Records that survive
These are the record series from Pottawatomie 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 Records1858–1928
- Divorce case files · District/Probate Court1862–1917
- Marriage License Affidavit Records · District/Probate Court1883–1892
- Births, Marriages and Deaths1885–1911
Deeds and land
- Deed Records - Numerical Indices · Register of Deeds1857–1935
- Deed Records · Register of Deeds1858–1909
- Land District Records · Register of Deeds1858–1859
- Transcript of the Record of the Office of Recorder of the Western Land District of Kansas1858–1860
- Miscellaneous Records · Register of Deeds1875–1906
- Real Estate Records · District/Probate Court1877–1933
- Naturalization Aliens Declaration Records · District/Probate Court1881–1896
- Sheriffs Record - Sales of Real Estate · District/Probate Court1884–1933
Wills and estates
- Journal of Estates · District/Probate Court1857–1868
- Probate Case Files1857–1917
- Inventory and Appraisement Records · District/Probate Court1863–1909
- General Index to Probate Court1868–1920
- Probate Journals1868–1918
- Will Records1868–1931
- Probate Appearance Dockets · District/Probate Court1869–1872
- Administrators and Guardians Letters and Bonds · District/Probate Court1873–1929
- Guardians and Administrator Accounts · District/Probate Court1881–1919
- Record of Notification of Executor, Administrator, and Guardian · District/Probate Court1898–1908
Naturalization
- Naturalization Index · District/Probate Court1852–1904
- Naturalization Records · District/Probate Court1865–1880
- Naturalization Final Records1876–1901
- Naturalization First Records · District/Probate Court1889–1906
- Naturalization Declarations of Intention · District/Probate Court1906–1929
- Naturalization Petition Records · District/Probate Court1907–1928
- Naturalization Records Reports · District/Probate Court1908–1910
- Naturalization Declarations of Intention and Citizenship Petitions Granted · District/Probate Court1928–1941
Military and pensions
- Military Discharge Records1919–1969
- Military Discharge Records Index · Register of Deeds1919–1990
Tax records
- Real and Personal Property Tax Assessments · County Treasurer1861–1910
- Abstracts of Tax Sales - Real Property · Treasurer1870–1910
- Abstracts of Tax Sales - City Lots · Treasurer1875–1910
- Delinquent Tax Sales · Treasurer1875–1889
- Tax Warrants Issued · Treasurer1879–1881
- Tax Distribution Ledger · Treasurer1881–1886
Court records
- Civil Appearance Dockets · District/Probate Court1861–1921
- District Court Journals1862–1919
- Civil Appearance Docket Indices · District/Probate Court1863–1927
- District Court Records1869–1884
- Judgment and Order Docket · District/Probate Court1871–1900
- St. Mary's Commissioners Meeting Minutes · Commissioners1871–1990
- Havensville Commissioners Meeting Minutes · Commissioners1881–1883
- Civil Dockets1885–1908
- Criminal Dockets · Justice of the Peace1889–1908
- Havensville Police Court Dockets · Police Court1892–1965
Schools
- Records of School District No. 93 - Dry Creek · Superintendent of Public Instruction1883–1945
- Scholastic Census Records1897–1916
Town and city records
- St. Mary's Ordinances · Commissioners1871–1990
- Havensville Ordinances · Commissioners1880–1881
- Index to Ordinances · Commissioners1914–1990
County government
- Resolutions · Commissioners1974–1990
Other records
- County Fund Ledger · Treasurer1870–1881
- Mail Delivery Agreement · Clerk1881
- Dog License Register · Clerk1883–1887
- Examination Records1893–1930
- Subject Files · Superintendent of Public Instruction1941–1945
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
- Pottawatomie 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: Pottawatomie 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, Pottawatomie" 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: Calhoun County (now Jackson County), Riley County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Riley County, Jackson County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1857, 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.