Kansas Public Records
| How
To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
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Kansas Vital Records
Most records are housed at the state's Office of Vital Statistics.
Birth certificates are on file beginning 1 July 1911, with a few delayed
birth certificates dating back to the 1860's. Death certificates are
on file beginning 1 July 1911. Marriage records are on file beginning
1 May 1913 and divorce records are on file beginning 1 July 1951.
For records prior to those dates, contact the Clerk of the District
Court in the county where the event occurred. The researcher should
also consult the Historical Records Survey—Kansas, titled "Guide
to Public Vital Records in Kansas," which lists the location
of vital records not held by the Office of Vital Statistics. It is
divided into type of record—birth, marriage, death, and divorce—and
then by county.
For records at the Office of Vital Statistics write to:
Vital Statistics
Kansas Department of Health and the Environment
900 SW Jackson, Room 151
Topeka, KS 66612-2221
Tel: 785-296-1400
Fax: 785-296-8075
http://www.state.ks.us/kdhe/vital/
Kansas Land Records
Kansas is a federal-land state. It officially opened for white settlement
in 1854. Lands were generally acquired from the federal government
or from other individuals. Many of the Kansas land office records
are in the National Archives—Central Plains Region in Kansas
City, but they are reportedly incomplete. Copies of patents may
be obtained from the BLM New Mexico State Office, P.O. Box 27115,
1474 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87592-0115, which also has copies
of the tract books and township plats for Kansas. The National Archives
in Washington, D.C., has the land-entry case files for most federal
lands in Kansas, as well as the GLO headquarters' original tract
books and township plats.
The Kansas State Historical Society also has copies
of the Kansas tract books, plats, and tract maps, and the purchases
from the Dodge City land office. They also have the land sales of
the Sante Fe Railroad (mostly central Kansas) and the Kansas Town
and Land Company (Rock Island Railroad) which sold land in Colorado,
New Mexico, and Nebraska as well as in Kansas.
See Paul W. Gates, Fifty Million Acres: Conflicts
over Kansas Land Policy, 1854–1890 (Ithaca: Cornell University
Press, 1954), and G.L. Anderson, "The Administration of Federal
Land Laws in Western Kansas, 1880–1890: A Factor in Adjustment
to a New Environment," Kansas Historical Quarterly 20 (1952):
233–51. After initial purchase from the federal government,
land records were recorded at the county level in the Register of
Deeds office. For further reference on land and property research,
see:
Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the
United States. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997.
Kansas Court Records
Court records include probate records (which include wills), guardianship,
naturalization, and a wide variety of other sources, ranging from
criminal trials to simple road orders. All contain information about
individuals within the area. It should be remembered that there
are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States,
all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances.
Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court,
Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those
encountered. To study more about court records in general, see "Research
in Court Records," by Arlene H. Eakle, in:
Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking,
eds. The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy. Rev. ed. Salt
Lake City: Ancestry, 1997.
Kansas Military Records
The records of the Kansas adjutant general through World War II
are located at the Kansas State Historical Society. Few are indexed.
Virtually nothing has survived from the Territorial Militia, which
was pro-slavery. The records of the unofficial "Free State
Forces" are extant at the Kansas State Historical Society,
as are the records of the Kansas adjutant general from 1861 to World
War I. The Daughters of the American Revolution, John Haipt Chapter,
have indexed the Kansas Civil War and Indian War militia. An index
to the Kansas adjutant general's report of 1861–65 and a list
of military men who received a bonus in World War I exist at the
state archives. A list of soldiers killed in battle in Kansas regiments
is given in Andreas's History of Kansas, described below under "Additional
Sources."
Post-Civil War veteran's census records include the
1883 index to pensioners, veterans, their widows and orphans, and
the 1930 veterans' census. Another excellent source is the original
"Grand Army of the Republic Post Records," which are located
in the Kansas State Historical Society Library.
Good biographical information is available on Spanish-American
and World War I veterans in the manuscript department of the Kansas
State Historical Society. The adjutant general report titled Index
to Kansas Troops in the Volunteer Service of the United States in
the Spanish and Philippine Wars is also available for research.
The Kansas State Historical Society holds the photostatic copies
of World War I enlistment and discharge papers of Kansas military
personnel. The Kansas State Archives also has a list of military
men who received a World War I bonus. For further information, consult
James C. Neagles'sU.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and
State Sources. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994).
Additional Sources
Rydjord, John. Kansas Place Names. Norman: University of Oklahoma
Press, 1972.
Socolofsky, Homer E., and Huber Self. Historical
Atlas of Kansas. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972.
Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society.
17 vols. Topeka: Kansas State Historical Society, 1881–1928.
Kansas Vital Records:
Event: Birth or death
Cost of copy: $10.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Kansas State Department of Health and Environment
Landon State Office Building
900 SW Jackson Street, Rm. 151
Topeka, Kansas 66612-2221
Remarks: State office has had records since July
1911. For earlier records, write to County Clerk in county where
event occurred. Additional copies of same record ordered at same
time are $5.00 each.
Check or money order should be made payable to Vital
Statistics. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current fees,
the telephone number is (785) 296-1400. This will be a recorded
message with the option to speak with a Customer Service Representative.
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: $10.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Kansas State Department of Health and Environment
Landon State Office Building
900 SW Jackson Street, Rm. 151
Topeka, Kansas 66612-2221
Remarks: State office has had records since May 1913.
Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are
$5.00 each.
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Event: Marriage (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Write to: District Judge in county where
license was issued.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: $10.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Kansas State Department of Health and Environment
Landon State Office Building
900 SW Jackson Street, Rm. 151
Topeka, Kansas 66612-2221
Remarks: State office has had records since July
1951. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time
are $5.00 each.
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Event: Divorce (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Write to: Clerk of District Court
in county where divorce was granted.
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