Genealogy & Local History

U.S. POPULATION CENSUS DATA 1790-1930 (microfilm and Ancestry/Library Edition database)
Depending on the year of the census, data may include a person’s name and age, number of years in the United States, marital status, birthplace of father and mother, and number of children born. [Please note: Due to the licensing agreement, Ancestry/Library Edition database is available for use only at the Reference Department computers.]For births that occurred in Scranton between 1878 and 1905: Scranton Public Library
Register of Wills
Lackawanna County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Scranton PA 18503
(570) 963-6702
Or http://www.lpa-homes.org/LPA_Applications.htm
For births that occurred in Lackawanna County (including Scranton), from 1906 to present:
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
State Office Building
100 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 963-4595Birth Records for Adopted Individuals
Pennsylvania Department of Health-Requests for Original Non-certified Birth Records by Adopted Individuals.DEATH RECORDS:
For deaths that occurred in Scranton between 1878 and 1905:Scranton Public Library
For deaths that occurred in Lackawanna County (excluding Scranton) between 1893 and 1905:Register of Wills
Lackawanna County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 963-6702For deaths that occurred anywhere in Lackawanna County (including Scranton) from 1906 to the present: Pennsylvania Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
101 South Mercer Street
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
(412) 656-3100
NOTE: As a service to local residents, the Scranton Division of Vital Statistics will apply to the Division of Vital Records (in New Castle, PA) for death records for deaths that occurred anywhere in Pennsylvania from 1906 to present: Pennsylvania Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
100 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 347-0205MARRIAGE RECORDS:
For marriages that occurred in Lackawanna County from October 1885 to present: Marriage Bureau
Lackawanna County Court House
Courthouse Square
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 963-6708Orhttp://www.lpa-homes.org/LPA_Applications.htmDIVORCE RECORDS:
For divorces that occurred in Lackawanna County from October 1885 to the present:

Clerk of Judicial Records
Lackawanna County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 963-6723

WlLLS:
From 1878 to the present, (even if person died intestate):

Register of Wills
Lackawanna County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 963-6702

DEEDS:
For property owned, bought, or sold in Lackawanna County from 1878 to the present:

Recorder of Deeds Office
Lackawanna County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 963-6775

NATURALIZATlON RECORDS for LACKAWANNA COUNTY:
For naturalizations prior to 1878 (when what is now Lackawanna County was part of Luzerne County), contact the Prothonotary’s Office at the Luzerne County Courthouse. They have an index to naturalization records for Luzerne County from 1830-1906 and 1912-1944. If you find your ancestor in the index you then need to send a request to the National Archives, Mid-Atlantic Region in Philadelphia (see address to obtain a photocopy of the original record. Researchers can also visit the National Archives to conduct their own research.

Prothonotary’s Office
Luzerne County Courthouse
200 North River Street
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
(570) 825-1745

 

Clerk of Judicial Records
Lackawanna County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Scranton, PA 18503

Or

(570) 963-6723

 

The U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, performed naturalizations in Scranton from 1901-1990. A microfilm index is available at the Federal Building in Scranton and at the National Archives, Mid-Atlantic Region, in Philadelphia.

U.S. District Court
Middle District of Pennsylvania
Wm. J. Nealon Federal Bldg.
235 North Washington Ave
P.O. Box 1148
Scranton, PA 18501
(570) 207-5600

Researchers can search the index in Scranton or request a search of the index and copies of the records by writing to the National Archives, Mid-Atlantic Region. Researchers can also visit the National Archives to conduct their own research.

National Archives & Records Administration
Mid-Atlantic Region
900 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-3000
www.archives.gov/contact

Albright Memorial Library:
Scranton Republican: Nov 1, 1867-Dec.24, 1936-incomplete
Scranton Times: Jan. 1900-Aug 1907; Jan. 1908-Apr. 1908; Sept. 1908- Jun. 24, 2005
Scranton Tribune: Dec. 26, 1936-May, 21, 1990
Scranton Truth: June 5, 1893-Nov. 30, 1894 incomplete; Jul. 7, 1904-Feb. 27, 1915
Scranton Weekly Republican: Mar. 9, 1866-Apr. 19, 1867; Jan. 5, 1871-1872; 1874-1878; 1884-1890; 1898
Scrantonian: 1924; May 1938-May 20, 1990
Scrantonian (under Lynett Family): May 27, 1990- on
Scranton Times film Sunday Sun: July 22, 1990- Sept. 8, 1991
Sunday Times-Scrantonian: May 27, 1990-Feb. 27, 1994
Sunday Times: Mar. 6, 1994-current
Times-Tribune: Jun. 27, 2005-current
Tribune: (Goodman/Little ownership-see Scranton Tribune)
The Tribune (Lynett Family ownership): May 22, 1990- Jun. 25, 2005
Villager: Jan. 4, 1962- Dec.31, 2003Abington Community Library:
The Scranton Times: microfilm from October 4, 1895-July 15, 1990The Abington Journal: in print, 1980-presentThe Abington Suburban: in print, 1988-present.Carbondale Public Library:Dundaff Republican and Northeast PA Evening Herald: February 1828-June 3, 1893

Archbald Citizen: October 1898-May 3, 1911; April 1, 1916-June 17, 1916

Carbondale Herald, Leader, and News: April 2, 1890; July 1, 1897-December 1897; January 1, 1899-June 30, 1903; January 1, 1904-December 1920; January 1, 1922-December 3, 1932; November 1, 1944-December 31, 1951; July 1, 1952-December 30, 1980

The Miner: September 7, 1972-July 5, 1973; November 15, 1973-January 16, 1975; January 5, 1976-December 1976; All of 1977, 1978, 1979 and June 10, 1980

Carbondale Library newspapers available on Newspapers.com
(This is a list of local papers that are available. These are accessible for free at the Carbondale Public Library.)
Archbald Citizen 1898-1938 4,135 pages
Carbondale Advance 1857-1886 5,880 pages
The Carbondale Globe 1888 4 pages
The Carbondale Journal 1838-1840 416 pages
Carbondale Transcript and Lackawanna Journal 1851-1857 974 pages
The Citizen 1884 50 pages
The Critic 1879-1880 262 pages
Dundaff Republican 1828-1832 820 pages
The Evening Herald 1893-1895 3,278 pages
The Journal 1886-1888 424 pages
The Lackawanna Citizen 1845-1853 1,614 pages
The Miner 1972-1980 6,138 pages
Northern Pennsylvanian 1832-1837 1,105 pages
Northern Pennsylvanian and Advertiser 1837 100 pages
Northeastern Pennsylvania 1979-1981 242 pages
The Peckville Journal 1919 8 pages
Record of the Times (Wilkes-Barre) 1876-1897 6,771 pages
The Union Leader (Wilkes-Barre) 1877-1907 8,401 pages
The Wilkes-Barre Record 1881-1924 205,112 pages
The Wilkes-Barre Telephone 1880-1899 3,236 pages

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for the City of Scranton
Microfilm at the Albright Memorial Library
Birth Certificates: 1878-1905
Death Certificates: 1878-1905
FamilySearch.org
Record of deaths, 1878-1905, in the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania
Delayed births, 1780-1905, for Scranton, Pennsylvania
Birth records, 1878-1905, of the city of Scranton
Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for the City of Carbondale
Available at the Carbondale Public Library
Physician’s Certificate of Death and Undertaker Certificates (1890-1894, 1896, 1898-1902)
Return of a Death and Return of a Still-Birth Certificates (1890-1891, 1899-1901)
Return of a Birth Certificates (1900, 1906)
Death Certificates (1906-1912)
Return of a Marriage (1903, 1911)
Birth Certificates (1910-1912)

Albright Memorial Library Collection:
This collection is made up of books, and also vertical files about local history. The books and vertical files are cataloged on our website. They contain information about people, places, businesses etc. The Vertical File collection is quite extensive. We have an index available that shows what we have in the vertical files, and new files are added regularly. These files contain clippings, copies, and pamphlets from different businesses, people ect.  We also have a biography, and photo index that is quite useful. The Biographical Index includes names and page numbers of all the people mentioned in the books listed below.  It is a useful tool when searching for genealogy, or for projects about important people who lived in the Lackawanna County area in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s.

Browse the full collection via our online catalog. Click here to access the full collection.

*These texts are in delicate condition.  Some have special copies you may photocopy from, but most don’t.  We ask that you use a digital camera for your copy of the resource.*

Carbondale Public Library Collection:
The Alice Ahern Lynady Room houses the Carbondale Public Library’s Genealogy and Local History Collections. The collections contain materials that are related to the people, history, and development of the Greater Carbondale Area. The materials in the collections include microfilmed city newspapers dating back into the early 1800s, Carbondale City Directories, local history books, and historical documents pertaining to the local area. The library also has access to online databases such as Newspapers.com (local papers only), AncestryLibrary.com, and the Lackawanna County Digital Archives.

Click here for a full list of the collection and services are available.

The Lackawanna Valley Digital Archives is a wealth of local information accessible online.  Visit today at http://www.lackawannadigitalarchives.org/ 

AncestryLibrary Edition (In Library Use Only)
Heritage Quest Online
FamilySearch.org
Record of deaths, 1878-1905, in the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania
Delayed births, 1780-1905, for Scranton, Pennsylvania
Birth records, 1878-1905, of the city of Scranton
Historical-Data.com
Duryea: http://www.duryeapa.com