Lyon County, Kansas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Breckinridge County was created on August 25, 1855 (Organized on 1859) as an Original County. The County Seat is Emporia. The County was named for John C. Breckinridge (1821-1875), congressman from Kentucky and subsequently vice-president of the United States under James Buchanan from 1857 to 1861. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1860, he was expelled the following year for supporting the rebellion; he served as a major-general in the Confederate Army and briefly as the southern Secretary of War. Breckinridge County was renamed Lyon County due to Breckinridge's political sympathies.

The Territorial Legislature of 1855 organized Breckinridge County, attaching it to Madison County for civil, criminal, and military purposes. Agnes City was the first county seat. It was during 1858-59 that the bitterest fight occurred between Americus and Emporia over the location of the county seat; Americus won by a total of 14 votes.

Although a courthouse was not erected in Americus, it continued to be regarded as the county seat up until the general election of 1860. Emporia received 384 votes for the honor, Americus 141, Fremont 73, Breckinridge Center 14, and Forest Hill 1. This election decided the matter.

The first school in the county was opened by Rev. G.W. Torrence in the summer of 1858. In October of that year, Miss Mary Jane Watson opened a free school in Emporia.

In 1861, Madison County was abolished, and its northern part was given to Breckinridge.

The County's Name changed to Lyon County, on February 05, 1862, In honor of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon (1818-1861), who became the first Union general to die in battle in the Civil War when he was killed in action at Wilson's Creek, Missouri, on 10 Aug 1861.

Counties adjacent to Lyon County are Wabaunsee County (north), Osage County (northeast), Coffey County (southeast), Greenwood County (south), Chase County (west), Morris County (northwest). Cities and Towns Include Emporia, Americus, Olpe, Hartford, Neosho Rapids, Reading, Allen, Admire, Bushong. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

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Records at the Lyon County Courthouse

Lyon County Tax Records

Lyon County Vital Records

Lyon County Census Records

Lyon County Maps & Atlases

Lyon County Military Records

Lyon County Genealogical Addresses

Lyon County Church & Cemeteries

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

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Lyon County, Kansas Family Books at Amazon.com

Extended History

Lyon County was originally known as Breckenridge County. With the secession of the South, however, the residents of the county changed the name to Lyon in honor of Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union General killed in the War Between the States. The late Walter M. Anderson, an area historian and photographer, documented the early days of the county, and how Emporia became the county seat. The following is an explanation Mr. Anderson compiled regarding those early days of the county.

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

Lyon County, created as Breckenridge county (q. v.) by the first territorial legislature, was not organized until 1858, and did not assume its present boundaries until 1864. These boundaries are as follows: Wabaunsee county on the north; Osage and Coffey on the east; Greenwood on the south, and Chase and Morris on the west. In 1862, the former vice-president Breckenridge having become a secessionist, the patriotic anti-slavery legislature changed the name of the county to Lyon, in honor of Nathaniel Lyon, the Union general who had lost his life at Wilson's creek the previous August.

The first settler was Charles H. Withington, who located in the extreme northern part of the county on the Santa Fe trail, a short distance south of the present town of Allen, in 1846. He opened a store in 1854, which was the first one in the county, and also the only one in southern Kansas outside of the regular Indian posts. His store was a hotel as well as a supply station. Mr. Withington was influential in the settlement of the county and prominent in all public affairs. In April, 1855, Oliver Phillips located on One Hundred and Forty-second creek. He was elected to the legislature in 1859; was a delegate to the Osawatomie convention, and repeatedly held county offices. Chris Ward and J. S. Pigman came about the same time. Others who came during the same year were: Charles Johnson, James Pheanis, David Vangundy, John Rosenquist, Joseph Moon, Rev. Thomas J. Addis (at that time the only free-state man), Lorenzo Dow, R. H. Abraham, William Grimsley, Thomas Shockley, Joseph Hadley, William H. Eikenbery, Joel Halworth, Dr. Gregg, Mr. Carver, James Hendricks, Albert Watkins, John Fowler, G. D. Humphreys and L. H. Johnson. These, with very few exceptions, settled along the creeks in the northem half of the county.

A number of new settlers came in 1856, and a much larger number in 1857. The problem of securing mail now became a serious one. Previous to this time the mail for the settlements had been thrown off the Santa Fe coaches at Mr. Withington's place and was distributed by a horseman at private expense. When the government began giving them their mail by way of Jefferson City and Council Grove and established a postoffice at Columbia, there was a great deal of dissatisfaction, as the settlers did not wish to trust the pro-slavery men who handled it. Finally they secured a box at Lawrence, where all mail was sent, and thence brought by private conveyance to the hotel at Emporia. John Fowler, the postmaster at Columbia in the fall of 1857, resigned and the office was moved to Emporia, where W. H. Fick became postmaster. In August hack lines were established to Topeka and to Lawrence. A great deal of the mail was lost, there being about three bushels of mail belonging to Emporia lying at Osawatomie in Jan., 1858. The next year regular mail routes were established from Council Grove to Fort Scott by way of Emporia, and from Lawrence to Emporia. In Aug., 1860, there were tri-weekly coaches from Lawrence. By March, 1861, Emporia was receiving ten mails per week from different points.

The first school was established in 1858 and taught by Rev. G. W. Torrence. The first newspaper was the Emporia News, founded in 1857 by Hon. P. B. Plumb under the name of the Kansas News. (See Newspapers.) The first sawmill was built by G. D. Humphreys on the Cottonwood river in 1857. The first marriage was between Charles Carver and Sarah Vangundy in Jan., 1856. The first birth was in 1856 in a family by the name of Hennick. The first assessment of property was made in 1858, but was of little value, as the assessor is said to have been prejudiced.

Nearly all authorities give 1858 as the date of organization of the county, although an election for county officers was held on Oct. 6, 1857, which resulted in the election of the Americus ticket as follows: Probate judge, A. I. Baker; sheriff, E. Goddard; treasurer, N. S. Storrs; clerk and recorder, C. V. Eskridge; surveyor, Mr. Voke; coroner, W. B. Swisher; commissioners, H. W. Fick and William Grimsley. Prior to Oct., 1858, the county seat was at Agnes City, which was the residence of Arthur I. Baker, whom the legislature had appointed probate judge. The first term of district court was held on Dec. 20 at Amencus, Judge Elmore presiding. At the general election of 1860 Emporia was chosen as the permanent county seat. Other early towns which figured in the contest were: Fremont, 8 miles north of Emporia, founded in 1857; Waterloo, on the State road 15 miles north of Emporia, laid off in 1858; and Forest Hill, east of the Neosho river opposite the junction, founded in 1858.

In 1860 there were 3,500 inhabitants in Lyon county, but the drouth of that year so discouraged the settlers that many returned east and those who stayed saw actual want and suffering in spite of the relief obtained from Atchison. The next year the breaking out of the war put an end to the already paralyzed activity in business and industry.

The first military company to leave for the seat of war was the "Emporia Guards" in May, 1861. They numbered 50 men and had been drilled by W. F. Cloud, a veteran of the Mexican war. The company took part in the engagement at Wilson's creek, Mo., in August. A. J. Mitchell raised a company of artillery numbering 47 men. L. T. Heritage recruited a company for duty within the state, which became Company B of the Eighth regiment. In the fall of 1862, in response to President Lincoln's call for more troops, 150 Lyon county men immediately offered their services. They were recruited by P. B. Plumb and formed a company in the Eleventh regiment. Soon afterward they were engaged in a battle at Prairie Grove, where several were killed. In 1864, when Gen. Price threatened Kansas, 300 more answered the call to repel the invasion. They were in active duty about a month. Besides this the men of Lyon county played their part in protecting their homes and in driving out hostile Indians in the west and southwest and the bushwhackers in the south.

A number of tragedies occurred in connection with the guerrilla activities between pro-slavery and anti-slavery bands. One of these was the death of Mrs. Carver, who was killed by a free-state mob from Topeka. She was in bed, and the men, on being refused admission to the house, fired into the building at random, two of the shots taking effect in her body. In 1862 occurred the most noted raid in the history of the county. Judge A. I. Baker had called the notorious "Bill" Anderson, his father and brother Jim, horse thieves, and later was obliged to shoot the elder Anderson in self-defense. About the same time a Mexican who belonged to the Anderson gang was hanged by a mob at Americus. A few weeks later the Andersons, with four others, one of whom represented himself to be Quantrill, came to the Baker home, persuaded him to go to his store to get them some whiskey, and just as he was going down the cellar steps shot him a number of times. He drew his revolver and inflicted a flesh wound upon Jim Anderson. The ruffians shot Baker's brother-in-law, Segur, and threw him into the cellar. Then they piled boxes on the cellar door and set them on fire. Baker died before the fire reached him, and Segur escaped by a back window but died a few hours later. All of Baker's property was destroyed by fire and his horses stolen. After a number of other robberies the guerrillas came to the residence of C. H. Withington at Allen. Here they placed all the men under arrest, took what they wanted and destroyed some property. Mr. Withington escaped death through the intercession of Quantrill. At Elm creek they attacked the house of a Mr. Jacoby, whose life was saved by a Santa Fe train which happened to be passing.

The first efforts to secure a railroad were in 1864, but it was not until 1870 that the first road was built. This was the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, which runs south from Topeka. The county issued $200,000 in bonds to aid in its construction. A like amount was voted to the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, which crosses the county in a southeasterly direction and which was built in the same year. Another line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe from Kansas City enters the county in the east and crosses into Chase county. A third line runs from Emporia south into Greenwood county. The Missouri Pacific crosses the northern part from east to west.

The general surface of the county is prairie, with but few bluffs. The principal streams are the Neosho river, which runs across the county in a southeasterly direction; the Cottonwood river which crosses from west to east and joins the Neosho just above Neosho Rapids; and numerous creeks, of which Duck, Dows and Eagle are the most important. The timber belts along these streams average one-half mile in width, and contain the following varieties: oak, walnut, cottonwood, hickory, elm, hackberry, coffee-bean and locust. Magnesian limestone and sandstone are abundant, and a good quality of potter's clay is found between the Neosho and Cottonwood rivers. The bottom lands along the rivers and creeks comprise about 15 per cent. of the total area.

Lyon is one of the two leading counties in the production of Kafir corn. In 1910 this crop amounted to nearly $300,000. Corn the same year brought $1,750,000; oats, $130,000; wheat, $40,000; tame grass, $170,000; and wild grass, $260,000. Live stock netted $1,630,000; poultry and eggs, $180,000. The total output of the farms for the county that year was nearly $4,500,000. About 400,000 acres are under cultivation. There are 300,000 fruit trees, two-thirds of which are apples. Lyon is the foremost county in the state in the production of live stock. The population, according to the census of 1910, was 24,927. The assessed valuation of property in the same year was $38,600,000.

County Courthouse

Breckenridge County was organized in 1855. For a time, the new county was attached to Madison County for "Civil/Criminal and Military Purposes." Columbia was designated as the county seat, but no county business was transacted.

On February 17, 1857, Waterloo was declared the county seat. About this same time, Breckenridge County was detached from Madison County. Also, about this time, Americus was established and was a candidate for the county seat.

With the election in the autumn of 1858, Americus was voted to become the county seat.

The south county line of Breckenridge was originally located at Logan Avenue in Emporia. Emporia, with aspirations to become the county seat, secured the southern county line three miles north of the town of Madison. Thus, Emporia became nearer the geographical center of the county.

In the year of 1860, it was voted and Emporia carried 155 votes over Americus, to become the new county seat of Breckenridge County.

The stone courthouse of Breckenridge County, located on the northwest corner of Third Avenue (the Santa Fe tracks) and Commercial Street, was built in the year of 1866 at a cost of $19,795.00. The plans for the courthouse were furnished by John Hammond. The contract for the building went to Dr. Thomas Armor and Perry B. Mazson. Peter B. Hughes and Richard Howl did the stonework. George Plumb burned the lime that was used for the mortar in the construction of the building.

The stone courthouse was used until about 1902 when a new courthouse was erected on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Commercial Street.

Lyon County, Kansas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Records at the Lyon County Courthouse

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

Lyon County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Lyon County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Kansas

Lyon County Census Records

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

Lyon County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Lyon County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Kansas

Lyon County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Kansas Genealogical Addresses

Lyon County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Kansas

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Extended History

Lyon County, Kansas History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

Records at the Lyon County Courthouse

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

Lyon County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Lyon County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Kansas

Lyon County Census Records

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

Lyon County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Lyon County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Kansas

Lyon County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Kansas Genealogical Addresses

Lyon County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Kansas

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Extended History

Lyon County, Kansas
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy