Records that survive
These are the record series from Marion 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 Record · Probate Court1865–1871
- Cemetery Index1870–2000
- Marriage License Record · Probate Court1871–1917
- Vital Statistics Record1885–1982
- Marriage Affidavit Record · Probate Court1887–1897
- Marriage License And Affidavit Record · Probate Court1897–1952
Deeds and land
- Deed Record · Register of Deeds1870–1928
- Numerical Index · Register of Deeds1870–2000
- General Index to Deeds - Grantee1871–1902
- General Index to Deeds - Grantor1871–1902
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1871–1920
- Mortgage Records1875–1930
- Patent Record - 1862 Homestead Act · Register of Deeds1883–1901
- Quit Claim Deed Record · Register of Deeds1900–1906
Wills and estates
- Record Of Wills · Probate Court1868–1919
- Probate Court Case Files · Probate Court1870–1893
- Probate Court Journal · Probate Court1871–1918
- Probate Court General Index · Probate Court1872–1919
- Probate Court Appearance Docket · Probate Court1883–1918
- Settlement Record · Probate Court1887–1918
- Record Of Proof Of Wills · Probate Court1906–1927
Naturalization
- Naturalization Declaration of Intention1870–1951
- Naturalization Index Cards1870–1950
- Certificate of Citizenship · Courts1876–1906
- Naturalization Petition and Record1906–1954
- Naturalization Certificate Stubs1907–1927
- Naturalization Petitions -- Granted and Denied1929–1955
Court records
- Civil Appearance Dockets · District Court1867–1919
- District Court Journal · District Court1868–1918
Schools
- Scholastic Census and Annual Reports1923
Town and city records
- Numerical Index To Town Lots · Register of Deeds1870–2000
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
- Marion 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: Marion 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, Marion" 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: Land not yet in any county; attached to Allen County for court and other business until it was organized
Later formed partly from Marion County: Barber County, Barton County, Comanche County, Ellsworth County, Ford County, Harper County, Hodgeman County, McPherson County, Ness County, Pawnee County, Pratt County, Reno County, Rice County, Rush County, Sedgwick County, Stafford County, Sumner 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.