Researching In Lycoming County PA

Researching In Lycoming County PA

Lycoming County was established on April 13, 1795, from Northumberland County. The county was named for the Lycoming Creek, itself named for the Lenape word iacomic meaning "great steam" 

Outline Map from History of Lycoming County by Meginness H, 1892 

To Visit
Of all the genealogy rooms/historical societies in our area, Lycoming County is my favorite.  In no small part because they have the will books there, no need to visit the court house for old wills.  But they also have a great staff, a great index, and a lot of family history books.   The genealogical society is in the back of the Taber House Museum.  Go to the desk and tell them you'd like to visit the genealogy room, there's a book to sign in, and they will direct you to the back.  You can go to the website and see the resources they have, to plan out your trip before you go: http://www.lycominglineage.org/

As incredible as the Lycoming County Genealogical Society is, don't skip a visit to the James V. Brown Library.  They have a genealogy room as well, with many great books and resources, including family histories and maps, that are not at the genealogy society.  Be prepared - the room is locked.  To be left in, go to the desk, present your drivers license, and they will unlock the room and let you in.  http://jvbrown.edu/genealogy/

On Facebook:

The Lycoming County History Collective is a great facebook page that shares historical photos and events from Lycoming County PA - 

https://www.facebook.com/thehistorycollectivelycomingcounty/timeline

The Lycoming County Historical Society and Taber House Musuem facebook page - they have some great events here - 

https://www.facebook.com/LycomingCountyHistoricalSociety?fref=ts

(The genealogical society is housed in the rear of this building as well)

The Lycoming County Genealogy Group on Facebook - 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/561849570554886/?fref=ts

Cemeteries:

"EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA !!
We have thousands of cemetery photos.
We have photographs of every readable stone in the all of Lycoming County except:
Muncy Cemetery, and a few up in the mountains that are very hard to reach!!!!
We also have Gregg Township in Union County, as it once was part of Lycoming County. This includes Alvira, Matthew Brown Plot, Pine Knot Lutheran and Washington Presbyterian.
Only a $1 donation for each by email.  
Click here for more information." - http://www.lycominglineage.org/

On Find A Grave:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=csr&CScnty=2281
   TIP - Click on the Maps tab, and see where the cemetery is located.  Use the gps numbers, removing the words longitude and latitude, paste them into a google map and get driving directions to the cemetery.  And if you have a smartphone, check out the find a grave app, which is great for adding photos to entries while in the cemetery.

Will & Orphans Courts Records - 

"Newest additions - Orphans Court Docket Index and Will Book Index. We have copies of these books in our library. Go to the Resources page to access the index. We will scan and send you a copy for only $1 each. To pay, just use the donation button" - http://www.lycominglineage.org/

Church Records:

Methodist Church Williamsport, Circuit Station

http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/lycoming/church/wmsptmeckt.txt

Land Records

"If your ancestor was actually a first landowner in the county, purchasing his or her property from the colony or state of Pennsylvania, further information about these tracts may be gleaned from the Warrant Register and Patent Register on file at the Pennsylvania Archives in Harrisburg and available on CD from Ancestor Tracks. If your ancestor settled before Lycoming Co. was created in 1796, check in the Northumberland County registers which are also included on these CDs. The earliest land warrants were filed under the county as it existed at the time the warrant was issued. Keep in mind that all sales of land after the state or colony transferred ownership to private individuals are recorded at the county courthouse."

http://ancestortracks.com/LycomingCountyAtlas,1873.html

Plotts' Williamsport city directory, 1870-71 together with a business directory of Beech Creek, Beechwood, Bellefonte ... and Wilcox : to which is prefixed an introductory of useful information, including the rates for postage and internal revenue http://collection1.libraries.psu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/digitalbks2/id/19022

Township Timelines:

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/townships.html

Often when we see our ancestors in different townships in the census, it is not because our ancestors moved, but the township lines may have.

Military Records:
Revolutionary War Pensioners from the 1840 census -
http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/lycoming/census/1840vetpen01.txt

1890 Veterans Schedules
http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8667&cj=1&sid=Census&netid=cj&o_xid=0002159160&o_lid=0002159160&o_sch=Affiliate+External

Lycoming County PA Military Casualties
    Korean & Vietnam Wars
   http://www.genealogytrails.com/penn/lycoming/military/deaths.htm
  WWII Dead & Missing
  http://www.genealogytrails.com/penn/lycoming/military/WWII_casualties.htm
  Civil War 3 months Service Soldiers
  http://www.genealogytrails.com/penn/lycoming/military/3monthmen.htm
 Civil War 3 Year Service
  http://www.genealogytrails.com/penn/lycoming/military/3yr_records.html
1883 Pensioners on Roll
 http://www.genealogytrails.com/penn/lycoming/military/1883pensioners.html

History Books

History Of Lycoming County By Colonel Thomas W. Lloyd Secretary of the Lycoming Historical Society http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~foulkrod/lloyd/LloydTOC.htm

History of Lycoming County by John F. Meginness

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~foulkrod/lloyd/LloydTOC.htm

Surname Websites:

List of Surname books at the Lycoming County Genealogical Society - 
http://www.lycominglineage.org/Brubaker.pdf

Lycoming County Bios - Mainly from the  book The History Of Lycoming County
http://oldbios.com/tags/lycoming-co-pa

Lycoming County Websites:

• http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/   A few years of the lycoming gazette are archived here, I am checking to see if these are also on newspapers.com 

• http://usgwarchives.net/pa/lycomip.html There is quite the assortment of documents here.  Census indexes (no ancestry subscription needed), some cemetery listings, some family histories...  

• http://genforum.genealogy.com/pa/lycoming/ Genforum is a genealogy message board.  The link above will take you to the Lycoming County message board.  There's a search function to search the posts.

• http://www.lycominglineage.org/resources.htm Resource page for the Lycoming County Genealogical Society.  Obits, Will index, and so much more.

• http://www.bloominggrovehistoricalsociety.org/2543.html Blooming Grove Historical Society
• http://www.muncyhistoricalsociety.org/ - Muncy Historical Society

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Surnames I Am Researching In Lyoming County:
=========================================
Heather's  Lines
Endy/Ande
Barto
Henry Forney
Jacob Confer

Dan's  Lines:
Ritter
Berger
Aunkst

Henry Forney, Zebedee Ritter
Samuel Ritter 1799-1882
Johannes Philip Endy 1760-1842

Much of my Lycoming County Research is for my stepfathers line, and can be found on my "NOT Heather's Genealogy blog"- I like to keep my genealogy separate because it's less confusing, but I have done a lot of work on lines that are not actually mine.

His Paternal Lines
The Lewis Family - from England to Sullivan County to Lycoming County
Peter Arp & Anna Loudenslager - Born in Lycoming County PA
Brown Family - Came from England to Sullivan County, then Lycoming County
The Henry Family 
The Zeigler Family

His Maternal Lines
Schmoel Family
James Williamson - thought to have come from Wales, to Philadelphia, to Lycoming County