Luzerne County Death Records and Vital Files

Luzerne County death records stand out across Pennsylvania for one key reason: the county began keeping formal registration records in 1890, several years before most other counties started. That early start gives researchers a longer local record base than they will find almost anywhere else in the state. The county seat of Wilkes-Barre sits in the heart of the Wyoming Valley, an anthracite coal region whose population boomed in the late 1800s. That growth drove record-keeping needs early, and those records have been maintained at the county courthouse ever since. Researchers tracing families in Luzerne County benefit from both the depth of the local collection and the statewide resources available through Pennsylvania's Division of Vital Records.

Luzerne County Death Records: What the County Holds

The Registrar of Wills at the Luzerne County Courthouse holds birth and death records that begin in 1890. This is earlier than most Pennsylvania counties, which typically started their local registration in 1893. That three-year difference matters when you are searching for someone who died in the early 1890s and would otherwise find no local record.

The county also holds marriage records starting from 1885 and probate records going back to 1786. Probate files are valuable for death research because they name the deceased, list surviving heirs, and often note a date of death. Taken together, these overlapping record types create a rich research environment for the late 1800s and early 1900s.

After 1906, death records were captured by the Pennsylvania statewide system. Certificates from 1906 onward are managed by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records in New Castle. For records from 1890 to 1905, the Luzerne County courthouse is your starting point.

Note: Luzerne County's death records beginning in 1890 make it one of a small group of Pennsylvania counties with pre-1893 local registration.

Finding Luzerne Death Records Through the State

Pennsylvania's statewide vital records program began on January 1, 1906. From that date forward, all death certificates in Luzerne County were filed with the state as well as locally. The Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records is the official custodian of these statewide certificates.

You can order certified copies of death certificates by mail or online. The mailing address for the Division of Vital Records is P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103-1528. The phone number is (724) 656-3100. Online orders go through mycertificates.health.pa.gov. Third-party ordering is also available through VitalChek.

Certified copies are used for legal and administrative purposes. Genealogical copies, which are uncertified but contain the same information, are available for deaths that occurred more than 50 years ago. The fee for a certified copy is $20.

Searching Luzerne County Records for Genealogy

The Wyoming Valley's coal industry drew tens of thousands of immigrants from Wales, Ireland, Poland, and other parts of Europe in the late 1800s. Many of those families settled permanently in Luzerne County. Tracing their deaths through local records often requires checking both the county files and church registers, since many immigrants were buried through Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox parishes that kept their own records.

The Pennsylvania State Archives holds vital statistics records that complement what is at the courthouse. For deaths before formal registration, newspaper death notices and obituaries from Wilkes-Barre papers are a useful supplement. Local libraries and historical societies often hold microfilm copies of these papers going back into the 1800s.

FamilySearch has digitized a portion of Pennsylvania's early vital records and made them searchable online at no cost. Their Pennsylvania collection includes some Luzerne County entries from the registration period.

Note: Church baptism and burial records often predate civil registration in Luzerne County and can fill gaps in the official record set.

Luzerne County Records at the Pennsylvania State Archives

The Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg maintains indexes and microfilm copies of many county-level vital records. Researchers who cannot visit Wilkes-Barre in person can sometimes access Luzerne County death data through the archives' online tools or by submitting a research request.

The archives' Ancestry PA project has placed some Pennsylvania vital records collections on Ancestry.com, allowing access through that platform's subscriber database. The Ancestry PA portal explains which collections are available and how to access them.

For deaths after 1906, the state archives also holds death certificate indexes that can help you confirm a record exists before you order a certified copy from the Division of Vital Records.

What Luzerne Death Certificates Contain

Death certificates from the early registration period in Luzerne County typically list the name of the deceased, the date and place of death, the cause of death, and the name of the attending physician or coroner. Later certificates add more detail, including the birthplace of the deceased and the names and birthplaces of both parents.

This parental information is especially useful for immigrant families. Knowing that a father was born in a specific region of Poland or Wales, for example, can open entirely new lines of research in foreign records. Many Luzerne County families have this kind of cross-border documentation available once the right death certificate is found.

Informant information is also recorded on most certificates after about 1915. The informant was often a surviving spouse or child. That name can become another research lead when you are tracing multiple generations of a family.

Note: The quality and completeness of early death certificates varies. Records from the 1890s sometimes lack informant names or parental birthplaces that later records routinely include.

Death Records Access: Online and In Person

For deaths after 50 years, Pennsylvania law allows researchers to obtain genealogical copies without proof of relationship. More recent deaths require documentation showing you are a qualified applicant such as a spouse, child, parent, or legal representative.

Online access to older Luzerne County death records is available through FamilySearch at no cost. Ancestry.com also holds some Pennsylvania records through the Ancestry PA partnership. These digital resources cover portions of the pre-1906 period and can confirm names and dates before you contact the courthouse directly.

For current certified copies needed for legal matters, online ordering through the state's portal at mycertificates.health.pa.gov is the fastest route. Processing times vary by season and request volume.

The CDC's guide to Pennsylvania vital records provides a federal-level summary of how to obtain death certificates in the state, including contact information and procedures for both recent and historical records.

Nearby Counties

Researchers often need to check neighboring counties when family members moved or when records are incomplete. The counties surrounding Luzerne include several with their own strong record collections.

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