Records that survive
These are the record series from Montgomery 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 Licenses · Probate Court1870–1918
- Birth, death, and marriage records · County Clerk1888–1894
- Birth records · County Clerk1896–1911
- Record of deaths · County Clerk1905–1911
- Birth Records · City Clerk1907–1982
- Death Records · City Clerk1907–1986
Deeds and land
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1870–1886
- Index to Deeds · Register of Deeds1870–1887
- Appraisal of School Lands · District Court1871–1911
- Land Patents · Register of Deeds1871–1886
Wills and estates
- Wills · Probate Court1870–1926
- General Index to Probate Records · Probate Court1877–1926
- Miscellaneous Records · Probate Court1897–1929
- Probate Case Files · Probate Court1911–1977
Naturalization
- Naturalization Records · District Court1870–1917
Court records
- Civil and criminal case files · District/Probate Court1871–1903
- City Council Minutes · City Clerk1872–1990
- Trial Docket · District Court1892–1893
- Juvenile Case Files · District Court1898–1957
- Appearance Dockets -- Civil · City Court1899–1978
- Civil case files · District/Probate Court1903–1950
- Criminal case files · District/Probate Court1903–1950
- Appearance Dockets -- Criminal · City Court1906–1976
- Memorials to Montgomery County Bar Association Members · District Court1908–1969
- Care & treatment case files · Probate Court1911–1947
- Criminal Appearance Dockets · City Court1948–1976
Schools
- School Financial Records · County Treasurer1872–1880
- Register of Teachers · Superintendent of Public Instruction1881–1936
- History of School Districts · Superintendent of Public Instruction1885–1965
- Daily Record - Lone Elm School · Superintendent of Public Instruction1891–1896
- Record of School District Officers · Superintendent of Public Instruction1895–1936
- Teachers' Association Records · Superintendent of Public Instruction1906–1951
- Miscellaneous Documents - West Brown School District · Superintendent of Public Instruction1949–1954
Town and city records
- Ordinances · City Clerk1872–1988
- Interment Records · City Clerk1907–1992
County government
- Journal · Probate Court1870–1917
Other records
- Superintendent's Record · Superintendent of Public Instruction1873–1875
- District Clerk's Records · Superintendent of Public Instruction1876–1891
- District Treasurer's Records · Superintendent of Public Instruction1876–1891
- Clippings and Correspondence · Superintendent of Public Instruction1885–1903
- Daily Term Register · Superintendent of Public Instruction1888–1891
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
- Montgomery 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: Montgomery 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, Montgomery" 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: Wilson County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Wilson 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.