Genealogy Trails is an organization of volunteers working to put
free historical data online.
My name is Shannon Thomas and as your Columbia County, Pennsylvania host I try to post as much data online as possible in order to make it freely available to all. We gratefully accept contributions of raw data such as census information, marriage/birth/death records, obituaries, county histories, biographies, old newspaper items - anything that would help someone build their family tree!!
Feel free to email me with your contributions.
Every little bit helps.
Births Biographies Cemeteries Census Deaths/Obituaries Family Reunions Marriages
Military Newspaper Articles Schools 1843 History of Columbia County
Columbia County History
Columbia County was created on March 22, 1813 from part of Northumberland County and named for Columbia, a poetic name that alludes to Christopher Columbus. Bloomsburg, the county seat since November 30, 1847, was incorporated as a town on March 4, 1870, and is the only incorporated town in the state. Its name comes from Bloom Township, which was named for Samuel Bloom, a commissioner of Northumberland County. Native American communities had long lived here along the Susquehanna River, and the first white settlement was south of the river. Berwick was laid out in 1783. As a North brach canal depot and then a railroad station, Catawissa grew and served a thriving farm region. Anthracite mining and a lumber boom arose but, like Columbia's farming, yielded to competition in the 1930's. Abandoned deep coal mines have burned for decades beneath the town of Centralia. AC&F's railroad car complex and Bloomsburg's silk and carpet works prospered until the national trend toward deindustrialization began in recent decades. AC&F manufactured tanks during World War II. The county's farming has emphasized fruit and field crops; in 1992 Columbia ranked 37th among all 67 counties in value of farm crops. Farms cover 37 percent of the county's area. There were Underground Railroad stations at Berwick and Millville. Some of the accused Molly Maguires were tried in Bloomsburg in 1877.
| Boroughs and Census Designated Places | ||||
| Almedia | Aristes | Ashland (partial) | Benton | Berwick |
| Bloomsburg | Briar Creek | Buckhorn | Catawissa | Centralia |
| Espy | Eyers Grove | Fernville | Foundryville | Iola |
| Jamison City | Jerseytown | Jonestown | Lightstreet | Lime Ridge |
| Locustdale | Mainville | Mifflinville | Millville | Numidia |
| Orangeville | Rohrsburg | Rupert | Slabtown | Stillwater |
| Waller | Wilburton Number One | Wilburton Number Two | ||
| Townships | ||||
| Beaver | Benton | Briar Creek | Catawissa | Cleveland |
| Conyngham | Fishing Creek | Franklin | Greenwood | Hemlock |
| Jackson | Locust | Madison | Main | Mifflin |
| Montour | Mount Pleasant | North Centre | Orange | Pine |
| Roaring Creek | Scott | South Centre | Sugarloaf | |
