Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Clay County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Tax records
- Precinct Assessment Books · Assessment Records · RG254 · Subgroup ONE · Series ONE1872-1908
- Personal Assessment Schedules · Assessment Records · RG254 · Subgroup ONE · Series TWO1910-1960
- Special Assessment Of Livestock · Assessment Records · RG254 · Subgroup ONE · Series FOUR1917
- Tax Lists · Treasurer · RG254 · Subgroup TWO · Series ONE1872-1933
Military records
County government
- Mothers Pension Records · County Board Of Commissioners · RG254 · Subgroup THREE · Series FOUR1916-1935
- Council Of Defense · County Board Of Commissioners · RG254 · Subgroup THREE · Series FIVE1917-1919
- Road Overseers Records · County Board Of Commissioners · RG254 · Subgroup THREE · Series SIX1880-1898
Wills and estates
Court records
Naturalization records
Census records
- School Census · Superintendent Of Schools · RG254 · Subgroup EIGHT · Series ONE1872-1912
- School Census · Superintendent Of Schools · RG254 · Subgroup EIGHT · Series ONE1872-1912 1892 District #1 thru District #76
- School Census · Superintendent Of Schools · RG254 · Subgroup EIGHT · Series ONE1872-1912 1907 District #1 thru District #80
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected dated series headings from History Nebraska county government finding aids. These guides were revised at different dates and may describe missing film, closed records or records held elsewhere. Consult the linked PDF page and full guide, then confirm current access with History Nebraska. Undated and ambiguous headings were omitted.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Clay County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the register of deeds, the county clerk, the county court, the clerk of the district court and history Nebraska, and any online record search the county offers.
- The register of deeds
Deeds and other land records.
- The county clerk
Marriage licenses and records (some counties' early marriage records are at History Nebraska).
- The county court
Probate (wills and estates).
- The clerk of the district court
Divorces, naturalizations and civil and criminal cases.
- History Nebraska
In Lincoln: the State Archives, with county records, the state censuses and newspapers.
- History Nebraska (State Archives)free
The state historical society and State Archives in Lincoln, with county records, newspapers and photographs.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Nebraska, Clay" 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: Jones County (extinct)
Later formed partly from Clay County: Fillmore County
The Atlas data for Clay County begins in 1867, later than the 1855 date above, so this is the earliest boundary on file, not its original one.
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
Nebraska began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1904. Many settlers claimed land under the Homestead Act; their federal case files are at the National Archives and can name family and neighbors.