UCHS Office/Courthouse Research Records

The Union County Historical Society office is located on the first floor of the Union County Courthouse, one floor up from the ground floor entrance. Our staff is eager to advise and assist in your search.
Please send inquiries before visiting or sending payment. Researchers will be able to serve you more effectively and efficiently.

Below is a listing of research sources available at the Courthouse.
Donations of Union County family histories, paper or digital files, and photos of (identified) people,
events, and places in Union County are welcome for the library and archives.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESOURCES IN THE UCHS OFFICE

   CENSUS RECORDS - microfilmed; organized by year and county
   - Union County, 1820-1903
   - Snyder County, 1860-1920
   - Northumberland County, 1790-1920
   - Schuylkill County, 1880-1920
   - Philadelphia County, 1950

1790-1840 CENSUSES
   - Heads of Household only
   - Age & Sex of household members
   - Slave or "Other"
   - Trade (in later censuses)

1850-1880 CENSUSES
   - Full name of everyone enumerated
   - Trade
   - Property
   - Place of residence
   - Place of Birth

1900-1930 CENSUSES
   - Head of household, wife, children
   - Owned or Rented Property
   - Personal description (sex, color, age, marital status)
   - Citzenship
   - Education
   - Place of Birth
   - Occupation

Direct Tax of 1798 for Northumberland County
(includes present-day Union and Snyder counties)
- Property owners - Description of property - Tenants - Building descriptions - Value

Tax Assessments for Union County and Snyder County (1792-1881) - Occupation - Ownership of property - Horses, cows, etc. - Single men/tenant or owner - Widows (property owners)

Agricultural Censuses (1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880) - Shows what individual farmers were raising

SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAPS for Lewisburg (1885-1925) & Mifflinburg (1887-1943)

- Streets

- Log/Brick/Frame Structures

- Utilities

MANUFACTURER'S REPORTS

- Employees

- Months Operating

- Materials Used

- Goods Made

UNION COUNTY ANNUAL ENUMERATION & ASSESSMENT (1883-1946)

UNION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MINUTES (1813-1894)

- Treasurer's Books (1822-1836)

- License Books (1836-1856)

MORTALITY REPORTS (1850-1880) - by county - Name - Age - Date of birth - Place of birth - Date of death - Cause of death

BURIALS OF DECEASED SOLDIERS (1885-1915)

PENNSYLVANIA VETERANS CENSUS (1890) - Applications for Civil War pensions

NEWSPAPERS on microfilm - 1808 (May 4) - 1812 (July 15) "Republican Argus"

- 1816 “The Union” (New Berlin) - 1834-1835 “Union Annalist” (New Berlin) - 1834-1855 “Union Times” (New Berlin) - 1835-1837 “Anti-Masonic Star” (New Berlin) - 1838-1841 “The Milton Ledger” - 1838 (May 12) - 1944 (Feb 13) "Sunbury Gazette & Miner's Register"

- 1839 “Lewisburg Standard” - 1841 “The Union Star” (New Berlin) - 1843-1848 “Clinton County Democrat”

- 1845 (May 3) - 1849 (Mar 18) "Sunbury American & Shamokin Journal"

- 1847-1912 “Lewisburg Chronicle” - 1847 “Good Samaritan” (New Berlin) - 1850-1852 “Der Christliche Botschafter”

- 1850 (Jan. 26) - 1855 (Apr 21) "Sunbury American" - 1862-2002 “Mifflinburg Telegraph” (no issues available from 1868-1872)

- 1882 (Jan. 3) - 1924 (Dec. 24) "Saturday News"

- 1910 (September)-1952 (December) “Lewisburg Journal” - 1999 (January)-2020 (December) “Union County Times”

LOCAL PHONE DIRECTORIES 1899, 1901, 1910, 1944-2012

CEMETERY LISTINGS - Tombstones in Union County cemeteries - Tombstones in Lewisburg cemeteries

Indexes for the following on office computer - Births from Prothonotary records, late 1800s - Deaths noted in newspapers, late 1800s - Marriages,circa 1845-1895 (male and female indexes) - Strunk Funeral Home records, 1908-85 - Contemporary obituaries

GENERAL REFERENCE BOOKS - Annals of Buffalo Valley, 1755-1855, Linn, plus Index - Civil War Soldiers of Union County, Lontz - Commemorative Biographical Record, Beers, 1898 - General and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County - Guide to Burials in Northumberland County (Milton) - Guide to Union County Cemeteries, Finsterbush, et al. - History of the Susquehanna & Juniata Valleys, 1886 - Revolutionary War Soldiers of Union County, Lontz - Snyder County Marriages, Fisher, plus Index - Snyder County Pioneers - Snyder County Tombstones - Soldiers of the War of 1812, Philippines, Mexico, Spain, WWI and WWII, Lontz - The Story of Snyder County, Dunkleberger - Tombstone Inscriptions, Lontz - Town on the Susquehanna, Kalp - Union County History, C. M. Snyder - Union County Marriages, Fisher, plus Index - Veterans Graves Registrations - Wills and Administration of Northumberland County (index) - World War II Commemoratives

Union County Heritage 1968-2014, Indexed

New Berlin Heritage Bulletins 1972-2003

Snyder County Historical Society Bulletins 1913-1997

Northumberland County Historical Society Proceedings

BOXED MATERIALS

Amish/Mennonite*Bridges*Bucknell*Canals*Cemeteries*Census Records*

Churches*Deaths/Marriages*Heritages*Historical Markers*

Immigration/Emigration*Lewisburg*Logging*Maps/Atlases*Mifflinburg*

Military History*Miscellaneous*Native Americans*New Berlin, Vicksburg, West End,

Centre County*Northumberland County*Pennsylvania Germans*

Preservation*Prisons*Schools*Snyder County*Susquehanna and Juniata Valleys*

Union County*Women*White Deer Township, Gregg Township, Allenwood

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESOURCES IN THE

The Offices of the Prothonotary and the Recorder of Deeds are also located on the

first floor of the Courthouse, one floor up from the ground floor entrance.

WILLS & LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION - may include the following:

- Date of Death

- Place of Residence

- Spouse, children & relatives

- Inventory of possessions

- Value of Estate

- Possessions given to others

- Business

- Dower/Dowry responsibilities

GRANTOR/GRANTEE RECORDS- deeds may include the following:

- Title to Property

- Spouse's name

- Location of seller/property being sold

- Previous residence of buyer

- Existence of house/building (not construction dates)

ESTATE INVENTORIES & ESTATE AUCTIONS-

- List of possessions and value

- Purchaser at sale (vendue)

Additional estate information may be in Orphan's Court Records.

See Index in Prothonotary's Office.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RESOURCES IN THE

PROTHONOTARY'S OFFICE

ORPHANS COURT RECORDS

- Indexed to 1998 and Microfilmed

- On computer from 1988

- Agreements; partitions of real estate; appointments of guardians

MARRIAGE LICENSE APPLICATIONS

- 1885 to present, indexed

- Names; parents' names; addresses; birth dates & birthplaces; occupations

DIVORCE PAPERS

- Indexed by name

- On microfilm/computer

- Maiden name; Children's names & ages; relatives' names; Date & place of marriage;

residence; occupation

CIVIL AND CRIMINAL COURT PROCEEDINGS

- Indexed

- Contracts; goods levied on; charge; sentence; jury & trial lists; occupation

DEATH INDEX (1852-1855)

- Name; parents; occupation; birthplace; spouse; children

BIRTH & DEATH RECORDS (1893-1905)

- Indexed

NATURALIZATION PAPERS

- Country of Origin

- Time & Place of Immigration

- Trade

DELAYED BIRTH RECORDS

- Name, birthdate, court # date, docket page

SOLDIER & MILITIA ENROLLMENT INDEX (1845-1944)

- Name, age, year enrolled, township

SHERIFF'S SALES

- Existence of buildings

TAVERN LICENSES (1814-1916)

- Owner, Location, Date

CENSUS INDEXES (1850, 1860, 1870, 1880)

- Actual census date is on microfilm in the UCHS office

CHRONOLOGY OF BIRTH, MARRIAGE & DEATH RECORDS IN PA

1682-1790

- Official births and deaths were not registered

- Some marriage license records have survived

- See Vol. 2 of Second Series and Vol. 6 of Sixth Series of the Pennsylvania Archives

- Note: there are non for Union/Snyder Counties

1790-1851

- No official state or county records were required to be kept.

1852-1855

- The Register of Wills in each county was required to record births, deaths and

marriages, but only some counties complied; what records do exist are incomplete.

1856-1884 - No official records were required from 1856-1884, although some large cities kept

some records.

1885-present - Marriage licenses required for individual counties by the Clerk of the Orphans Court

(Prothonotary).

1893-1905 - Clerk of the Orphans Court (Prothonotary) was required by the counties to keep birth

and death records.

From 1906 - Birth and death records are kept by the state. Contact: Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1528, 101 South Mercer Street,

New Castle, PA 16101

(724)656-3100 www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit, write, email or call:
Union County Courthouse
103 South 2nd Street
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Hours: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, M, T, TH
Closed noon - 1pm
(570) 524-8666

info@unioncopahistory.com

RESEARCH SERVICES

Researchers are invited to visit our office and use our library resources. A donation of $5, is requested for non-members.

UCHS Members may use the library free of charge.

Fee for copies is .50/page

The society has an extensive collection of reference material and family histories, and easy access to probate and land records. Assistance is available for in-office researchers.

Those not able to visit may send research questions to:

Info@unioncopahistory.com

FEES FOR SERVICES

• General genealogical search (one family): $60 includes probate files and deeds, marriage, and death data, tombstone listings, and family histories - as available. Additional fees for extensive searches/copies, and related family lines, are determined on a case-by case basis.

• Copy of specific will, letters of administration, deed; per page fee;

minimum $10.

• Obituary search and copy (please provide year and approximate month of death) - $5 per person.

• Property deed searches are negotiated on an individual basis, please inquire.

Once fees are determined, simply click "Donate" for PayPal. If you prefer to pay by check please send payment to the Union County Historical Society, 103 S. 2nd Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837. Monetary donations are also welcome.

UCHS Office/Courthouse Research Records

FOR MORE INFORMATION

​

Once fees are determined, simply click "Donate" for PayPal. If you prefer to pay by check please send payment to the Union County Historical Society, 103 S. 2nd Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837. Monetary donations are also welcome.