Comanche County, Kansas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |

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Comanche County was created on February 26, 1867 (Organized in 1885) from Peketon Territory. The County Seat is Coldwater. The County was named for the Comanche Indians, a nomadic tribe of buffalo hunters on the southern plains.

Counties adjacent to Comanche County are Kiowa County (north), Barber County (east), Woods County, Oklahoma (south), Harper County, Oklahoma (southwest), Clark County (west). Cities and Towns Include Coldwater, Protection, Wilmore. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

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Records at the Comanche County Courthouse

See Also Kansas Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

All Departments below can be contacted by clicking the link, by contacting the Phone number below for each department or contacting the County Courthouse at 201 S. New York, PO Box 776, Coldwater, KS 67029-0776; Phone: (620)582-2361. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Comanche County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1891-1908, Marriage Records from 1885 and Death Records from 1891-1905. Office 620-582-2361

The Register of Deeds shall have custody of and safely keep and preserve all the books, records, deeds, maps, papers and microphotographs deposited or kept in the office of the Register of Deeds. The Register of Deeds shall also record or cause to be recorded all deeds, mortgages, maps, instruments and writings authorized by law to be recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds and shall perform all other duties as are required by law.

Comanche County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 1885. Phone 620-582-2152

The Register of Deeds shall have custody of and safely keep and preserve all the books, records, deeds, maps, papers and microphotographs deposited or kept in the office of the Register of Deeds. The Register of Deeds shall also record or cause to be recorded all deeds, mortgages, maps, instruments and writings authorized by law to be recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds and shall perform all other duties as are required by law.

Comanche County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1885 and Court Records from 1885.

The Clerk of Court is part of the Judicial Branch of local government and as such is required to maintain a record of all documents filed with the courts, keep a record of all court proceedings, and collect various fines and forfeitures ordered by the court and specified by statute.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
  • Kansas Election List, 1854: Listing of voters from Kansas in 1854 taken from Congressional report in 1856
  • Kansas Voter Registration Lists, 1854-1856: Voter registration lists from the territory of Kansas between 1854 and 1856
  • Kansas Settlers, 1854-1879: Listing of over 3200 early settlers of Kansas
  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • Comanche County, Kansas Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
  • Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
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Comanche County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

For the most part, tax records remain at the local level. Assessment and tax rolls are kept, permanently, by the County Treasurer's office.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Comanche County Treasurers Office
    The County Treasurer's Office by Kansas State law is responsible for the tax billing, collection and distribution of tax money for the State, County, Cities and all other taxing entities that levy Ad Valorem and/or special assessment taxes.
  • Comanche County, Kansas Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Comanche County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Kansas

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! All Fees below cover a five-year record search – one certified copy is issued if the record is found and if not found, the fee is retained. You will receive either the certified copy or a letter explaining the search conducted and that no record was located. All Request Filled requests take 2-4 weeks when ordered by mail (Application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death) or 2-5 Days when you order ONLINE.

Office of Vital Statistics, 1000 S W Jackson, Suite 110, Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-1400 Info; (785) 296-3253. They have the following records:

  • Birth Certificates: In Kansas, Birth certificates began being filed with the Office July 1, 1911. The Kansas Historical Society and/or the County Clerk holds birth records before July 1, 1911.
    • Cost: $12.00 fee for a certified birth certificate copy is $7 for each additional copy of same record ordered at same time.
    • Delayed Certificates of Birth: are on file with dates of birth dating back to the 1860's. In 1940, statutory authority was received by the Office which allowed individuals still alive in 1940 and later with no prior birth record filed to submit certain documentation to file a Delayed Certificate of Birth. A request for a Delayed Certificate of Birth is made in the same manner as one for a regular birth certificate – just specify the date of birth. If the date specified is between the late 1860's and July 1, 1911, a Delayed Certificate of Birth search will be conducted.
  • Death Certificates: In Kansas, Death certificates began being filed with the Office July 1, 1911. The Kansas Historical Society and/or the County Clerk holds death records before July 1, 1911.
    • Cost: $13.00 fee for a certified birth certificate copy is $8 for each additional copy of same record ordered at same time.
  • Marriage Certificates: In Kansas, Death certificates began being filed with the Office May 1, 1913. The Kansas Historical Society and/or the County Clerk holds marriage records before May 1, 1913.
    • Cost: $12.00 fee for a certified birth certificate copy is $7 for each additional copy of same record ordered at same time.
  • Divorces: Divorce Certificates began being filed with this office July 1, 1951. The divorce decree is not filed with this office. The decree is the court document detailing the settlement of the divorce. The divorce certificate is completed by the plaintiff's attorney and contains only basic information – names of husband and wife, date of marriage, date of divorce, etc. Certified copies of divorce decrees are obtained from the Clerk of the District Court in the county where the divorce was filed.
    • Cost: $12.00 is the cost for the search, which includes one copy of the divorce certificate, if found. Additional copies of the same record, requested at the same time as the first, are $7.00 each.
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service
  • Order In Person: Go to Curtis State Office Bldg., 1000 SW Jackson, Ste. 120, Topeka, KS 66612. Open 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays.Payment made by cash, check, money order, or credit card.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Kansas newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Kansas Marriage Index, 1854-73: 22,000 records of Kansas marriages extracted from LDS records and newspapers
  • Comanche County, Kansas Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
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Comanche County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Kansas

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Comanche County, Kansas are 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Comanche County, Kansas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Kansas Census, 1850-90: This database contains indexes to the Kansas (U.S.A.) portions of the 1850-18700 U.S. Federal Censuses as well as to the 1855-1859 state and territorial census, and the 1890 Veterans Schedules. Information contained in these indexes can include name, state, county, township, year of record, and name of record set.
  • Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1915: This database contains state censuses for Kansas from 1855-1915. Information available in this database includes: name, age, gender, race, relationship to head of household, birthplace, marital status, and place of enumeration. Additional information about an individual may be listed on the original record.
  • Kansas Territorial Census, 1855: Index to persons whose names appear in the Kansas Territorial Census of 1855
  • Census Online - Kansas Census Records
  • The USGenWeb Archives Kansas CENSUS IMAGES PROJECT
  • Comanche County, Kansas Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
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Comanche County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Genealogy Atlases has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Kansas showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Kansas showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Kansas Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Maps. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Comanche County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Kansas

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Comanche County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Kansas Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Comanche County Historical Society, 410 South Baltimore, Box 177, Coldwater 67029
  • Kansas State Historical Society, 6425 SW 6th Avenue, Topeka KS 66615-1099
  • Kansas State Genealogical Society, 2109 Twentieth Avenue, Monroe, WI 53566
  • Kansas Genealogical Society, PO Box 103, 700 Avenue G and Vine Street, Dodge City, KS 67801; (620) 225-1951
  • National Archives - Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Kansas.)
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Kansas Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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Comanche County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Kansas

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Comanche County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Comanche County Tombstone Transcription Project.

The earliest churches were established among the native tribes settled in Kansas long before it was organized as a territory. The Methodist, Baptist, Society of Friends, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Congregational churches all had early missions which grew as the white settlers immigrated.

There is no central registry of cemetery locations in Kansas. The Woman's Kansas Day Club has identified and located many Kansas cemeteries. The project's results are at the Kansas State Historical Society which has additional collections of published cemetery inscriptions, though not comprehensive, listed in their card catalog.

The Register of Deeds in each county is often able to assist in locating cemeteries. Certain maps distributed by the Kansas Department of Transportation show the location of known cemeteries in relation to county roads.

Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Comanche County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Comanche County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

  • Search 60 Years Of Everton Data: For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
  • Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
  • Sites on USGenweb: [ Comanche County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
  • Comanche County USGenweb Archives
  • [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
  • Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
  • Kansas Family Group Sheets
  • Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
  • Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
  • Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
  • Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
  • Comanche County, Kansas Family Books at Amazon.com
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Extended History

 

Transcribed from Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912.

Comanche County, one of the southern tier, is the sixth county east of the Colorado state line. It was created by an act of the state legislature in 1867, which provided for the division into counties of all the unorganized part of the state east of range line 26 west, and was named for the Comanche tribe of Indians. The act provided the following bounds for Comanche county: "Commencing where the east line of range 16 west, intersects the 6th standard parallel, thence south to the 37th degree north latitude, thence west to the east line of range 21, thence north to the 6th standard parallel, thence east to the place of beginning." By political divisions, it is bounded on the north by Kiowa county; east by Barber south by the State of Oklahoma, and west by Clark county. Its area is 795 square miles.

Before the county could be organized it was required by an act of June 4, 1861, that a census be taken and that the county should show a population of "600 inhabitants, excluding Indians not taxed, and who are bona fide residents of the county and the United States."

Actual settlement was slow. The first real settlers entered land during the spring and summer of 1873, but only a few attempted farming. A number of "cow men" took possession soon after the land was ceded to the government by the Osage Indians, and ranged thousands of head of cattle over this and adjoining counties. Some of the stockmen organized a company which became well known as the Comanche Pool." Very few men took up land for agricultural purposes until the spring of 1884, when a rush for the most desirable land began. This influx of homesteaders, who broke and in many cases fenced their land, ended the career of the "cow men." By the close of 1885 practically all the good claims in the county had been taken up. A majority of these pioneers were men of small means, who came into the county to lay the foundations of their fortunes.

In 1884 G. W. Vickers of Harper, Kan., conceived the idea of laying out a town in the northern part of Comanche county, in company with Timothy Shields, J. P. Grove, Samuel Sisson, C. M. Cade and C. D. Bickford, all from Harper county. They preëmpted a section of land, had it platted off as a town site and named it after the town of Coldwater, Mich. Early the following year the county had the required number of inhabitants, who petitioned the governor for its organization, and on Feb. 27, 1885, it was organized with Owen Connaughton, George M. Morris and David T. Mclntire, commissioners and R. A. Crossman, clerk. Coldwater was designated as the county seat.

In 1887 a branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad was built across the northwest corner of the county, from northeast to southwest, through Coldwater. It turned the tide of emigration to Comanche county, and added materially to the population. This is the only line in the county and farmers in the southeastern portion have to drive a considerable distance to market produce and ship cattle.

When news reached Comanche county that part of the Indian Territory was to be thrown open to settlement in April, 1889, the same restless, adventurous spirit that brought many of the settlers there in 1884 impelled them to take their worldly possessions and move to the new land of promise. When, in the spring of 1892, the Cheyenne and Arapahoe country was thrown open the depopulation of the county continued. In 1888 the assessors' report showed a population of 5,636, while that of 1890 was only 2,498. Hard times came with the dry years from 1891 to 1897, when crops were either a complete or partial failure, and the retrogression of the county reached its climax in 1896, when the population fell to only 1,269. During these years when the settlers were leaving, fields lay untilled, homes were abandoned and property values depreciated. The so-called "Cattle Barons" fenced in all the land within reach for pasture. They paid light taxes, owned little land and ranged large herds at will. The many streams afforded fine water for the stock, cattle brought a good price, and these may be called the palmy days of the second generation of the "cow men," some of whom held the land so long that they seemed to think they had an indisputable right to it. By their influence and activity in local politics, they managed to secure the election to the principal county offices men who were friendly to their claims, and the homesteader who wished to locate in the county found everything against him. This domination of the cattle men lasted until late in the '90s, when gradually but surely, the farmers began to gain in numbers and influence, and resettlement by small landholders began in earnest in the spring of 1905. Men in adjacent counties who had not sufficient land, removed to Comanche, which is becoming one of the leading agricultural counties of southwestern Kansas, and ranks especially high in stock raising.

The pioneer papers of Comanche county were the Western Star, edited by W. M. Cash and W. T. Willis, and the Coldwater Review, owned and edited by Edward C. Austin. The first churches in the county were the Methodist and Presbyterian. George M. Norris and Dr. Lambart were the pioneer merchants. The county is divided into the following townships: Avilla, Coldwater, Irwin, Logan, Nescatunga, Powell, Protection, Rumsey, Shimer and Valley. Coidwater, the county seat, is the largest town and commercial center. It is a few miles northwest of the center of the county.

The general contour of the county is level except where the land breaks into bluffs along some of the larger streams. The valleys and second bottom lands are alluvial deposits and very fertile. The many streams are fringed with narrow belts of timber, chiefly cedar, walnut, elm and cottonwood. Sandstone, mineral paint and gypsum are plentiful, while salt springs are numerous in the southwestern portion. The Cimarron river flows southeast across the southwest corner of the county. Its principal tributaries in the county are Calvary creek, which flows south through the western part. The eastern portion is well drained by Mustang, Nescatonga, Indian and Big Mule creeks, all of which are tributary to the salt fork of the Arkansas river. A pamphlet issued by the state department of agriculture, entitled, "Kansas, Her Story and Statistics," stated that in 1907 there were 32 organized school districts in the county and a school population of 597. The population in 1910 was 3,281, a gain of 1,682 during the preceding ten years, or more than 100 per cent. The assessed value of property was $9,242,528, a per capita wealth of over $3,200, and the value of farm products for the year was $1,491,801.

County Courthouse

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