Records that survive
These are the record series from Franklin 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
- Marriage records · District Court/Probate Court1858–1918
- Divorce case files · District Court/Probate Court1860–1917
- Cemetery Interment Register · City Clerk1865–1913
- Marriage record index · District Court/Probate Court1867–1883
- Cemetery deed records · Register of Deeds1887–1944
- Vital Statistics Register · City Clerk1892–1907
- Vital Statistics · County Clerk1892–1907
- Marriage Applications · District Court1983
Deeds and land
- Deed Record Indexes · Register of Deeds1857–1901
- Deed Records1857–1904
- Land district record book · Register of Deeds1857–1859
- Index to deeds, Ottawa city · Register of Deeds1865–1904
- Power of attorney · Register of Deeds1873–1905
- Miscellaneous record · Register of Deeds1882–1904
Wills and estates
- Probate Case Files · District Court/Probate Court1856–1917
- Will records · District Court/Probate Court1863–1921
Naturalization
- Naturalization declaration of intention · District Court/Probate Court1869–1928
- Naturalization index cards · District Court/Probate Court1870–1928
- Naturalization petition and record · District Court/Probate Court1907–1928
- Naturalization notice of application · District Court/Probate Court1909–1914
- Naturalization application for admission to citizenship, notice of · District Court/Probate Court1913–1914
Court records
- Civil appearance dockets · District Court/Probate Court1859–1919
- Civil appearance dockets, indexes · District Court/Probate Court1872–1909
- Jail Yard and Courthouse - Blueprint · County Engineer1984
Schools
- Records of the Ottawa School Board · Ottawa1864–1893
Census
- Census · Superintendent of Public Instruction1894–1922
Town and city records
- Clerk's Register · Township Clerk1867–1918
County government
- Secretary's Journal · Fire Department1877–1937
- Fireman's Relief Association Journals · Fire Department1895–1943
Other records
- Scratcher Notes · Superintendent of Public Instruction1867–1970
- Fire Bulletin Cards · Fire Department1905–1922
- Fire Records · Fire Department1918–1977
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
- Franklin 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: Franklin 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, Franklin" 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.