Records that survive
These are the record series from McPherson 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
- INDEX TO MARRIAGE RECORD · District Court1870–1880
- MARRIAGE RECORD · District Court1870–1951
- CIVIL/DOMESTIC CASE FILES (ONLY THE DIVORCES) · District Court1871–1917
- Vital Statistics Record1874–1911
- RECORD OF MARRIAGES (COUNTY DOCTOR) · District Court1901–1909
Deeds and land
- Cemeteries Records · Register of Deeds1850–2002
- INDEX TO PIONEER REGISTER · Register of Deeds1859–2002
- PIONEER REGISTER · Register of Deeds1859–2002
- DEED RECORD · Register of Deeds1870–1943
- NUMERICAL INDEX - COUNTY PROPERTIES · Register of Deeds1870–1980
- GENERAL INDEX TO DEEDS · Register of Deeds1871–1902
- Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Rolls · County Clerk1871–1914
- LAND TRANSFER RECORD · Register of Deeds1877–1905
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1880–2002
- Property Owner Atlases · Register of Deeds1884–1903
Wills and estates
- Index to Probate Case Files · District Court1859–1917
- PROBATE COURT CASE FILES (RECEIPTS AND VOUCHERS) · District Court1871–1917
- PROBATE COURT CASE FILES · District Court1871–1917
- PROBATE COURT JOURNAL · District Court1871–1917
- RECORD OF WILLS · District Court1876–1923
- RECORD OF ADMINISTRATORS AND EXECUTORS ACCOUNTS · Probate Court1877–1918
- RECORD OF GUARDIANS ACCOUNTS · Probate Court1877–1919
- RECORD OF INVENTORY AND APPRAISEMENTS · District Court1877–1920
- PROBATE COURT APPEARANCE DOCKET · District Court1898–1923
- ORDER APPROVING ADMINISTRATORS & EXECUTIVES FINAL SETTLEMENTS · District Court1900–1927
Naturalization
- Declaration of Intentions · District Court1871–1929
- NATURALIZATION PETITION AND RECORD · District Court1908–1929
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · Register of Deeds1883–2002
Tax records
- Road Tax Rolls · County Treasurer1878–1893
Court records
- CIVIL APPEARANCE DOCKET · District Court1871–1920
- DISTRICT COURT JOURNAL · District Court1871–1920
- GENERAL INDEX · District Court1872–1932
Schools
- SCHOOL RECORD · Register of Deeds1870–1950
- School Districts - Description and History1870–1916
- SCHOLASTIC CENSUS/ANNUAL REPORTS · Register of Deeds1876–1923
- SCHOOL CENSUS RECORD CARDS · Register of Deeds1900–1970
- Register of Teachers · Superintendent of Public Instruction1932
Census
- Census Records · County Clerk1880
Town and city records
- NUMERICAL INDEX - CITY/TOWN LOTS · Register of Deeds1870–2001
Other records
- Annual Reports1877–1966
- Register of Officers · Superintendent of Public Instruction1880–1933
- Graduate Records · Superintendent of Public Instruction1888–1927
- Miscellaneous Records · Superintendent of Public Instruction1931–1966
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
- McPherson 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: McPherson 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, McPherson" 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: Marion County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Marion County
Later formed partly from McPherson County: Harvey County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1867, 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.