Brown County was created on August 25, 1855 as an Original County. The County Seat is Hiawatha. The County was named for Albert Gallatin Brown (1813-1880), United States senator from Mississippi at the time of the Kansas-Nebraska Act OR it was named for O. H. Browne, a member of that legislature.
Counties adjacent to Brown County are Richardson County, Nebraska (north), Doniphan County (east), Atchison County (southeast), Jackson County (southwest), Nemaha County (west). Cities and Towns Include Everest, Fairview, Hiawatha, Horton, Leona, Morrill, Powhattan, Reserve, Robinson, Willis
The county name was spelled Browne in the original statute, but the county seal omitted the 'e', as have all subsequent statutes. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.
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 601 Oregon Street, Hiawatha, KS 66434-2241; Phone: (785) 742-2581.NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Brown County Clerks Officehas Birth Records from 1885-90; 1907-11, Marriage Records from 1857 and Death Records from 1885-90; 1907-11.
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.
Brown County Register of Deeds Officehas Land Records from 1857.
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.
Brown County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1857 and Court Records from 1859. 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 Brown County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Kansas Election List, 1854: Listing of voters from Kansas in 1854 taken from Congressional report in 1856
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 Brown County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Brown 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.
Click Here to Search Kansas Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Office of Vital Statistics, 1000 S W Jackson, Suite 110, Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-1400 Info; (785) 296-3253.
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.
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 On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.
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 Brown County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kansas Voter Lists & Census Records! - 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Brown 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.
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 Brown County Maps. Email us with websites containing Brown County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kansas Military Records! - 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. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Brown County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Kansas Civil War Soldiers: Listing of over 20,000 men who served in the Union Army from Kansas, 1861-1865
Leavenworth, Kansas Veterans, 1915-16: One of the oldest and most important communities in Kansas, Leavenworth has been home to thousands of military veterans. This database is a listing of residents of the Western Branch of the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers between 1915 and 1916.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Kansas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
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 Brown County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Brown County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Kansas Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Kansas Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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.
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 Brown County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Brown County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kansas Family Tree Records! - 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 Brown County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Brown County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Kansas Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Transcribed from Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912.
Brown County, one of the northern tier, was created by the first territorial legislature with the following boundaries: "Beginning at the northwest corner of Doniphan county; thence west 24 miles; thence south 30 miles; thence east to the west line of Atchison county; thence north to the northwest corner of Atchison county; thence east with said north line of Atchison county to the southwest corner of Doniphan county; thence north with said west line of Doniphan county to the place of beginning."
In all the places where the name appears in the act of 1855 it is spelled "Browne." It was named for Albert G. Brown, United States senate from Mississippi, who spelled his name without the final "e." Dr. J. H. Stringfellow, a member of the Kansas legislature of 1855, stated that the county was named after O. H. Browne, a member of the house from the Third representative district, but the final "e" was dropped in the spelling of the name, by subsequent legislatures.
On Sept. 17, the commissioners of Doniphan county passed the following resolutions: "That the county of Brown be and is hereby organized as a municipal township to be known as Brown county township," and ordered that the election for a delegate to Congress be held at the house of W. C. Foster, on the south fork of the Nemaha. The commissioners also appointed William C. Foster and John C. Bragg justices of the peace and William Purket constable. The following summer an order was issued to survey the boundaries between Doniphan and Brown counties, which was done, but in 1858 the legislature transferred some of the territory of Brown to Jackson county, which left it in its present shape; an exact square 24 miles each way. In September Brown county was divided into two townships, Walnut and Mission.
Brown county is bounded on the north by the State of Nebraska; on the east by Doniphan county; on the south by Atchison and Jackson, and on the west by Nemaha county. It has an area of 576 square miles and is divided into the following townships: Hamlin, Hiawatha, Irving, Mission, Morrill, Powhattan, Robinson, Walnut and Washington. It is well waterered by Cedar creek in the southwest, Wolf creek in the east, and numerous other creeks, the most important of which are Pony, Walnut, Roys, and Craig.
The surface of the county is gently undulating. The creek bottoms average about half a mile in width and all the streams are fringed with belts of timber, the principal varieties being oak, walnut, honey-locust, hackberry, sycamore, elm, box-elder and basswood. Limestone is abundant and sandstone of a good quality is found, both of which are quarried for local use. Two mineral springs in the western part of the county are claimed to have medicinal properties. Brown is one of the leading agricultural counties, corn, winter wheat and oats being the largest crops. It is also a good horticultural region, and there are over 200,000 fruit trees of bearing age.
According to Morrill's History of Brown County, one of the overland routes, the "California Trail," (q. v.) "wound along the divides passing Drummond's Branch, crossed the western part of the present site of Hiawatha, followed the divide between the head waters of Wolf and Walnut, and left the county near the present site of Sabetha."
Some of the first settlers in Brown county were Missourians who marked claims and then returned home to spend the winter, while others from a greater distance made permanent settlements. As early as April 10, 1854, William Gentry and H. C. Gregg settled in Powhattan township. On May 11, 1854, Thurston Chase and James Gibbons located on Wolf creek. They were followed by William and James Metts, who settled in what is now Hamlin township. On Aug. 3 E. R. Corneilison entered a claim on Walnut creek and the following March brought his family to the new homestead. His brother William also came at that time. W. C. Foster came to Brown county in the fall from Nemaha. John Belk, his sons, William and King, and Thomas Brigham settled near Padonia and Jacob Englehart settled on a farm not far from the present town of Hiawatha.
Early in the spring of 1855, the settlers on Walnut creek formed a protective association, elected officers and made rigid laws for the purpose of enforcing the right of actual settlers and prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors to the Indians. The first trial under these laws took place at the house of Jesse Padon, on the bank of the Walnut. Complaint was made against Robert Boyd and Elisha Osborn for selling liquors to the Indians and sixteen settlers gathered, determined to enforce the law, the only settler absent from the gathering being ill. Although the accused were not present, the trial proceeded, they were declared guilty and the verdict rendered was that their stock of liquors should be destroyed and that they should each pay a fine of $20. Padon was appointed to execute the order of this court and was accompanied by all the settlers to see the decree enforced. Boyd and Osborn kept their liquors at the edge of Pilot Grove, some 3 miles from Padonia. When Padon informed them of the decision of the court they declared themselves willing to give up the liquor and pay the fine, but upon promise to sell no more to the Indians, they were allowed to remain in the county and retain the liquor, though they paid the fine.
The first white child born in the county was Isaac Short, who was born in Aug., 1855. The first marriage was that of Hiram Wheeler and Elizabeth E. Root on July 30, 1857. The first school was taught in 1856 in a log cabin erected the year before on John Kerey's farm and John Shields was the first teacher. The cabin was also used as a church as the first religious services in the county were held there soon after it was built. A Methodist minister named Allspaugh held services in a grove near John Belk's farm house in 1855. Early in 1857, the Methodists organized a church at the house of William Belk, and a Baptist minister held services at the residence of E. H. Niles.
A branch of the underground railroad was established through Brown county for fugitive negroes, and many of them were passed over this line by John Brown and other anti-slavery men.
Early in the spring of 1857, quite a colony came from Maine, among them George Ross, J. G. Leavitt, I. P. Winslow, Noah Hanson, W. G. Sargent and Sumner Shaw. The Iowa Indian trust lands lying in Brown county were advertised for sale to the highest bidders on June 4, 1857. They sold rapidly, but eventually most of the lands fell into the hands of speculators, some of the settlers leaving as soon as they perfected title to their claims, without making any permanent improvements.
The first 4th of July celebration was held by a public gathering on the farm of John Powe on Mulberry creek in 1857. Sometime during the summer of that year Philip Weiss contracted to make a weekly trip to Iowa Point to bring the mail. This was probably the first mail route in the county and was purely a private enterprise. He used a team of horses and a lumber wagon for his trips, and carried passengers, express and freight as well as mail. An act of 1855 provided for a mail route from St. Joseph via Highland to Marysville, Kan., but it was not started until 1858. On Aug. 8, 1857, the first postoffice was established at Claytonville, with George E. Clayton as postmaster.
On Feb. 14, 1857, the state legislature detached Brown from Doniphan county and located the temporary county seat at Claytonville. The act also provided for the election of three commissioners to locate a permanent county seat. The new board of commissioners organized on March 16, 1857, and among other business divided the county into four municipal townships, Iowa, Claytonville, Walnut Creek and Lachnane. On March 31 the commissioners held a second meeting and appropriated $500 to build a court-house on the north square in Claytonville—a frame building 20 by 30 feet—to be ready for occupation by June 1, and William Oldham was appointed to build it.
At the election on Oct. 5, the free-state men carried the county by a vote of 136 to 72, F. N. Morrill being elected to the legislature by the counties of Brown and Nemaha. On Nov. 16 the free-state board of county commissioners organized when Ira H. Smith was chosen county surveyor; David Peebles, clerk; and John S. Tyler, assessor. At the election I. P. Winslow, Isaac Chase and I. B. Hoover were chosen commissioners to locate the permanent county seat. They met on Dec. 14 at Swain's store and the first ballot resulted, Padonia 1, Hiawatha 1, and Carson 1. The following day the board visited the town sites of Carson, Hamlin, Padonia and Hiawatha. Padonia offered to donate a square of ground and a $3,000 court-house; Hiawatha offered to erect a building 20 by 30 feet for a court-house and donate every alternate lot of the town site, and Carson offered one-half of the lots in the town site and $1,500 in labor and building material. A second ballot resulted the same as the first, but on a third two votes were cast for Carson and 1 for Padonia. The county seat, therefore, was removed to Carson, but it did not remain there long, as the next legislature passed an act providing for an election to submit the question to a vote of the people, which resulted in 128 votes for Hiawatha and 37 for Carson, with a few scattering. On May 25, 1858, the county commissioners appropriated $2,000 for building a court house with jail and offices attached. On Oct. 4, 1877, the county commissioners decided, "That a proposition be submitted to the people on the 6th day of November, authorizing the board to build a court house, the cost not to exceed $20,000." This measure was approved by the people and the commissioners, early in 1878, contracted with E. T. Carr of Leavenworth for its erection.
At the outbreak of the Civil war nearly one-half the voters in the county entered the army, forming a party of Company I, Thirteenth Kansas infantry, and in 1864, the militia was ordered to gather at Atchison. The Hiawatha company consisted of 6 men; the Walnut creek company of 41, and Robinson company of 100. Upon their departure to the front the homeguard was organized and within twenty-four hours had an enrollment of 79 men.
The first newspaper, the Brown County Union, was established by Dr. P. G. Parker in the spring of 1861, at Hiawatha, but the office was destroyed by fire the following winter. On Aug. 20, 1864, H. P. Stebbins started the Union Sentinel and the third paper, the Hiawatha Dispatch, made its appearance in 1870.
There are three lines of railroad in the county with over 97 miles of main track. The St. Joseph & Grand Island enters the county on the east, about midway north and south, crosses in a northwesterly direction through Hiawatha and enters Nemaha county. A line of the Missouri Pacific, built in the early '80s, crosses the northern boundary about the center, passes through Hiawatha and leaves at the southeast corner. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific road enters in the south, branches at Horton near the southern boundary, one line leaving near the southeast corner, the other traversing the county in a northwesterly direction and connecting with the main line in Nebraska. Hiawatha, the county seat, is a large shipping point for all agricultural products and has several factories, but Horton in the south is the largest town in the county, and has the repair shops of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific road located there, and is also the division point of that road.
In 1910 the population of Brown county was 21,314, and the total value of farm products, exclusive of live stock, was $2,921,381. The principal crops were corn, $1,920,240; hay, including all kinds, $428,716; oats, $394,522; Irish potatoes, $63,578; wheat, $37,614.
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