Lancaster County, Nebraska Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Lancaster County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected collection metadata checked against repository catalog descriptions. This is not a complete holdings audit, examination of original records, or certification of current access. See the access note for limitations. Repository catalog or holdings guide · Repository catalog or holdings guide

Formed: 1855
County seat: Lincoln

Lancaster CountyParent counties (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Lancaster County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Record type

Other records

Tax records

County government

Marriages, births and deaths

Deeds and land

Court records

Wills and estates

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

Lancaster 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, Lancaster" 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: Cass County, Pierce County (original, extinct)

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Cass County, Pierce County

Later formed partly from Lancaster County: Saunders County

Lancaster as created in 1855Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

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.