Records that survive
These are the record series from Rush 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
- Miscellaneous Cemetery Indices · Library1875–2000
- Marriage Records · District Court1876–1927
- Civil Cases (Divorces only) · District Court1877–1915
- Cemetery Register · City Clerk1885–2000
- Vital Statistics Register - La Crosse · City Clerk1885–1911
- Birth Records · Cities1911–1933
- Death Records · City Clerk1911–1984
Deeds and land
- Deed & Mortgage Record · Register of Deeds1875–1925
- General Index to Deeds and Mortgages · Register of Deeds1875–1901
- Surveyors Record · Register of Deeds1875–1918
- Numercial Index to County Lands · Register of Deeds1879–2004
- Petition of Sale of Real Estate · District Court1891–1933
- Record of Sale of Real Estate Guardian · District Court1892–1930
- Plat Book · Register of Deeds1901
Wills and estates
- History of Estates · District Court1856–1917
- Settlement Docket · Probate Court1856–1917
- Probate Record · Probate Court1874–1889
- Record of Guardianship and Bonds · District Court1877–1920
- Record of Administration and Bonds · Probate Court1878–1916
- Record of Wills · District Court1881–1958
- Card File · Probate Court1882–2004
- Probate Court Journal · Probate Court1900–1908
- General Index · Probate Court2004
Naturalization
- Naturalization Index · District Court1856–1950
- Naturalization Declarations of Intention · District Court1882–1952
Military and pensions
- Military Discharge Record · Register of Deeds1917–1947
Court records
- Petition and Record · District Court1850–1950
- Appearance Docket · District Court1856–1917
- General Index · District Court1875–1949
- Coroner's Record · County Clerk1888–1914
- Case Files · Probate Court1917
Schools
- Scholastic Census · Register of Deeds1890–1923
- School District Boundaries · Register of Deeds1892–1947
- Enumeration (Census) Book · County Clerk1897–1933
Town and city records
- Numerical Index to City/Town Lots · Register of Deeds1886–2004
County government
- Journals · District Court1875–1883
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
- Rush 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: Rush 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, Rush" 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
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.