Luzerne County Death Records
Luzerne County death records from 1893 to 1905 are held at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Register of Deaths from 1893 to 1905 has been indexed and is searchable through multiple databases. Records include name, age, marital status, occupation, place of death, cause of death, and burial location. The PA State Archives holds microfilm copies of the original records. For deaths from 1906 onward, the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records in New Castle is the correct source. The State Archives death indices cover 1906 to 1975 at no charge.
Luzerne County Quick Facts
Luzerne County Death Index Records
The Luzerne County Register of Deaths from 1893 to 1905 has been indexed and is searchable through several databases. Each record in the collection includes the name of the deceased and their age at death. Marital status and occupation are recorded. The place of death and cause of death are both documented. Burial location is also noted, which can help researchers identify the cemetery where an ancestor is interred. This level of detail makes the Luzerne County death index a valuable resource for genealogy research in northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania State Archives holds microfilm copies of the original Luzerne County death records. Researchers who cannot visit the Wilkes-Barre courthouse can access the microfilm at the State Archives in Harrisburg or through interlibrary loan to a FamilySearch Family History Center. Contact the Luzerne County Courthouse directly for access to the original records, particularly for records that require certified copies or verification of specific details. The courthouse is in Wilkes-Barre and holds the original documents.
Luzerne County is one of northeastern Pennsylvania's largest and most historically significant counties. The anthracite coal industry dominated the county's economy throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. This industrial heritage shaped the county's population and death records, as many deaths resulted from mining accidents, occupational disease, and the diseases that spread through densely populated mining communities. Researching Luzerne County deaths often means working with records that document the hard realities of industrial-era Pennsylvania life.
Note: Deaths indexed in multiple databases for Luzerne County allow researchers to check more than one source before concluding that a specific record does not exist in the county collection.
Luzerne County Genealogy and Historical Records
Luzerne County attracted large waves of immigration in the 19th century. Welsh, Irish, and later Polish, Lithuanian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Italian workers came to mine anthracite coal in the Wyoming Valley. This diverse immigrant population means Luzerne County death records may involve individuals with varied ethnic backgrounds and surnames that changed spelling over time. The county's naturalization records, church records, and immigrant society files supplement the official death index for researchers tracing immigrant ancestors.
Church records in Luzerne County are especially important for pre-1893 death research and for filling gaps in official records. Catholic, Episcopal, Baptist, Welsh Congregational, and many other denominations maintained their own burial registers. Some of these registers have been transcribed and indexed by genealogical societies. The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society in Wilkes-Barre holds an extensive collection of county records, family histories, and local history publications that are valuable for Luzerne County genealogy research.
Probate records and estate files at the Register of Wills document deaths for individuals who left property. These records cover the full history of the county and provide documentation for deaths before the 1893 vital registration start. When a person died and their estate was settled, the file typically includes the date of death, names of heirs, and a description of assets. Estate records often survive even when no formal death record was created, making them an essential backup source for Luzerne County genealogy.
State Death Certificates for Luzerne County
Deaths from 1906 onward are recorded by the Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records. The PA State Archives Death Indices cover 1906 to 1975 and are free to search online. The index provides name, county, year, and certificate number. Original certificates from 1906 to 1974 are at the State Archives in Harrisburg. Digital copies for 1906 to 1972 are on Ancestry.com free for Pennsylvania residents. Searching the free index before ordering a copy saves time and money.
Certified copies cost $20 each. Orders go through the PA Division of Vital Records online at mycertificates.health.pa.gov via VitalChek, by mail to PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103, or by phone at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516. The Scranton walk-in office is the most convenient for Luzerne County residents and is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM. Statewide registration began in 1906 with full compliance by about 1915. Soundex phonetic indexing applies to records from 1920 to 1924 and 1930 to 1951. Death certificates are public 50 years after death, so records through 1975 are now fully accessible to researchers.
Nearby Counties
Luzerne County borders Lackawanna, Carbon, Columbia, Wyoming, and Monroe counties. Many neighboring counties share similar death record time periods. Searching these counties may help when records are missing in Luzerne County.