Northampton County, Pennsylvania Church Records, 1774-1840

Northampton County lies in the far eastern corner of Pennsylvania, with the Delaware River serving as the border between it and New Jersey. This database contains records for the Salem Lutheran and Reformed Congregations of Moore Township in Northampton County. Researchers may find records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths for individuals living between 1774 and 1840. The congregations are now two separate groups: The Lutherans are now part of Holy Cross Lutheran at Bushkill Center; the Reformed are now with Salem United Church of Christ near Bath.

Church records rank among the very best genealogical records available worldwide, but they are one of the most under-used sources in American genealogy. Until the advent of vital statistics in the United States—a very late development in most states—church records were the primary source of birth, marriage, and death information. The sheer number of denominations and affiliate churches has made identifying and locating each one's records a time-consuming ordeal for most genealogists. Church records vary a great deal in content and emphasis according to the basic theology of the religious group that created them.

Early immigrants from England, Scotland, and European countries brought their religious beliefs, institutions, and customs with them, including the keeping of church books in which to record births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, communion lists, deaths, and burials. Lutheran and Reformed Church records in Pennsylvania rank among the very best church records available.