Records that survive
These are the record series from Harvey 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 License Index · District Court1872–1913
- Marriage Licenses · District Court1872–1891
- Marriage Records · District Court1872–1951
- Divorce Index1877–1917
- Divorces · District Court1877–1917
- Register of Deaths · District Court1886–1911
- Birth Registers1937–1943
Deeds and land
- Deed Records1862–1927
- General Index to Deeds · Register of Deeds1871–1900
- Real Estate · District Court1884–1935
- Numerical Index to County Property · Register of Deeds1887–1989
- Real Estate Assessment Rolls1916–1953
Wills and estates
- Probate Court Oaths and Bonds · District Court1872–1942
- Probate Court Inventory and Appraisement · District Court1885–1922
- Probate Court Wills · District Court1885–1918
- Probate Court Journals · District Court1888–1917
- Probate Court General Index · District Court1981–1995
Naturalization
- Naturalization Petition and Record · District Court1873–1945
- Naturalization Declaration of Intention · District Court1882–1954
- Citizenship Granted · District Court1907–1913
- Naturalization Oath of Allegance · District Court1939–1947
- Naturalization Card Index and Miscellaneous Naturalization Records · District Court1941–1946
Military and pensions
- Pension papers · Register of Deeds1891–1927
- Military Discharge · Register of Deeds1919–1947
Tax records
- Tax Rolls1872–1953
- Tax Sale Certificate and Assignment Forms1880–1903
- Taxpayers Roll1897–1898
Court records
- City council minutes · City Clerk1877–1939
- Civil Appearance Docket · District Court1877–1918
- Criminal appearance docket · City Clerk1877–1940
- Certificate Stubs · District Court1907–1929
- Final Accounts · District Court1915–1935
Schools
- Scholastic Census · Register of Deeds1883–1923
Census
- List of Residents1907
Town and city records
- Numerical Index to City and Town Lots · Register of Deeds1871–2001
- Police Arrest Reports1933–1955
County government
- Cash Journal1884–1896
Other records
- Record of Statutes and Session Laws Distribution1872–1879
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
- Harvey 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: Harvey 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, Harvey" 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: McPherson County, Sedgwick County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: McPherson County, Sedgwick County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1872, 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.