HISTORY
AND GENEALOGY
INDEX PAGE
A website for free online access
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.
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
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
A good place to start in
understanding Carbon County
Boroughs
and Townships of Carbon County
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
From the research of Charlotte Ronemus
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.
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.
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
a b
Below
are links to other web sites concerned with Carbon County.
Definitely one of the “Crown Jewels” of Carbon
County,
visit the
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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!
to visit this page since August 2001
This web site was constructed using Microsoft software and checked with
Internet Explorer.
Web
page, text and research by
2001