Records that survive
These are the record series from Saline 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 Records1860–1992
- Marriage License Affidavits1864–1950
- Marriage License Card Index File1864–1943
- Divorce Case Files1866–1916
Wills and estates
- Probate Court Case Files1867–2003
- Probate Court Case Files Index1867–1934
- Record of Appraisement and Sale Bills · Probate Court1872–1897
- Register of Wills and Documents · Probate Court1887–1942
- Record Of Inventories · Probate Court1901–1914
Court records
- Civil Case Files1865–1916
- Salina City Council Minutes1868–1984
- Judge's Criminal Dockets1870–1942
- Mayor's Docket · Police Court1870–1884
- Criminal Appearance Dockets · District Court1872–1977
- Civil and Criminal Docket · Justice of the Peace1878–1897
- Dockets · Police Court1884–1930
- Civil Appearance Dockets · Justice of the Peace1891–1929
- Criminal Appearance Dockets · Justice of the Peace1893–1929
- Judge's Civil Dockets1901–1939
- Juvenile Court Journal · Probate Court1921–1959
- Juvenile Court Record · Probate Court1922–1951
- Civil Appearance Dockets1929–1969
- Criminal Appearance Dockets1929–1977
- and 1 more series in the full listing
Schools
- Record Books - School District #16 · Superintendent of Public Instruction1870–1939
- Records of Pliny School District No. 29 · Superintendent of Public Instruction1872–1924
- School Enumerations · Superintendent of Public Instruction1911–1922
Town and city records
- Warrant Registers · City Clerk1875–1944
- Ordinance Record1876–1947
- Police Blotter · Police Court1912–1925
- Resolutions #1-3900 · City Clerk1913–1987
- Accounts Ledgers · City Treasurer1921–1938
- Building Permits Record · City Clerk1932–1940
- Miscellaneous Records · City Clerk1943
County government
- Miscellaneous Financial Register · City Treasurer1932–1945
- Financial Report · Salina1938–1939
Other records
- Pumping Record · Public Works1908–1922
- Accounts Ledger · Engineer1911–1916
- Meter Record · Public Works1911–1940
- Accounts Received and Disbursed · Public Works1916–1925
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
- Saline 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: Saline 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, Saline" 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: Land not yet in any county
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1860, 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.