Records that survive
These are the record series from Douglas 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
- Divorce Case Files · Probate Court1857–1917
- Maple Grove Cemetery · Lawrence1857–1988
- Oak Hill Cemetery · Lawrence1857–1988
- Cemetery Records · Lawrence1860–1980
- Marriage Records · Probate Court1863–1919
- Marriage Records Index · Probate Court1869–1929
- Cemetery Register · Eudora1870–1921
Deeds and land
- Deeds · Lawrence1855–1860
- Deed Record · Register of Deeds1856–1917
- Indexes to Deeds · Register of Deeds1856–1903
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1857–1896
- Mechanics Liens · Register of Deeds1864–1865
- Notary Public Certificates · Register of Deeds1864–1868
- Division Fence Agreements · Register of Deeds1865–1881
- Agreements · Register of Deeds1869
- Inventories & Appraisements -- Real Estate · Probate Court1869–1920
- Detailed Statement of Fee Charges by the County Clerk · Register of Deeds1875–1896
- Exhibits · Register of Deeds1882
- Miscellaneous Documents · Register of Deeds1884
- Insurance Liens and Abstract of Premium Notes · Register of Deeds1887–1888
- Chattel Mortgages · Register of Deeds1891–1926
- and 5 more series in the full listing
Wills and estates
- Probate Appearance Docket · Probate Court1855–1925
- Probate Journal · Probate Court1856–1921
- Index to Estates · Probate Court1857–1965
- Final Account · Probate Court1858–1920
- Probate Court Record · Probate Court1858–1899
- Will Record · Probate Court1873–1920
- Bill of Accounts, Willow Springs Township · Register of Deeds1897–1898
Naturalization
- Naturalization Records -- Declaration of Intention · Probate Court1867–1954
- Naturalization Records - Petition & Record · Probate Court1906–1929
- Naturalization Records -- Certificate Stubs · Probate Court1907–1924
Court records
- Civil Appearance Dockets1863–1918
- District Court Indexes · District Court1863–1929
- Final Record · District Court1863–1909
- Orders Journal · Poor Commissioner1909–1914
- Court House Building Plans · County Engineer1937
County government
- Journal · District Court1863–1920
- Records of the Proceedings of the Board · Bd of County Commissioners1864–1874
- Bonds · County Treasurer1914
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
- Douglas 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: Douglas 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, Douglas" 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: Created by the Kansas territorial legislature in 1855 from land not yet in any county
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1855, 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.