Records that survive
These are the record series from Chase County in the Kansas Historical Society's catalog of county government records, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years. Most are microfilm copies at the State Archives in Topeka. A span can include gaps.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage License Record · District Court1867–1917
- Vital Statistics Record · County Clerk1886–1911
- Marriage Affidavit & License Record · District Court1889–1953
Deeds and land
- Deed Record · Register of Deeds1859–1937
- General Index To Deeds · Register of Deeds1859–1908
- Chattel Mortgage Records · Register of Deeds1869–1939
- Numerical Indexes - Land Deeds · Register of Deeds1890–1939
- Chattel Mortgage Index · Register of Deeds1896–1931
Wills and estates
- Probate Court Case Files · Probate Court1856–1939
- Probate Court Appearance Docket - Index · Probate Court1864–1936
- Probate Court General Index · Probate Court1866–2000
- Record Of Wills · Courts1884–1926
- Foreign Will Record · District Court1899–1919
- Petition & Order Admitting Will To Probate · Probate Court1907–1930
Naturalization
- First Naturalization Papers · District Court1872–1887
- Naturalization Record · District Court1879–1903
- Naturalization Certificate Stubs · District Court1884–1929
- Naturalization Declaration Of Intention · District Court1904–1941
Military and pensions
- Index To Military Discharge Record · Register of Deeds1919–1993
- Military Discharge Record · Register of Deeds1919–1955
Court records
- District Court General Index · District Court1856–1923
- Civil Appearance Docket · District Court1862–1919
Schools
- Daily School Register For School District No 46 Marble Hill · Superintendent of Public Instruction1888–1893
- Scholastic Census Record · Register of Deeds1890–1965
County government
- Supervisor's and Commissioner's Journal · Supervisors & Commissioners1859–1861
- Journal · District Court1863–1922
See the full list at the Kansas Historical Society
Source: Kansas Historical Society, catalog of county government records (the county searches on its County Records On Microfilm page). Most of the film was made by the Genealogical Society of Utah, so FamilySearch may have it too. Kansas began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1911.
Where to find the records
- Chase County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the register of deeds, the probate court, the clerk of the district court and the county clerk, and any online record search the county offers.
- The register of deeds
Deeds, mortgages and other land records, usually from the county's beginning.
- The probate court
Wills, estates, guardianships and, for most years, marriage licenses. Since court unification in 1977 the probate court has been part of the district court, so ask the clerk of the district court for these records.
- The clerk of the district court
Civil and criminal cases, divorces and, in many counties, naturalizations.
- The county clerk
Tax rolls and the county commissioners' journals.
- The Kansas State Archives (Kansas Historical Society)
In Topeka: microfilm of county records, the Kansas state censuses and newspapers from across the state.
- Kansas Historical Society: Chase County recordsfree
Every county record series in the Society's catalog, with the office, dates and a description of each.
- Kansas Historical Society: County Records On Microfilmfree
How to use or borrow the county microfilm, with links to each county's list.
- Kansas Historical Society: Kansas censusesfree
The territorial and state censuses, what each one asks, and where to find them and their indexes.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Kansas, Chase" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Butler County, Morris County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Butler County, Morris County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1859, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Kansas took its own census every ten years from 1865 to 1925, halfway between the federal ones. A state census can place a family in a county and township in a year the federal census misses, and most of them (all but 1865) also ask where a family came from before Kansas.