Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Pottsville
Organized: March 1, 1811
Parent County(s): Berks, Northampton[1]
Neighboring Counties
Luzerne  • Berks  • Carbon  • Dauphin  • Lebanon  • Columbia  • Northumberland  • Lehigh
See County Maps
Courthouse
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Schuylkill County PA Map.png
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for the Schuylkill River. It is located in the mideastern central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Schuylkill County Courthouse
401 North Second Street
Pottsville, PA 17901
Phone: 570-622-5570 Fax: 570-628-1210
Schuylkill County Register Of Wills/Orphans' Court Phone: 570-628-1382
Schuylkill County Prothonotary Phone:570-628-1270
Clerk of Courts Phone: 570-628-1140 or 570-628-1133
Recorder of Deeds Phone: 570-628-1480
Schuylkill County Websites

Clerk Comm has birth and death records 1893-1905, marriage records from 1885, divorce records from 1878, probate, court, and land records from 1811[3]

Copies of documents including birth, marriages, deaths, divorces, land, and probate records can be obtained by using: Pennsylvania Public Record.

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1893 1885 1893 1811 1811 1811 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1906. General compliance by 1915.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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
  • Hauto
  • Hecla
  • Irving
  • Joliett
  • Kepners
  • Leibeyville
  • Llewellyn
  • Locust Valley
  • Lorberry
  • Mahoning Valley
  • Mantzville
  • Marstown
  • Mary D
  • Molino
  • Newkirk
  • Orwin
  • Outwood
  • Owl Creek
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Schuylkill 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[edit | edit source]

Federal Census

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 11,339 —
1830 20,744 82.9%
1840 29,053 40.1%
1850 60,713 109.0%
1860 89,510 47.4%
1870 116,428 30.1%
1880 129,974 11.6%
1890 154,163 18.6%
1900 172,927 12.2%
1910 207,894 20.2%
1920 217,754 4.7%
1930 235,505 8.2%
1940 228,331 −3.0%
1950 200,577 −12.2%
1960 173,027 −13.7%
1970 160,089 −7.5%
1980 160,630 0.3%
1990 152,585 −5.0%
2000 150,336 −1.5%
2010 148,289 −1.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Schuylkill County Pennsylvania Churches

The Schuylkill County Genealogical Society has various records for churches throughout the Schuylkill County area. However, the society has not put the records on-line and to view the records one must go to the society. The society will do research for a fee. For more details see their website.

Contains the church records of:
  • Ashland: Christ's United Lutheran Church; North Parish Episcopal Church; St. John's Episcopal Church
  • Delano: Delano Episcopal Mission
  • New Philadelphia: United Methodist Church
  • Orwigsburg: St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Pine Grove: Jacobs Evangelical Lutheran Church; Pine Grove Methodist Episcopal Church; Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church; St. Peter's Lutheran Church; Suedberg Church of God; United Church of Christ - St. Peter's Parish
  • Port Carbon: First United Methodist Church; Grace United Methodist Church
  • Pottsville: First Baptist Church; First United Church of Christ; Trinity Episcopal Church; Trinity Lutheran Church
  • Reinerton: St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Schuylkill: First United Church of Christ; Grace Evangelical Congregational Church; St. James Episcopal Church; St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Schuylkill Haven: Christ Lutheran Church; St. John's United Church of Christ
  • Shenandoah: All Saints Episcopal Church
  • Summit Station: St. Paul's United Church of Christ
  • Tamaqua: Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church; Calvary Episcopal Church; First Presbyterian Church of Summit Hill; First United Presbyterian Church; Salem and Coaldale United Methodist Church; St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church; Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Tower: St. Paul's Lutheran Church
  • Valley View: United Methodist Church
  • Washington: Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • 1755-1825 Humphrey, John T. Pennsylvania Births, Carbon County, 1795-1825; Monroe County, 1741-1825; Schuylkill County, 1755-1825. Washington, D.C.: PA Genealogy Books, 2006. FHL Book 974.8 K2hj.
Contains church records of Zion Lutheran Church aka "Old Red Church," Orwigsburg, West Brunswick Township; "Hetzel's" Lutheran Church, Pine Grove Township; St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Church aka "Summer Hill" Church, Mannheim Township; St. John's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Friedensburg, Wayne Township; St. Jacob's Lutheran Church, Pine Grove Township; St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Church aka "White Church," Ringtown, Union Township; St. Peter's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Pine Grove, Pine Grove Township; St. John's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Tamaqua, Rahn Township; Frieden's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Norwegian, Branch Township; Frieden's Lutheran and Reformed Church, near New Ringgold, West Brunswick Township; and Zion Reformed Church, West Brunswick Township.
Contains church records of:
  • Emmanuel Reformed Church of Nuremberg
  • First Evangelical and Reformed Church
  • Pennsylvania German Churches
  • Jerusalem Church
  • Gilberton Methodist Episcopal Church
  • Lewistown Evangelical
  • Llewellyn, PA Methodist Church
  • Salem (Hertzel's) Union Congregation, Pine Grove
  • St. George Lithuanian R.C. Church, Shenandoah
  • St. Canicus' Mahanoy City Church
  • St. Jacob's, Pine Grove
  • St. John's United Church of Christ, Orwigsburg
  • St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
  • St. Kyrans R.C. Church, Heckersville
  • St. Michael's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Klingerstown
  • St. Vincent de Paul's Church, Minersville, PA
  • Zion Church of Lewistown Baptism Records
  • Zion Red Church and Vicinity
  • Zion Lutheran and Reformed Church


Baptist
In 1840, the "First English Baptist Church of Minersville" was organized.[8]

Catholic

Congregational
The First Congregational Church was established by the Welsh in the area in 1836.[8]

Episcopal
St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1845 and their building erected in 1849.[8]

Evangelical

Salem Evangelical Congregational Church, Mahanoy City

Lutheran
The German Lutherans were the first in the county although the exact date of their organization is unknown. The German Evangelical Lutheran Zion's Congregation had their first church built in 1849. Before it was built, they had met in the schoolhouse. The first English Lutheran Church was organized in 1851.[8]

Christ Lutheran Church, Rush Township

St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pine Grove

St. John's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Friedensburg

St. Michael's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Klingerstown

St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Church or Old White Church, Ringtown

St. Paul or Artzs Lutheran and Reformed Church, Sacramento

Salem or Hetzel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pine Grove Township

Summer Hill St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Wayne Township

Zion Red Church, Brunswick Township

  • 1755-1800 Zion Red Church at PAGenWeb – Free, baptisms, Brunswick Township, then Berks, now Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

Methodist
The Methodist Episcopal church began meeting in Minersville starting in 1834.[8]

Reformed
In 1840, Emmanuel's Church was organized and met in the union church with the Lutherans.[8]

St. John's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Friedensburg

St. John's Reformed Church, Orwigsburg

St. Michael's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Klingerstown

St. Paul's Lutheran and Reformed Church or Old White Church, Ringtown

St. Paul or Artzs Lutheran and Reformed Church, Sacramento

Zion Red Church, Brunswick Township

  • 1755-1800 Zion Red Church at PAGenWeb – Free, baptisms, Brunswick Township, then Berks, now Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

United Church of Christ


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

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

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

The Orphan's Court ensures the best interests of those not capable of handling their own affairs: minors, incapacitated persons, decedents' estates, and more.[10]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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 Schuylkill County began in 1811. These records are filed with the Recorder of Deeds office in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Luzerne CountyCarbon CountyLehigh CountyBerks CountyLebanon CountyDauphin CountyNorthumberland CountyColumbia County, Pennsylvania GenealogyPA SCHUYLKILL.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Maps

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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 Schuylkill 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

Christian Advocate
Die Stimme des Volks, 1832-1839
The Evening Courier, Tamaqua
Miner's Journal
Pottsville Republican, January 1st for 1915, 1916, 1919, 1920-1923, 1926, 1927, 1939-1945 and more.
Shenandoah Evening Herald, various dates in 1944, 1945, 1948
The Splinters, Saint Clair, April 24, 1897
Tri-Weekly Record, Mahanoy City

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts

  • Compiled by Cheryl Fidler Schneck, Abstracts of Miscellaneous Notices Published in "The Press Herald" Newspaper of Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, beginning January 3, 1879 [to 1885] FHL fiche 6100965; book 974.817/P3 B3s

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

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 Extracts and Abstracts

  • A scrapbook by Schuyler C. Brossman, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, war veterans' graves a list of veterans of the western part of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania (SLC, Utah, 1992) FHL film 1597995 item 9
  • Brossman, Schuyler C. Veterans of Western Berks County, Pennsylvania (SLC, Utah) FHL film 363885 (first of 8) Record of newspaper clippings and more arranged by name of veteran, principally from Tulpehocken and Bethel Townships in Berks County with some records from Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties.
  • Hughes, Jeremiah, Obituaries, 1880-1917 (SLC, Utah, 1981)) FHL film 1305961 item 11
  • Death Notices in the Christliche Botschafter, New Berlin, 1836-1848 (SLC, Utah, 1981) FHL film 1305961
  • Collected and compiled by Phillip A. Rice; Schuylkill Roots Researchers, Index to the Obituaries as Found in the Pottsville Republican and Various Other Periodicals of the Region covers Schuylkill as Well as Adjoining Counties (Apollo, Pennsylvania:Closson Press, c 1992-1993) FHL book 974.817/P2 V42r

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate matters in Schuylkill 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[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Marriage[edit | edit source]

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

Death[edit | edit source]

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

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Divorce records are available through the office of the Prothonotary.

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Schuylkill 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


The Schuylkill County Archives is a central depository for all county government records. These include records from the Clerk of the Courts, Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, and Register of Wills. Most records are open to the public. The oldest records predate the creation of the county in 1811. Early records have been microfilmed with the originals in storage at the archives. Records of interest to genealogists and family historians include:
Birth and death records; Marriage dockets 1885–May 1969; Naturalization indexes and records 1828 -1; Wills books 1811 -1; Estate files 1811 -1; County land records; Deed books; Mortgage books.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History 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 family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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

  • Pottsville Free Public Library
    215 W. Market St.
    Pottsville, PA 17901
    Phone: 570-622-8880
    Email: potpublib@pottsvillelibrary.org
    Website
    The Library has a genealogy collection that includes: Newspapers - Evening Herald, 1891 to 1980; County histories; City directories; Census records; Genealogy books; and family files.The Library offers a limited search service for obituaries and specific pages of specific books. No in-depth research is provided.
  • Tamaqua Public Library
    30 South Railroad Street
    Tamaqua, PA 18252
    Phone: 570-668-4660
    Email: tamaquapubliclibrary@hotmail.com
    Website
    The Library is currently building their genealogical collection. Some resources include:Newspapers,Church records,Cemeteries, and Yearbooks.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

  • Woodroofe, Helen Hutchison. "A Genealogist's Guide to Pennsylvania Records," The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, Vol. 34, No. 3 (1986):241-250. For free online access, see WeRelate.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_County,_Pennsylvania 2/12/2017
  3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists : United States of America, 10th ed., (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002) Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, p.592
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pennsylvania.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_County%2C_Pennsylvania, accessed 1 February 2020.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Adolf W. Schalck and Hon. D. C. Henning, History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania ([S.l.]: State Historical Association, 1907), 190; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/4/49/Igipennsylvaniapppppp.pdf.
  10. ↑ The Philadelphia Courts at Common Pleas accessed 10 July 2012
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