CARBON COUNTY 

PENNSYLVANIA

HISTORY AND GENEALOGY

INDEX PAGE

A website for free online access to the history and genealogy of 

Carbon County, Pennsylvania

Carbon Co. Pa. is located in the eastern part of the state, about half way between the cities of Allentown and Wilkes Barre.  It was one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution in America; its rich deposits of anthracite coal sparked that revolution and are still fueling American industry today.

 

Updated July 4, 2015

 

Previously updated in the spring of 2013, I had big plans for adding things to the website at that time.  Unfortunately, life has a way of interfering with the plans we make (to paraphrase John Lennon ).  The site hasn’t been completely static since 2013, small additions, corrections and updates have been made, especially with the cemetery records.  Hopefully, I’ll get more things online in the days, weeks and months to come.

 

 

Recent additions to the site:

 

·       The Mauch Chunk Chronicles: Original stories of local history

 

 

And check the links below to other Carbon Co. related sites

 

 

 

Formed in 1843 from Northampton and Monroe Co., Carbon at that time consisted of the townships of 

Ø Towamensing

Ø Mahoning

Ø East Penn 

Ø Penn Forest

Ø Mauch Chunk

Ø Lausanne

Ø Banks

 

There were no incorporated boroughs in the county at that time.  The townships of Kidder, Packer, Lower Towamensing and Lehigh were formed after the creation of the county.

 

                                                    

A good place to start in understanding Carbon County

Boroughs and Townships of Carbon County

A brief guide to when they were created

 

 

Beers’ 1875 Atlas of Carbon County

Besides the maps, the site includes the list of property owners and their addresses.

 

Carbon County Courthouse Records

Immigration & Naturalization Records

          Some Irish, German, English, Welsh & Scottish immigrants

 

          Marriage Records

          From the research of Charlotte Ronemus

 

The Cemeteries of Carbon County

Many cemeteries in Carbon County are fully recorded and online.  Also, several partial listings of burials from other cemeteries are included.   

 

The Churches of Carbon County

Ø The First Presbyterian Church of Mauch Chunk

 

Ø The First Presbyterian Church of Summit Hill

 

Ø The First Presbyterian Church of Lansford – Original Trustees & Charter Members

 

Ø Meed’s Methodist Episcopal / United Methodist Church of Nesquehoning

 

Ø St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church of Mauch Chunk

Marriage records from 1860 to 1925 now online with more records to come

Baptisms from 1860 to 1925

Ministers from 1830 to 1920

Church history

 

ØSt. John’s Union Church of Towamensing Twp. Baptismal Records

This site has been around for a while at different URLs.  I don’t know who did all the work of transcribing this, but it is a wonderful resource for the early families of lower Carbon County.

 

Who was WHO in Carbon County

            Some original biographies, covering people who haven’t been covered before.

 

 

Mauch Chunk Chronicles

Some original historical tales of old Mauch Chunk and Carbon County (coming soon)

 

Mathews & Hungerford’s 1884 "History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon"

The histories of the boroughs and townships, plus biographies of prominent people and other chapters on Carbon County history are now completed and online.  Some chapters and biographies on Lehigh County have also been added.  Many thanks to those who have helped with the transcription!

Newspaper News  

Marriage and obit extracts taken from the first 23 years of Mauch Chunk newspapers, starting with mid 1829 up to and including 1850.

The Free Bridge Meetings of 1841

Following the flood, a fight to keep the new bridges free of tolls.  Meetings held in Mauch Chunk and Towamensing Twps., a list of over 100 leading citizens.

Rupp’s 1845 Subscriber List

This 1845 “History of Northampton, Lehigh, Monroe, Carbon & Schuylkill Counties” has a long list of subscribers from the various counties.  This is a list of those subscribers from Carbon County.

 

1836 Voter List for Mauch Chunk Twp.

          A list of those who voted in the 1836 Presidential Election

 

Camp Correspondence

        Letters home from local soldiers

 

 

 

 

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Below are links to other web sites concerned with Carbon County.

 

Definitely one of the “Crown Jewels” of Carbon County,

visit the

Asa Packer Mansion Museum

 

From the 1820s until after the Civil War there was a flood of immigrants from Bann Valley of Co. Derry, Ireland to Carbon County, settling mainly in Mauch Chunk and Summit Hill.  Many of these Scotch-Irish names can be found in the Immigration and Naturalization records shown elsewhere in this site.  The majority of these immigrants came from the Parish of Dunboe near the city of Coleraine.    Check this transcription of the 1831 Dunboe census for your Scotch-Irish ancestors

 1831 Census of the Parish of Dunboe, Co. Derry, Ireland

 

  Tony Bennyhoff’s great site covering church records, tax records, and, best of all, his transcriptions of Lehighton’s Carbon Advocate newspaper

Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Uncovering Genealogical Sources

 

Three important sites for census research, these are transcribed from the actual census pages.  That means they are in text files, and download very fast (no waiting for images of the census page).  They are also completely indexed!

The 1850 Carbon County Census site

 

The 1860 Carbon County Census Site

 

The 1930 Carbon County Census Site

partially completed

 

Also see

The US GenWeb Census Project for Carbon Co., Pa.

For partial census transcriptions and info

 

Planning genealogical or historical research in Carbon County?  The Dimmick Library is the place to visit!  Resources include a complete collection of Carbon Federal censuses (1790 to 1930), plus a nearly complete set of Mauch Chunk newspapers on microfilm from 1829 to the present and The Valley Gazette (a local monthly paper devoted to the area’s history). In addition to this microfilm collection, there are many books pertaining to Carbon Co. History, plus a cheerful and helpful staff of experts!

Dimmick Memorial Library in Jim Thorpe

 

Dalice Fadden’s site, one of the busiest places on the Internet.  New info posted daily, includes biographies, obits, marriages and cemetery info.

Eastern Pa. Information Board

 

Will Brown’s treasure trove of photos includes other families connected to this old Mauch Chunk family.  Other families pictured include Esser, MacFarlane, Moore, Hutchinson, Swank, Bennett, Barber and others.  An absolute gem of early and pre-1900 photography.  Be sure to visit the

Hyndman Family Photo Album (with index)

 

The Society’s web page has been remodeled and improved.  Besides having some additional information pertaining to area history, you can find out what is happening at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, the society’s main venue

The Mauch Chunk Historical Society of Carbon County

 

For visitors to learn more on the history and culture of early Mauch Chunk and the industrial improvements of the area, the best place to visit is

Mauch Chunk Museum & Cultural Center

 

Here is a site with photos and a history of this historic borough.

Nesquehoning Home Page

 

Information on this old time “suburb” of Mauch Chunk, this village was founded shortly afterward Mauch Chunk and was inhabited for close to 80 years.

The Northern Liberties site

 

Panther Valley Coal miners among your family ancestry?  Take a look at this site devoted to the mines at Lansford

The No. 9 Mine & Museum Lansford, Pa.

 

One of the prime sources for doing genealogical research involves the complicated and time-consuming job of sending for Pa. State Death Certificates.  It used to be a difficult process getting access to them, but through Tim’s tireless work, the certificates are now available online!  But that wsa only the beginning, the work goes on, see what’s happening at

People for

Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access

(PaHR-Access)

 

Here are three sites where you can post queries about Carbon County.

GenForum’s Carbon County Query site

 

Cousin Connection.com Query Site

 

RootsWeb’s Carbon Co. Query site

 

A site full of local information and plenty of links.

The Carbon County GenWeb Page

 

The society promotes Summit Hill’s important place as one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution in America.  Join now!

Summit Hill Historical Society

 

Lee Mantz put this site together, which includes numerous photos Summit Hill and of the Switchback Railroad.  Lee was an author and dedicated local historian, past president of the Summit Hill Historical Society.  Tragically, he died in an accident while pursuing one of his passions – photography.

WWW.Summit-Hill.com

 

America’s first significant railroad and later our first roller coaster ride, the Switchback Gravity Railroad ran in a figure-8 over 18 miles and was a major tourist attraction for over a century.  Many early Chunkers were employed on the Switchback, used it for transportation, and rode it just for the sheer thrill of the ride.  Visit our site for information on preserving and protecting this important part of American Heritage.  Members needed!

The Switchback Gravity Railroad Foundation

 

 

The following sites cover present day articles and events in Jim Thorpe and Carbon County, including places to go, things to see, restaurants, local government, schools, etc.:

 

 

Read articles covering a wide range of topics relating to Carbon County on this website

Carbon County Magazine

 

These sites provide up to date information on the town formerly known as Mauch Chunk.  Check these sites for information on events, lodging, restaurants, local news and people, street maps and more!

Welcome To Jim Thorpe

 

Visit Jim Thorpe, Pa.

 

 

 

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Web page, text and research by

JACK STERLING

2001-2013