Search billions of records on Ancestry.com
   

 

This website best viewed with Internet Explorer Browser

top

Introduction

Researching by Surname

Ancestral Gen-Sites

Researching by Location

Gen Tool-Kit

Website Resources

Image Gallery

About This Webpage

 

 

     Northampton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its county seat is Easton.  Northampton County is located in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, while the northern edge borders on the Poconos. The eastern section of the county borders the Delaware River, which divides Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

Created on March 11, 1752 from parts of Bucks County and named for Northamptonshire, England, where Thomas Penn’s father-in-law, the Earl of Pomfret, lived. Easton, the county seat was named for the Earl’s estate. It was incorporated as a borough on September 23, 1789 and became a city on November 2, 1886. The county adopted a home rule charter in April 1976.

Pennsylvania’s Walking Purchase from the Delaware Indians in 1737 included all the present area of this county. Moravians settled in 1740 at Nazareth and in 1741 at Bethlehem. Fries’ Rebellion against a federal tax on windows occurred here. Until 1800 Northampton was the entire northeastern section of Pennsylvania. In 1812 the creation of Lehigh County divided the Lehigh Valley, and Northampton continued to yield land until the formation of Carbon County in 1843. German farmers from Bucks County and Perkiomen Valley, as well as Scots-Irish from New Castle, were the first settler groups.

     Counties that lie adjacent to Northampton are: Monroe County (north); Warren County, New Jersey (east); Bucks County (south); Lehigh County (west); and Carbon County (northwest). 

Researching by surname

The following are names of persons, found within our databases as having been either born, married or died in this location. Names in dark red denote direct ancestral lines. To find out more about each surname listed click on the corresponding Link.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families  (MMPS)

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families (BPQR)

 

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families  (DKPS)

ABEL;   BOYER;   REINHARD;  WAMBOLD

Click on this link to find out more about each surname listed above as well as other surnames found within our three family databases.

This link will also lead you to surname resources at Rootsweb, and information about the world-wide distribution of a surname.

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches  using tips or "tricks"

that will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about  this  or  any  other  Surname. 

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of any surname. 

You can get greater detail for any of the maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

ancestral gen-sites

Family History Notes

Map of the County

Gen-Site Profiles

     Out 6th great-grandmother Maria Catherine Beyer (Boyer) was born 1734 in Germany.  She married George Abel in 1765.  She and George lived in Lower Windsor Township, York County, Pennsylvania.  Here they produced at least eleven children between 1769 and 1785.  George died in 1785 soon after his son Jacob was born.  The widowed Maria Catherine then married Joshua Dellinger around 1794.  After the death of Joshua in 1826 the now elderly Maria Catherine left York County and moved to Northampton County to live with her youngest son the aforementioned Jacob.    Maria Catherine Boyer died 15 Oct 1829 in Easton, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, at the age of 95 years.

     Our 7th great-grandmother Anna Elizabeth Wambold was born 1693 in the village of Pfungstadt, now located within Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hessen, Germany.   She first married Arnold Rinehard in 1715.  From this union five children were produced between 1716 and 1725 one being my 6th great-grandfather Valentine Reinhard, Sr..  After the death of her husband Arnold, in 1727, Anna Elizabeth married a second time to Valentine Steinmetz.   She and Valentine Steinmetz immigrated to America in 1737 along with several of their children.  Subsequent to their arrival in Philadelphia, they moved north to Bucks County.  They eventually settled in that area of that county that fell within the boundaries of Northampton County from 1752 until 1812 and now lies within the boundaries of Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County.

Map of the county

The in the map designates the location of the seat of government for this county.   designate seats of government in adjacent counties.   A shows the location of identified ancestral Gen-Site(s). 

from the keyboard you can increase or decrease the zoom value in 10% increments.

To zoom , press  and the   button. To zoom , press  and the   button.  To restore the zoom to 100%, press  and the  button.

Gen-site profiles

Easton;   Upper Saucon Township

Easton

LOCATION:  Country: United States;  State: Pennsylvania;   County: Northampton;   Place: Easton;  Coordinates/Map: 40° 41′ 18″ N, 75° 12′ 59″ W

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE: The Lenape Native Americans originally referred the area as "Lechauwitank", or "The Place at the Forks". The site of the future city was part of the land obtained from the Delawares by the Walking Purchase.   Thomas Penn set aside a 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) tract of land at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delware rivers for a town. Easton was settled by Europeans in 1739 and founded in 1752, and was so named at the request of Penn; he had recently married Juliana Fermor, the daughter of Lord Pomfret whose estate was called Easton Neston, near Towcester, Northamptonshire, England. As Northampton County was being formed at this time, Easton was selected as its county seat.  Easton was a major commercial center during the canal and railroad periods of the 1800s, when it was a transportation hub for the steel industry.

The Peace Candle is a tower-like structure erected every Christmas season in Easton.

Click on photo for larger image

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: Maria Catherine Beyer (Boyer) died 15 Oct 1829 in Easton, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania,  See Family History Notes above.  

INTERNET WEB LINK(S):  Easton Official Web Site;   Easton travel guide;  

Upper Saucon Township

LOCATION:  Country: United States;  State: Pennsylvania;   County: Lehigh (Northampton (1752-1811);   Place: Upper Saucon Township; Coordinates/Map: 40° 29′ 30″ N, 75° 24′ 59″ W

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE: Upper Saucon Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.  This area began to be settled in 1732.  The earliest European settlers were primarily of German, English and Welsh descent.  By 1743 these immigrants formally organized Saucon township as a part of Bucks county.   In 1752 Saucon Township became a part of Northampton County.    Saucon was divided into Lower and Upper Saucon townships in 1753 and both remained within Northampton County until 1812 when Upper Saucon  became a part of the newly formed Lehigh County. 

1876 property map

 of Upper Saucon Township

Click on photo for larger image

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: Anna Elizabeth Wambold died here in after 1750 when Upper Saucon Township was a part of Northampton County.  Thus any record of her death would be in that county.    See Family History Notes above.  

 

INTERNET WEB LINK(S): Welcome to Upper Saucon Township;  Lehigh Valley History - Upper Saucon Twp.;  Histopolis.com – Upper Saucon Twp.;  St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran,  Records 1750-1764;

populated places

Gazetteer of Places

 in This County

Changes of County Boundaries

Link to State-Wide Resources

Where in the World

are My Ancestors?

gazetteer

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestor’s birth, marriage, death dates and the place(s) within this locality at which these events may have occurred.

 

Profiles for  194 cities, towns and other populated places in Northampton County

Map of Northampton County Pennsylvania

Northampton County Physical, Cultural & Historic Features

Northampton County ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Northampton County Land - Property, Farms & Ranches

 

Northampton County, PA, United States

Details | Resources | Townships, Boroughs and Cities

| Cities | Cemeteries

Links To Populated Places Within This County

Cities

·         Easton

 

Boroughs

·         Wind Gap

Townships

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

 

Find Physical Features* Within This County

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales, Schools,

Military Installations;  Populated Places, Post Offices, Streams, and Trails

County boundary changes

     Conducting genealogical research in the United States requires an understanding of county boundaries.  As the population grew more counties were created to meet the public’s need for localized governments.  This phenomena was common in all states during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  As such you must be sure that you are not looking for records in the wrong county or state. 

     The web-site for the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project provides interactive maps for all states. This Atlas is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like Land Records, Probate Records, Court Records, Tax Records, and Vital Records that document birth, death, and marriage.   Listed below are the boundary changes for this county, the dates they occurred, as well as the government statute that decreed the change.  To see actual changes in a mapping format follow this LINK to the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project .

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY: Map(s) and descriptions of Historical Boundary Changes

Click on thumbnail buttons for Map images

1

 11 Mar 1752 - NORTHAMPTON created from BUCKS and Non-County Area 1.

2

21 Mar 1772 - NORTHAMPTON lost to the creation of NORTHUMBERLAND.

12 Jan 1774 - NORTHAMPTON overlapped by LITCHFIELD (Conn.) when Connecticut asserted its charter claim to northeastern PA.

10 Oct 1776 - NORTHAMPTON overlapped by WESTMORELAND (Conn.), which replaced LITCHFIELD (Conn.).

30 Dec 1782 - NORTHAMPTON's overlap by WESTMORELAND (Conn.) ended when Congress ruled in favor of PA’s claim to area.

17 Apr 1795 - Boundary between NORTHAMPTON and LUZERNE clarified [no change].

3

21 Mar 1798 - NORTHAMPTON lost to the creation of WAYNE.

4

 01 Mar 1811 - NORTHAMPTON lost to the creation of SCHUYLKILL.

5

06 Mar 1812 -NORTHAMPTON lost to the creation of LEHIGH.

6

01 Sep 1836 - NORTHAMPTON lost to the creation of MONROE.

7

01 Sep 1843 - NORTHAMPTON lost to the creation of CARBON.

Use this link to find more resources regarding the

historical changes of county boundaries in all 50 U.S. States.

State-Wide Resources

For more information about the U.S. State in which this county is located  click  on  these  LINKS:

 

Where in the world

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names.

This LINK will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and other helpful  resources  that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations. 

 

gen tool-kit

Our “Gen-Tool Kit” has been primarily designed for those researchers who may be traveling to this location to perform on-site studies of their family history, or to just visit some of the interesting historical sites located in the area.  It can be very satisfying to mix research with sightseeing at historical and scenic spots.  Such activity not only gives you an understanding of the land but a needed break from intense research sessions.  When visiting an ancestral county for genealogical research we’ve found that the three most important places to visit are the county courthouse; the county library; and the county historical and/or genealogical societies.  It is also good to plan ahead by contacting any site you intend visiting in order to ascertain where it is and when it will be open.  This is especially true with regard to historical and genealogical societies.  We hope that the following information will provide you with a better idea of what resources are available, within this county, to the family historian.

Cemeteries

County History

Libraries, Museums

& Archives

Maps and Gazetteers

 County Records

Societies

(History & Genealogical)

 

Cemeteries

·         Bethlehem Cemetery Photos

·         Cemeteries of Northampton County

·         Lehigh Valley Cemeteries

·         Northampton County Cemetery Transcription & Photo Project

·         Northampton County Cemeteries

·         Northampton County Cemeteries USGenWeb Archives

·         Northampton County Cemetery List

·         Northampton County Cemetery Registration

·         Northampton County Pennsylvania Cemeteries

·         Northampton County Tombstone Photos

·         Northampton Co., PA Cemetery Listing and Transcriptions

·         Pennsylvania Gravestone Photo Project

·         Raubsville Cemetery, Williams Twp.

 

History

National Register of Historic Places listings in Northampton County, Pennsylvania

·         Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor

·         Northampton County Wikipedia

·         Northampton County Signs of History

·         Northampton County Area History

·         Northampton County Bibliography

·         Northampton County Historical Markers

·         Northampton County Historical Sketch

·         Northampton County History

·         Northampton County History - PA Historical & Museum Commission

·         Allen Township History

·         Allen 1876 History

·         Bangor 1876

·         Bath 1876

·         Bethlehem 1876

·         History of Bethlehem

·         Bethlehem Online History

·         Bethlehem Township History

·         Bushkill Pennsylvania, 1876

·         East Allen Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Easton Pennsylvania, 1876

·         The Centenary of the City of Easton

·         Historic Easton From the Window of a Trolley Car

·         Forks Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Forks Township History

·         Freemansburg Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Borough of Freemansburg History

·         Glendon Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Hanover Township About us

·         Hanover Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Hellertown Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Kreidersville Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Lower Mount Bethel Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Lower Nazareth Pennsylvania, 187

·         Lower Saucon Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Lower Saucon Township Historical Sketch

·         Moore Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Nazareth National Historic District

·         Historic Nazareth

·         Palmer Pennsylvania, 1876

·         The History of Palmer Township

·         Plainfield Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Siegfried's Bridge Pennsylvania, 1876

·         South Easton Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Upper Nazareth Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Washington Pennsylvania, 1876

·         History of Washington Twp., Northampton Co., PA

·         Williams Pennsylvania, 1876

·         Williams Township

Libaries, Museums, Archives

·         1776 Frace Cabin of Forks Township 

·         Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum

·         Bethlehem Room  Bethlehem Area Public Library

·         Easton Area Public Library Marx Room

·         Family History Library Holdings

·         Heller Homestead  Lower Saucon Twp.

·         Moravian Archive Bethlehem 

·         Moravian Museum  Bethlehem

·         National Canal Museum 

·         Northampton County Archives Division 

·         Northampton County Libraries

·         PERiodical Source Index Search  Northampton Co., PA

·         USGenWeb Archives 

Maps and Gazetteers

·         Aero view of Bangor, Pennsylvania 1918

·         Aero view of Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania 1916

·         Bethlehem and South Bethlehem, Pa. c1877

·         Easton, Pa. and Phillipsburg, N.J. c1900

·         Lehigh and Northampton Counties 1958 - Waters - Highway

·         Northampton County 1895 U.S. Atlas

·         Northampton County 1874

·         Northampton County Gazetteer

·         Northampton County Land Ownership Atlas 1874 ($)

·         Northampton County Landowner Map 1860

·         Northampton County Post Offices

·         Northampton County Post Offices 1846

·         Northampton County Topo Maps and Aerial Photos

·         Northampton County, 1874  ($)

·         Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Lehigh counties 1872

·         Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania 1894

·         Quad List of Bangor, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Belfast, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of East Allen, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Easton, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Hellertown, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Lower Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Lower Nazareth, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Lower Saucon, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Miller, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Nazareth, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Northampton, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Richmond, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Steuben, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Tatamy, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Upper Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Upper Nazareth, Pennsylvania

·         Quad List of Walnutport, Pennsylvania

County Records

·         Northampton County Register of Wills/ Orphan's Court Clerk has Marriage Records from 1752 and Probate Records from 1752 and is located at Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington Streets, Easton, PA 18042; (610) 559-3094.

  • Northampton County Recorder of Deeds has Land Records from 1752 and is located at Northampton County Courthouse, 669 Washington Streets, Easton, PA 18042; (610) 559-3094.

·         Northampton County Prothonotary / Clerk of Courts has Court Records from 1752 and is located at Northampton County Government Center, 669 Washington Street, Easton, PA 18042; 610-559-6701.