Finney County, Kansas Genealogy Records

Records that survive

These are the record series from Finney 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.

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

• Finney 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: Finney 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, Finney" 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: Arapahoe County, Sequoyah County, Grant County (an earlier county of that name, abolished in 1883), Gray County (an earlier county of that name, abolished in 1883), Kearney County (an earlier county, now spelled Kearny, abolished in 1883), Lane County, Meade County (an earlier county of that name, abolished in 1883)

Check the parent county for earlier records: Lane County

Later formed partly from Finney County: Grant County, Gray County, Haskell County, Kearny County, Meade County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1883, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.