Records that survive
These are the record series from Elk 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
- Cemetery Index · Register of Deeds1870
- District Court Divorce Files · District Court1875–1917
- Marriage Records · Register of Deeds1875–1950
- Vital Statistics Register · Register of Deeds1875–1911
- Marriage Index · Register of Deeds1900–1920
- Birth Records · Howard1911–1955
- Death Records · Howard1911–1967
- Burial Records · Howard1938–1959
Deeds and land
- Affidavit Index · Register of Deeds1871–2005
- Patent Record · Register of Deeds1872–1892
- General Indices to Deeds · Register of Deeds1873–1900
- Record of District Boundaries · Register of Deeds1874–1960
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1875–1900
- Numerical Index to County Property · Register of Deeds1875–1900
- Record of Sale of Real Estate · District Court1877–1929
- Superintendent's Record Book · Register of Deeds1929–1945
Wills and estates
- Inventory and Appraisal Record · District Court1871–1927
- Guardians' Letters and Bonds · District Court1872–1925
- Record of Wills · District Court1872–1926
- District Court Probate Journals · District Court1873–1921
- Probate Court General Index · District Court1874–1985
- Probate Court Case Files · District Court1875–1917
- Record of Final Settlements · District Court1875–1920
- Final Record/Guardians · District Court1877–1920
- Probate Court Appearance Docket · District Court1887–1926
Naturalization
- Naturalization Records · Register of Deeds1918–1924
Military and pensions
- Military Discharge Record · Register of Deeds1865–1966
Court records
- District Court Journal · District Court1875–1920
- Coroners Record · District Court1886–1997
- Appearance Docket · Howard Township1890–1900
- District Court Civil Appearance Dockets · District Court1890–1917
- District Court General Index · District Court1907–2004
Schools
- Teachers Register - Fairview School, District #41905–1914
- Scholastic Census, Annual Reports · Register of Deeds1906–1940
Town and city records
- Numerical Index City or Town Lots · Register of Deeds1875–1900
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
- Elk 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: Elk 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, Elk" 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.