Clay County was created on February 20, 1857 (Organized in 1866) as an Original County. The County Seat is Clay Center. The County was named for Henry Clay (1777-1852), stateman and senator from Kentucky.
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 P.O. Box 98, Clay Center, KS 67432-0098; Phone: (785) 632-2552.NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Clay County Clerks Officehas Birth Records from 1885-1900; 1906-11, Marriage Records from 1864 and Death Records from 1885-1911.
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.
Clay County Register of Deeds Officehas Land Records from 1866. Phone 785-632-3811
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.
Clay County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1866 and Court Records from 1868. 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 Clay County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Clay County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
Clay 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 Clay County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Maps. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Clay 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 Clay County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Clay 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.
Clay County, in the northeastern part of the state, is in the second tier of counties south of Nebraska, and its eastern boundary is about 100 miles west of the Missouri river. It is bounded on the north by Washington county; east by Geary and Riley; south by Dickinson, and west by Ottawa and Cloud, and has an area of 660 square miles. By an act of the first territorial legislature in 1855, the territory embraced within the present limits of Clay county was attached to Riley county for all revenue and judicial purposes. Subsequently Clay was attached to Geary county. In 1857 Clay was created and named in honor of the great compromise statesman, Henry Clay.
The first white men to visit this part of Kansas were the French, who about 1724, passed up the rivers seeking to open up trade with the Indians. In 1830, David Atchison, an adventurous pioneer, penetrated as far west as the present county of Clay. Col. John C. Fremont, in his expedition to the Rocky mountains in 1843 crossed what is now the southwestern part of the county, and in his report on June 11, 1843, says, "For several days we continued to travel along the Republican . . . on the morning of the 16th, the parties separated, and bearing a little out from the river . . . we entered upon an extensive and high level prairie."
Among the first permanent settlers were the Younkins brothers from Pennsylvania, who in April, 1856, entered land on Timber creek. Within a short time they were followed by J. B. Quimby and William Payne, who took up land on the west side of the Republican near the present site of Wakefield. The first actual settler on the site of Wakefield was James Gilbert, who located there in 1858. Mrs. Moses Younkins and Mrs. Quimby were the first white women in the county. In 1857 John Gill, Lorenzo Gates and a man named Mall located on Deep creek farther up the river, where Gatesville and Mall creek commemorate them. During the fall of 1857 and the spring of 1858 immigration was steady, some of the best claims being taken up by the new settlers. The first wedding occurred on Dec. 18, 1859, when Lorenzo Gates married Lucinda Gill. The first white child born in the county was Edward L. Younkins, whose birth occurred on Dec. 2, 1858.
The drought of 1860 almost entirely stopped immigration and the population of the county increased little until the close of the war. Then a second era of progress opened and many settlers entered land for permanent homes. When these pioneers came to Clay county, they found the land in the possession of the Kaw Indians, who were comparatively peaceful, but the settlers were so alarmed by reports of depredations in adjoining counties, that they left their homes and fled to places of safety. During the war between the Pawnees and Delawares, in the Smoky Hill valley in 1857, many of the pioneers sought refuge in Riley county, but returned when they were assured that the Indians would not wage war in their locality. Late in the summer of 1864, Indian troubles in Nebraska again frightened the settlers in Clay county from their homes. In the Historical Map Book of Clay county the following statement is made: "In Aug., 1864, the Indians made a raid on the settlers living on the Little Blue, in Washington and Marshall counties. The settlers from the northern part of Clay and the southern part of Washington county, fled from their homes and gathered at Huntress' cabin, where about 200 of them encamped for a month. . . . During the month the mail went no farther than the encampment; the postmasters took their respective mails and distributed them there." In 1868 the Indians left their reservations, committed depredations in Cloud, Washington and Republic counties and the frightened settlers hastened into Clay county from all directions.
At the outbreak of the Civil war Clay was still an unorganized county. with but few inhabitants, hence but 47 men responded to the calls for volunteers and enlisted in the Union army. The settlers, few as they were, were much depleted by the troublous times of the Civil war. In 1860 there were eleven families in what is now the Wakefield district, but by 1863 only two men were left, J. M. Quimby and Edward Kerby, while the only men left on Mall creek were Lorenzo Gates and John Butler.
Dr. Burt, who came to Kansas in 1868, gives the following description of the early settlements in Clay county: "In coming from Milford, the first house after leaving Mr. Hopkins' this side of the river, was Mr. Quimby's log cabin, then Mr. Todd's stone house, then an old fashioned log cabin where Mr. Payne's house now stands, then a log house at what is now Wakefield. The next house to the north was, I think, Harvey Ramsey's, and the next ones were in the Avery district, which seemed well on toward Clay Center. In Jan., 1870, there were no houses between Clay Center and Fancy creek, between Clay Center and Chapman's creek, nor between the head of Chapman's creek and Wakefield."
Prior to 1870, nearly all the settlements were made along the streams, as the early settlers did not believe farms would be opened on the upland during their lives. But in the fall of 1869, a party of English colonists located on the prairie between the Republican river and Chapman's creek, where they entered land and soon developed prosperous farms, the settlement becoming known as the Wakefield colony. (q. v.) The first blacksmith shop in the county was opened there in 1859. The first mail route in Clay county was established in 1862. The route ran from Manhattan to Clifton along the river valleys. The first postoffice was on Mall creek, and the first postmaster was Lorenzo Gates. The second was at Clay Center, with Orville Huntress as postmaster, and the third at Clifton, near the northern boundary, was kept by James Fox. The first carrier was James Parkinson, who made his initial trip on July 1, 1862. At first the service was weekly but soon changed to tri-weekly, and Junction City became the southern terminus.
The settlers of Clay county took deep interest in educational matters from the first, and in 1864 the first school house was built at Lincoln creek on government land. It was a rude structure of logs and was nearly completed when Samuel Allen went to the land office at Junction City and filed on the land, thus appropriating the school house as his personal property. This made it necessary to secure another school house and a log cabin was bought of F. Kuhnle. Mrs. Lack was engaged as teacher and opened the first school in 1865 when the first district was organized. The first physician in the county was Dr. J. W. Shepperd, who located there in 1862. Orville Huntress bought a stock of goods and opened a store in 1861, thus becoming the pioneer merchant of Clay county. About the same time he started the first hotel, where the military road crossed Huntress' creek. In 1865 the first sawmill was established on Timber creek by H. N. Dawson, and the same year the Dexter brothers started the first steam sawmill.
Dissatisfaction arose in 1866 in Clay county over the taxes imposed by the authorities of Geary county, and a meeting was held at the school house in Clay Center on July 28 to consider the question of organizing the county. At this meeting Orville Huntress was chosen chairman and George D. Seabury clerk. A committee, consisting of Lorenzo Gates, William Silvers, Joseph Ryan and John G. Haynes, was appointed to draft a petition and affidavit to be sent to the governor as required by law. On Aug. 10, 1866, the governor appointed Lorenzo Gates, William Silvers and Joseph P. Ryan county commissioners; George D. Seabury, clerk, and named Clay Center as the temporary seat of justice. At the first election on Nov. 6, 1866, the county seat was permanently located at Clay Center. The county officers elected at this time were Thomas Sherwood, Henry Avery and William Silvers, commissioners; S. N. Ackley, clerk; Orville Huntress, treasurer; S. N. Ackley, register of deeds; J. B. McLaughlin, surveyor; Russell Allen, sheriff; James Hemphill, coroner, and Orville Huntress, assessor. Lorenzo Gates was the first man to represent Clay county in the lower house of the state legislature and L. F. Parsons was the first state senator.
A stone court-house was erected by the Dexter brothers in 1868, and used until 1875, when the county offices and records were moved into the Streeter building. For a number of years the building used as a county jail was rented.
The first board of county commissioners divided the county into three civil townships, viz.: Sherman, in the northern part; Clay Center, in the central, and Republican in the southern part, each extending the full width of the county east and west. As population increased the original townships have been divided to form, Athelstone, Blaine, Bloom, Chapman, Clay Center, Exeter, Five Creeks, Garfield, Gill, Goshen, Grant, Hayes, Highland, Mulberry, Oakland, Republican, Sherman and Union.
The first term of the district court in Clay county was opened by Judge James Humphrey, Oct. 26, 1859.
The first railroad to enter the county was the Junction City & Fort Kearney (now the Union Pacific), completed to Clay Center on March 12, 1873, and terminated there until 1878. It crosses the eastern boundary about 7 miles north of the southern boundary and follows the river northwest through Clay Center to Clifton. The Kansas Central, at first a narrow gauge road, was built in 1883. It crosses the county from east to west about the center, passing through Clay Center, and now belongs to the Union Pacific. Since then a line of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific system has been built from southeast to northwest through the county, following the general course of the Republican river. The Missouri Pacific crosses the northern boundary near Vining, and a branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe crosses the southwest corner, giving the county over 95 miles of main track railroad within its boundaries.
The first issue of the Clay County Independent, edited by Houston & Downer, appeared on Aug. 20, 1871, being the first paper in the county. On Jan. 11, 1873, it was sold to J. W. Miller who changed the name to the Dispatch, the first number of which appeared March 12, 1873.
Rev. R. P. West of the Methodist church preached the first sermon in the county, but the Baptists were the first denomination to organize a permanent congregation. That was Aug., 1868, and the church was dedicated in Oct., 1874. The Presbyterian church of Clay Center was organized in the school house on April 1, 1871, and the first minister was J. D. Perring. Father Tichler established the Catholic church at Clay Center in April, 1877. Since then nearly all denominations have organized and erected churches in the county.
The surface of the county is rolling except in the north part of Oakland and the southern part of Five Creeks townships, which are high and rocky. The river and creek bottoms vary from half a mile to a mile in width and comprise about one-twelfth of the area. Timber belts are common along the streams and consist of cottonwood, red and white elm, oak, hackberry and locust. Sandstone and magnesian limestone are abundant, clay for brick and pottery is plentiful and red ochre and gypsum are also found. Agriculture is the principal occupation. Corn, winter wheat and oats are the chief crops, while in 1907 there were 150,000 bearing fruit trees, peach and apple being the leading varieties. The county stands well to the front in stock raising and dairy products.
Clay Center, on the Republican river, a little north and east of the center of the county, is the seat of justice and principal town and is the site of the county high school. Other towns of importance are Green, Idana, Industry, Morganville, Oakhill and Wakefield. The population of the county in 1910 was 15,251, and the value of the agricultural products, including live stock, was over $4,000,000.
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