Records that survive
These are the record series from Riley 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 Divorce Case Files · District Court1856–1917
- Index to Sunset Cemetery Cards · Probate Court1856–1998
- Marriage Records · Probate Court1856–1969
- Sunset Cemetery Index Cards · Probate Court1856–1998
- Civil Court Case Files - Divorces Only · District Court1859–1917
- Marriage, Birth and Death Record · County Clerk1885–1886
- Vital Statistics Records · County Clerk1892–1909
- Births, Deaths and Contagious Diseases · City Clerk1909–1911
- Vital Statistics · City Health Officer1909–1911
Deeds and land
- Deeds - Index · Register of Deeds1857–1907
- Transcript of Lands · Register of Deeds1857–1870
- Deeds - Numerical Index · Register of Deeds1858–1968
- Transcript Deeds - Davis Co. to Riley Co. · Register of Deeds1858–1869
- Deeds · Register of Deeds1859–1902
- Mortgages - Index · Register of Deeds1859–1903
- Mortgages · Register of Deeds1859–1901
- Transcript Deeds Index - Davis Co. to Riley Co. · Register of Deeds1859–1880
- Sales of Real Estate - Guardians · Probate Court1885–1905
- Miscellaneous Records - Index · Register of Deeds1886–1892
Wills and estates
- Index to Probate Court Case Files · Probate Court1856–1939
- Probate Court Case Files · Probate Court1857–1939
- Wills · Probate Court1866–1921
- Probate Records · Probate Court1875–1918
- Inventories and Appraisements · Probate Court1880–1927
- Accounts - Administrators and Executors - Final · Probate Court1881–1917
- Sales and Sale Bills · Probate Court1881–1929
- Inventories and Appraisements - Minor Heirs · Probate Court1889–1942
- Accounts - Administrators · Probate Court1896–1921
- Accounts - Guardians · Probate Court1896–1918
- Letters and Bonds - Executors · Probate Court1897–1925
- Letters and Bonds - Administrators · Probate Court1909–1931
- Southern Arterial Development Files · City Administrator1978–1988
Naturalization
- Declarations of Intention and Final Papers · District Court1859–1892
- Miscellaneous (Naturalization) Record · District Court1859
- Naturalization Index Record - A · District Court1859–1978
- Declarations of Intention · District Court1865–1973
- Naturalization Record · District Court1892–1903
- Final Naturalization Record · District Court1903–1906
- Naturalization Petition and Record · District Court1906–1943
- Naturalization Petitions for Military Personnel and Declarations of Intention · District Court1918–1920
Military and pensions
- Military Service Discharge Records · Register of Deeds1919–1953
Court records
- City Commission Proceedings/Minutes · City Clerk1857–1993
- Appearance Dockets - Civil · District Court1859–1921
- General Index -- Civil Cases · District Court1859–1927
- Coroner's Record of Inquests · City Coroner1937–1949
- Minutes · Planning Commission1975–1988
- Urban Area Planning Board - Minutes · City Clerk1989–1993
Schools
- Teacher's Register - Hillside School District #11 · Superintendent of Public Instruction1889–1904
- School Annual Reports - Scholastic Census · Superintendent of Public Instruction1893–1910
- School District Files · Superintendent of Public Instruction1899–1967
- School District No. 16 - Treasurer's Record · Superintendent of Public Instruction1909–1925
- School District No. 16 - Classification and Attendance Record · Superintendent of Public Instruction1911–1930
- Teachers Certificates Register · Superintendent of Public Instruction1926–1931
- Teachers Examination Register · Superintendent of Public Instruction1926–1931
Town and city records
- Ordinances · City Clerk1858–1993
- Contagiouse And Infectious Diseases · City Health Officer1909–1916
- Resolutions · City Clerk1973–1993
- Down Town Mall Development Files · City Administrator1978–1988
County government
- Journals - Civil · District Court1859–1918
- Journals · Probate Court1866–1919
Other records
- Superintendents' Description Book · Superintendent of Public Instruction1861–1921
- Miscellaneous Records1869–1902
- Registers · Superintendent of Public Instruction1870–1931
- Normal Institute Registers · Superintendent of Public Instruction1880–1932
- Superintendent's Report · Superintendent of Public Instruction1880–1889
- General Office Files · Superintendent of Public Instruction1905–1966
- Contagious Disease Record · County Clerk1917–1921
- Normal Institute Fund · Superintendent of Public Instruction1926–1931
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
- Riley 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: Riley 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, Riley" 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: Created by the Kansas territorial legislature in 1855 from land not yet in any county
Later formed partly from Riley County: Pottawatomie 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.