Wayne County, Pennsylvania Genealogy

Historical populations
	Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

Pennsylvania Online Genealogy Records

County Facts

County seat:

Honesdale

Organized:

March 21, 1798

Parent County(s):

Northampton^[1]

Neighboring Counties

Delaware (NY) • Monroe • Susquehanna • Sullivan (NY) • Lackawanna • Pike • Broome (NY)
See County Maps

Courthouse

Location Map

Adoption

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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne. The county is located in the northeastern tip of the state.^[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Wayne County Courthouse
925 Court Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
Phone: 570-253-5970
Recorder of Deeds: 570-253-5970 Ext. 4040
Prothonotary: 570-523-5970 ext. 4030
Register of Wills: 570-253-5970 Ext. 4040
Wayne County Website

Prothonotary Office has birth and death records 1893-1906, marriage records from 1885, divorce records from 1900, court records from 1798, school records from 1912-1971, and 1180 county tax assessment census
County Registrar and Recorder has probate and land records from 1798^[3]

Wayne 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	1798	1798	1798	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]

Formed from Northampton County 21 May 1798. ^[5]
County seat: Honesdale^[6]

26 March 1814: Pike County set off. ^[7]

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:^[8]

Boroughs
Bethany Hawley	Honesdale Prompton	Starrucca Waymart
Unincorporated communities
Damascus Equinunk Galilee Hamlin Hollisterville Jericho Lake Ariel	Lake Como Lakeville Lakewood Milanville Newfoundland Orson	Pleasant Mount Poyntelle Rileyville South Sterling Starlight Tanners Falls
Census-designated places
Big Bass Lake Gouldsboro	Pocono Springs Hideout	Wallenpaupack Lake Estates White Mills
Townships
Berlin Buckingham Canaan Cherry Ridge Clinton Damascus Dreher Dyberry	Lake Lebanon Lehigh Manchester Mount Pleasant Oregon Palmyra	Paupack Preston Salem Scott South Canaan Sterling Texas

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 Wayne County, Pennsylvania online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com HomeTownLocator PAGenWeb Archives Interment 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 Access Genealogy FamilySearch Places
See Pennsylvania Cemeteries for more information

1700-1950 - Pennsylvania Cemetery Records, ca. 1700-ca. 1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Cemetery Abstracts at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images (incomplete)
PA-Roots
Names in Stone
Ancestry($)

Census Records[edit | edit source]

State Census

1850-1880 Pennsylvania Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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.

1620-1991 Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Congregational Records, 1620-1991(*) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Wayne County Pennsylvania churches

Linkpendium

USGenWeb. Wayne County PA, Churches gives name, contact information, Website and other information.

Baptist
Baptists arrived in the area in 1795. Eventually there were two groups, the Free Communion Baptist Church at Mount Pleasant and the Honesdale Baptist Church.^[9]

Catholic
Irish Catholics lived in Mount Pleasant, Preston, Buckingham, Carbondale, Honsdale, Ledgedale, and White Mills townships. Many people were Delaware and Hudson Canal Co. employees. The German Catholic Church was organized 1853 .^[9]

Episcopal
Honesdale Grace Episcopal Church and Dyberry Parish in Bethany were both established in1832. St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church in Hamlin was established in 1844. ^[9]

Jewish
The Temple Beth Israel synagogue was established 1849 from land donated by Delaware and Hudson Canal Co. The Sherith-Israel Synagogue. Russian and Polish Jews 1880's established the Sherith-Isreal synagogue. ^[9]

Lutheran
Honesdale German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was established in 1845. ^[9]

Methodist
The first group organized in 1825; by 1900 the Methodist outnumbered the other denominations. Members could attend in Salem Corners, Pleasant Mount, and Honesdale. ^[9]

Presbyterian
There were five churches organized between 1829 and 1849.^[9]

1829 Hensdale (Dyberry Forks)
1835 Waymart
1842 Prompton
1842 -1900 Prompton Sessions Records Available from the Wayne County Historical Society, Research Library. You may view it at the library for free if a member or for a $5.00 charge. You may hire a professional from their web page.
1848 Lebonon
1849 Hawley

First Presbyterian Church, Honesdale

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:

Honesdale: First Presbyterian Church

Presbyterian Church, Mount Pleasant Township

1841-1875 Presbyterian Church, Mount Pleasant Township, Baptism Index 1841-1875 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C538891.
1841-1888 Presbyterian Church, Mount Pleasant Township, Marriage Index 1841-1845 and 1857-1888 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch M538891.Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/2/20/Igipennsylvaniat.pdf.</ref>

Presbyterian Church, Prompton

1842-1873 Presbyterian Church, Prompton, Baptism Index 1842-1873 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch C000534.
1842-1873 Presbyterian Church, Prompton, Marriage Index 1842-1873 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.

Russian Orthodox
Russians settled in South Canaan and had a monastery and school. ^[9]
List of Churches and Church Parishes

FamilySearch Places

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.

1824-1912 Miscellaneous Records FHL Film 954315 (first of 2 films)

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. Many early residence came from New England, New York, and New Jersey. (Ref. History of Wayne County Pennsylvania 1798-1998 by Walter B. Barbe and Kurk A. Reed. Wayne County Historical Society C 1998.)

1798-1828 Pennsylvania Landing Reports of Aliens, 1798-1828 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Alphabet index then by numbered entry
1900-1923 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1900-1923 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
1952-1957 Pennsylvania, Crew Lists arriving at Erie, 1952-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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]

Orphans Court

1803-1869 Orphans Court Dockets FHL Film 955011 (first of 2 films) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records

1795-1941 Deeds, 1796 to 1866; Indexes, 1795 to 1941 FHL film 354579 (first of 28) - images only; click on the camera icon to view images
1798-1941 Mortgages, 1798-1834; Index, 1798-1941 FHL films 954305–954309 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Centennial and Illustrated Wayne County. 1902 (2nd edition). Honesdale, PA : Benjamin F. Haines. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).
History of Wayne County. 1880. By Phineas G. Goodrich and George W. Woodward. Honesdale, Pennsylvania : Hines & Beardsley. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books ; At various libraries (WorldCat).
History of Wayne, Pike and Monroe Counties, Pennsylvania. 1886. Ed. by Alfred Mathews. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : R.T. Peck. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps

Maps of Pennsylvania (1673-1878)
Ancestor Tracks has a CD of the First Landowners of PA: Warrantees of Wayne Pike Counties, Map Index by Jason Torrey, 1814 ($). The CD contains first landowner names and tracts, the warrant register index for Northampton County (the source for both Pike and Wayne Counties), and the warrant registers for both counties.
FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration[edit | edit source]

The migration routes used by early European settlers to and from Wayne County included:^[11]

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.
Delaware River.

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War

1861-1865 - Pennsylvania, Register of Military Volunteers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

World War II

1933-1947 Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, World War II Casualty Cards, 1933-1947 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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

1799-1906 - Pennsylvania, Wayne County, Court of Common Pleas, Naturalization Records, 1799-1906 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1795-1931 Pennsylvania, Eastern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1795-1931 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1795-1952 Pennsylvania, Eastern District Naturalization Indexes, 1795-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1820-1906 Index to Declarations and Petitions in the Western District of Pennsylvania, US Circuit and District Courts located in US Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 database on Ancestry $
1820-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Fold3.com - ($), indexed, National Archives publication M1537, incomplete for all counties
1820-1930 Naturalization Petitions of the U.S. District Court, 1820-1930, and Circuit Court, 1820-1911, for the Western District of Pennsylvania located in Selected US Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1790-1974 database on Ancestry $

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 Wayne 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.

Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory.
Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive
Pennsylvania Newspapers
The Citizen (Honesdale, PA), 1908-1914 at Chronicling America
The Honesdale Citizen (Honesdale, PA), 1873-1908 at Chronicling America

Online Newspaper Abstracts

PA-Roots Newspaper Articles for Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
Wayne County, PA Historical Newspapers including The Forest City News and The Honesdale Citizen 1873-1908

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

PA-Roots Obituaries for Wayne County, Pennsylvania.
Wayne County Obits part of a USGenWeb Project.
1947-2010 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1977-2010 Pennsylvania Obituaries, 1977-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate matters in Wayne 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

1683-1993 Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records 1683-1993 at Ancestry $
1683-1994 Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by county)
1798-1906 Wayne County Probate Records
1798-1906 Will Books, includes Index 1801 -1915. FHL film 954310–954314 - images only; click on the camera icon to view images

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

1798 Pennsylvania, U.S. Direct Tax Lists, 1798 at Ancestry ($).

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.

1520-1999 Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Births and Baptisms, 1520-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1709-1950 Pennsylvania, Births and Christenings, 1709-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
1941-1976 Pennsylvania Delayed Birth Records, 1941-1976 - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage[edit | edit source]

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

1512-1989 Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Marriage Records, 1512-1989 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1626-2016 Pennsylvania, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
1677-1950 Pennsylvania Civil Marriages, 1677-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1682-1976 Pennsylvania, Church Marriages, 1682-1976 FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
1700-1821 Pennsylvania Marriage Records Ancestry $
1709-1940 Pennsylvania Marriages, 1709-1940 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Pre-1810 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
1852-1854 Pennsylvania Marriages Ancestry $
1885-1950 Pennsylvania County Marriage, 1885-1950 - How to Use this Collection; index and images incomplete for all counties. May contain marriage records earlier than 1885.
1947-2021 Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Collection, 1947-2010 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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.

1720-1999 Pennsylvania Deaths and Burials, 1720-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
1852-1854 Pennsylvania Deaths Ancestry $
1856-1971 Pennsylvania, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Deaths and Burials, 1856-1971 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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 Wayne 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

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

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

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

Scranton Pennsylvania Family History Center

Libraries[edit | edit source]

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

Wayne County Library Alliance operates 7 public libraries in Wayne County.

Visit website for individual library locations and contact information, hours and services

Wayne Public Library
1406 Main Street, Honesdale, PA
Phone: 570-253-1220
FAX: 570-253-1240
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