Records that survive
These are the record series from Chautauqua 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
- Miscellaneous Birth, Marriage, and Death Records · District Court1873–1915
- Marriage Record · District Court1895–1954
- Death Records · District Court1900–1972
Deeds and land
- Deeds, Patents, and Leases · Register of Deeds1870–1930
- Description Record · Register of Deeds1871–1900
- General Index to Deeds · Register of Deeds1871–1880
- Numerical Index to Deeds · Register of Deeds1871–1935
- Record, Sale of Real Estate · District Court1871–1930
- Patent Record · Register of Deeds1874–1902
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1880–1920
- Deed Record · Register of Deeds1886–1902
- Sheriff's Deed Record · Register of Deeds1890–1896
- Miscellaneous Index · Register of Deeds1909–1936
Wills and estates
- Administrators Letters and Bonds · District Court1871–1932
- Executors and Administrators Dockets · District Court1871–1877
- Probate Court Record · District Court1871–1923
- Probate-A · District Court1871–1908
- Record of Annual Settlements · District Court1871–1888
- Letters of Guardianship and Bonds · District Court1872–1937
- Record of Inventories and Appraisements · District Court1872–1978
- Record of Wills · District Court1872–1887
- Journal - Probate Court · District Court1873–1877
- Record, Final Settlement · District Court1875–1887
- Inventory and Appraisement · District Court1894–1926
- Guardian's Letters and Bonds · District Court1896–1928
- Probate & Confidential Case Files · District Court1906–1934
- Probate & Civil Case Files · District Court1924–1931
- and 1 more series in the full listing
Naturalization
- Declaration of Intentions · District Court1871–1934
- Final Naturalization Record · District Court1871–1917
Military and pensions
- Military Discharge Records · Register of Deeds1900–1949
Court records
- Civil Appearance Docket · District Court1871–1898
- District Court Journal · District Court1871–1919
- General Index · District Court1871–1928
- Record of Declaration of Intent · District Court1871–1924
- Records of Sales and Bills · District Court1871–1912
- Fee Book · District Court1872–1888
- School Board Minutes · Superintendent of Public Instruction1872–1965
- Civil Case Files · District Court1875–1949
- Civil and Criminal Docket - Justice of the Peace · Justice of the Peace1876–1890
- Civil and Criminal Dockets - Justice of the Peace · Justice of the Peace1878–1930
- Criminal Case Files · District Court1882–1946
- Record of Accounts · District Court1885–1904
- Criminal Docket · Justice of the Peace1902–1912
- Police Judges Docket · Police Court1910–1930
Schools
- School Census Annual Report · Register of Deeds1871–1923
- School Records · Superintendent of Public Instruction1890–1965
- School records · Register of Deeds1896–1904
- Teacher, Principal, and Superintendent School Reports · Superintendent of Public Instruction1946–1956
Town and city records
- Register · Township Clerk1877–1941
Other records
- Stray Animal Record · Justice of the Peace1877–1919
- Miscellaneous Files · County Clerk1887–1930
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
- Chautauqua 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: Chautauqua 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, Chautauqua" 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: Howard County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1875, 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.