Records that survive
These are the record series from Washington 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 Records · Probate Court1862–1955
- Affidavits of Marriage · Probate Court1879–1899
- Vital Statistics Records · County Clerk1885–1911
- Applications for Letters and Affidavits of Death · Probate Court1887–1936
Deeds and land
- Deeds Records - Numerical Index · Register of Deeds1860–1936
- Deeds Records - Alphabetical Index · Register of Deeds1870–1901
- Deeds Records · Register of Deeds1870–1921
- Record of Bonds to Sell Real Estate · Probate Court1887–1929
- Guardians Records of Mortgages and Sales of Real Estate · Probate Court1891–1919
Wills and estates
- Probate Court Records - Index · Probate Court1857–1993
- Probate Court Records · Probate Court1865–1975
- Record of Inventory and Appraisement · Probate Court1868–1917
- Wills Records · Probate Court1868–1920
- Record of Administrators', Executors', and Guardians' Bonds · Probate Court1869–1886
- Probate Court Journals · Probate Court1870–1925
- Record of Notices · Probate Court1870–1925
- Probate Case Files · Probate Court1873–1919
- Record of Administrators' Accounts · Probate Court1879–1929
- Record of Guardians' Accounts · Probate Court1879–1923
- Inventory and Appraisement - Minors · Probate Court1880–1911
- Record of Administrators' Letters and Bonds · Probate Court1880–1929
- Record of Guardians' Letters and Bonds · Probate Court1880–1928
- Record of Sales and Sale Bills · Probate Court1880–1931
- and 2 more series in the full listing
Naturalization
- Naturalization Declarations of Intention · Courts1870–1941
- Naturalization Declarations of Intention · District Court1870–1941
- Naturalization Records - Index · District Court1870–1938
- Naturalization Petitions and Records · Courts1872–1928
- Naturalization Records - Final · District Court1872–1928
- Naturalization Records - Certificate Stubs · District Court1907–1928
- Naturalization Records · District Court1927–1940
Court records
- Civil Appearance Dockets · District Court1872–1953
- District Court Journals · District Court1872–1956
- Petitions, Motions, and Orders · Probate Court1887–1920
Schools
- Clerk's Register - Graham School · Superintendent of Public Instruction1888–1940
- School Annual Reports - Scholastic Census · Register of Deeds1911–1923
- School Register · Superintendent of Public Instruction1936–1940
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
- Washington 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: Washington 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, Washington" 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 (re-created in 1857; the first Washington County, created in 1855, covered different land)
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.