Pleas accessed 10 July 2012
  8. ↑ John B.B. Trussell and Charles C. Dallas, The Pennsylvania Line; Regimental Organization and Operations, 1776-1783 (Harrisburg, Pa.: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1977). Digital version at Family History Archive.
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