Wyoming County Death Records

Wyoming County was created in 1842 from Luzerne County. Tunkhannock is the county seat, a small borough on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania. Death records at the county level cover 1893 through 1905, and probate records date from 1842, the year the county was formed. One notable feature of Wyoming County's record collections is that the wills index going back to 1842 is accessible online through the county, allowing researchers to search nearly 160 years of probate records from home. The Wyoming County Historical Society also maintains death records, delayed birth certificates, and marriage records that supplement the official county collections.

Wyoming County Death Records at the Register and Recorder

The Wyoming County Register and Recorder maintains historical vital records and probate files for the county. Death and birth registrations from 1893 through 1905 are on file at the courthouse in Tunkhannock. Marriage records go back to 1885. Probate records date from 1842, the year the county was established. The wills index covering 1842 through 1999 is available online through the county, making it possible to search more than 150 years of probate records without visiting Tunkhannock or submitting a written request.

Having an online wills index going back to 1842 is an unusual and valuable feature for Wyoming County researchers. Most Pennsylvania counties require in-person visits or written requests to access historical probate indexes, so the online availability of Wyoming County's wills index gives researchers a significant head start in locating estate files related to a death. Once an entry is found in the index, the full file can be requested from the courthouse. This combination of online search capability and in-person document access makes Wyoming County particularly researcher-friendly compared to many other small Pennsylvania counties.

Note: Wyoming County's online wills index covering 1842 to 1999 gives researchers direct access to a searchable probate record database that most Pennsylvania counties do not offer online.

Wyoming County Historical Society Death Records

The Wyoming County Historical Society at pawchs.org maintains collections that extend and supplement the official county records. The Society holds birth and death records from 1893 through 1906, Delayed Birth certificates for births from 1872 through 1906, marriage records from 1885 through 1906, and wills from 1842 through 1908. The Delayed Birth records covering births from 1872 are particularly valuable because they provide documentation for individuals born in Wyoming County before the start of formal birth registration in 1893.

Having the Historical Society hold wills from 1842 through 1908 means that researchers have two sources for early probate records: the county's online wills index and the Society's physical collection. These two collections may contain overlapping and complementary information, and checking both is worthwhile for any research on Wyoming County deaths from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Society's collections are accessible to researchers and can be a useful alternative when county offices are closed or when a more detailed search is needed beyond what the online index provides.

The image below is from the Wyoming County Historical Society website, which describes its death records, delayed birth certificates, and genealogy collections for research in Tunkhannock.

Wyoming County Historical Society holds death records 1893 to 1906, delayed births 1872 to 1906, and wills 1842 to 1908 for Wyoming County genealogy research.

The Society's delayed birth records from 1872 and wills from 1842 provide documentary coverage that complements the official county registration records.

Wyoming County Government Death Records Online

The Wyoming County government website provides information about county offices and current record access procedures. The county's online wills index is one of the more notable features for researchers, offering searchable access to probate records going back to 1842. Accessing the wills index through the county website is the recommended starting point for any research on Wyoming County deaths from the nineteenth century, since the index can confirm whether an estate was probated and provide the volume and page reference needed to request the full file.

The county website also provides contact information for the Register and Recorder's office, which handles requests for historical vital records. Confirming current hours and procedures before submitting a written request can save time and ensure that your request is directed to the right office.

The image below is from the Wyoming County government website, which provides access to the online wills index and information about the Register and Recorder's historical records collections.

Wyoming County government website provides access to the online wills index covering 1842 to 1999 and contact information for the Register and Recorder's office in Tunkhannock.

The online wills index is a practical tool for Wyoming County death records research and can be searched at no charge through the county's website.

Pennsylvania State Death Certificates for Wyoming County

Deaths in Wyoming County from 1906 forward are documented by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. Certified copies cost $20 each. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. Phone orders are placed at (724) 656-3100. Online ordering is available through the MyCertificates portal or through VitalChek.

The Pennsylvania State Archives holds Wyoming County death certificates from 1906 through 1975. The online death indices allow researchers to search by name at no charge. Pennsylvania residents can access Ancestry free through the State Archives program.

Wyoming County Delayed Birth Certificates and Death Research

The Wyoming County Historical Society's collection of Delayed Birth certificates covering births from 1872 through 1906 is a useful tool for death records research even though it focuses on births. Delayed birth certificates were created when individuals needed proof of birth for legal purposes, typically late in life. Knowing someone's birth year and birth location helps researchers narrow down which death record to search for when the individual's death is not yet documented. A delayed birth certificate for a 1880 birth in Wyoming County, for example, would help a researcher focus a death records search on the person's likely death decade.

Delayed birth certificates often contain information gathered from family members or church records, including the names of parents, the name of the township where the birth occurred, and sometimes the names of witnesses to the birth. This family information can help researchers build a more complete family tree and identify other relatives whose death records may also need to be located.

Wyoming County was created in 1842 from Luzerne County. Research on families in this area before that date should focus on Luzerne County records, which hold the earlier vital and probate documentation for the region.

Nearby Counties

Wyoming County borders several northeastern Pennsylvania counties. Families in this region often had records spread across multiple county archives.

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