Records that survive
These are the record series from Clay 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
- Index to Marriage Records · District Court1867–1982
- Marriage Record · Probate Court1868–1951
- Affidavit and Proof of Death · Probate Court1878–1920
- Death Index Cards · District Court1884–1950
- Record of Births · County Clerk1885–1911
- Record of Deaths · County Clerk1885–1911
- Record of Marriages · County Clerk1885–1911
Deeds and land
- Deed Record · Register of Deeds1866–1928
- General Index To Deeds - Indirect · Register of Deeds1867–1926
- General Index To Deeds - Direct · Register of Deeds1868–1926
- Patent Record · Register of Deeds1877–1891
- Record of Sales of Real Estate · Probate Court1877–1902
Wills and estates
- Record of Wills · Probate Court1867–1922
- Record of Inventory and Appraisment · Probate Court1870–1924
- Record of Administrators Account · Probate Court1876–1926
- Record of Administrators Letters and Bonds · Probate Court1878–1930
- Record of Guardian's Letters and Bonds · Probate Court1878–1935
- Miscellaneous Record · Probate Court1884–1927
- Record · Probate Court1889
- Record of Guardian's Final Account · Probate Court1895–1923
- Record of Administrator's or Executor's Oath · Probate Court1907–1922
Naturalization
- Declarations of Intention · District Court1903–1952
- Naturalization Petition and Record · District Court1906–1952
- Citizenship Petitions Granted · District Court1930–1941
- Miscellaneous Naturalization Papers · District Court1930
- General Index Cards to Naturalizations · District Court1953
Military and pensions
- Military Discharge Record1919–1923
Court records
- Appearance Dockets · District Court1868–1923
- District Court Journal · District Court1869–1920
Schools
- Organization of School Districts · Register of Deeds1867–1899
- School Record Book · Register of Deeds1874–1903
- Teachers' Daily Register · Register of Deeds1884–1885
- School Daily Register · Register of Deeds1888–1891
- Record of Common School Graduates · Register of Deeds1895–1917
- Scholastic Census · Register of Deeds1903–1918
County government
- Journal · Probate Court1873–1921
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
- Clay 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: Clay 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, Clay" 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: Land not yet in any county
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1857, 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.