Ottawa County, Kansas Genealogy Facts and Records

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KS Court, Land & Wills

KS Public Records

KS Birth, Marriage & Death

Ottawa County History and Information

Ottawa County Facts

Click HERE to see full size D.O.T. County Map

Ottawa County was created on February 27, 1860 (Organized on 1866) from Saline County. The County Seat is Minneapolis. The County was named for the Ottawa Indian tribe.

Counties adjacent to Ottawa County are Cloud County (north), Clay County (northeast), Dickinson County (southeast), Saline County (south), Lincoln County (west), Mitchell County (northwest). Cities and Towns Include Minneapolis, Bennington, Delphos, Tescott, Culver. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

Kansas Settlers, 1854-1879: Listing of over 3200 early settlers of Kansas
The Ottawa County Official Government Website
Search the Kansas USGenWeb Archives
Ottawa County, Kansas History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Records at the Ottawa County Courthouse

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 307 North Concord Street, Minneapolis, KS 67467-2140; Phone: (785) 392-2279. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Ottawa County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1885-1911, Marriage Records from 1866 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.

Ottawa County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 1866.
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.

Ottawa County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1866 and Court Records from 1869.
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.

Click Here to Search Kansas Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Ottawa County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Ottawa 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
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)
Ottawa County, Kansas Court Books at Amazon.com

Ottawa County Tax Records

See Also Military Records in Kansas

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.

Below is a list of online resources for Ottawa County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Ottawa 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.
Kansas Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, 2601 Central Avenue, Dodge City, KS 67801; (620) 225-1951
National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, 1776 D Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006; Phone: (202) 628-1776
Kansas Society of Sons of the American Revolution
National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Kansas (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
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.
1883 List of Pensioners on the Roll - Veterans or widows of veterans living in Kansas who have applied for a Pension
Ottawa County, Kansas Military Books at Amazon.com

Ottawa County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Kansasa 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 Ottawa County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Ottawa County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Ottawa County Historical Museum,
Tescott Historical Society,
Local Kansas Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
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.)
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.
Kansas Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Ottawa County Church & Cemeteries

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.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Ottawa County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Ottawa 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 Ottawa County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Ottawa County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Kansas Obituary 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 Ottawa County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Ottawa County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Ottawa County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
Ottawa 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
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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.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Ottawa County, Kansas Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

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

Ottawa County, named for the Ottawa tribe of Indians, is located on the west side of the 6th principal meridian and is the third county from the Nebraska line. It is bounded on the north by Cloud county; on the east by Clay; on the south by Saline, and on the west by Lincoln and Mitchell. The extent of the county was described by the legislature of 1860 as including townships 9, 10, 11 and 12 south and ranges 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 west. The legislature at that time named as commissioners R. C. Whitney, Henry Martin and a Mr. Branch. The county was formally organized in 1866 in response to a petition from the citizens.

The first settlers in this district to make improvements were William Still, George Darling and a Frenchman named LaPere, who built cabins near the mouth of Coal creek (then Meyer's) and cultivated a garden in the year 1885. They were a part of the Reader colony which settled at Solomon City and at the junction of the Solomon and Smoky Hill rivers. In June, 1855, the Solomon valley was prospected as a locality for the settlement of a large colony from Ohio, but was not selected for the reason that it was considered unsafe, being beyond the frontier. LaPere, one of the first three settlers, was probably killed by the Indians. William Frost located near the mouth of Coal creek in 1858. A number of other men staked out claims but did not settle until the next year. The first to establish homes for families were S. M. Wright and E. W. Branch, near the present site of Minneapolis, in 1859. Others who came in that year were Jacob Humburger, H. R. Little, and Josiah Hocker. The drouth of 1860 checked immigration and the breaking out of the war the next year gave rise to numerous Indian raids which occurred at intervals from the fall of 1861 until about 1868. The settlers were driven out, but returned, and in 1864 banded themselves together for protection. A garrison was built on the Solomon river which was called Fort Solomon. Several log cabins were built within the enclosure and the settlers lived there during the summers of 1864 and 1865. The famous little gun known as "Jim Lane's Pocket Piece" was donated to the garrison by Maj.-Gen. S. R. Curtis.

After the war, the county was rapidly settled by discharged soldiers. In 1866 Seymour Ayres prepared the papers for the organization of the county, and Gov. Crawford appointed the following officers: J. H. Ingersoll, county clerk; Amasa May, Henry Dresher and A. J. Willis, commissioners. Ayersburg was named as the county seat. At the first election, held in Nov., 1866, the following officers were elected: G. R. Ingersoll, A. H. Boss and Silas Seaman, commissioners; H. S. Wooden, county clerk; George Culver, treasurer; D. Pierce, sheriff, and J. H. Ingersoll, county attorney. Minneapolis and Lindsey were in the race for county seat, the former being the winner. Two other county seat elections were held—one in 1870 and one in 1872—both giving Minneapolis a majority. For many years the county was without a building and rented quarters in Minneapolis.

Until the year 1868 the various Indian raids had resulted in the death of but one Ottawa county man, Peter Miller. In that year, however, two disastrous raids occurred. The first was in August, when much property was destroyed, but fortunately no one killed, though a number saved themselves only by great coolness and good judgment. In October a raid was made which resulted in the death of 4 men, Peter Kerns, an old gentleman by the name of Smith, Alexander Smith and John Andrews. Mr. Virtue and Mr. Morgan were wounded, and the wife of the latter carried away into captivity, from which she was rescued the following spring. The last raid occurred in June, 1869, when an attack was made on Summerville, where the Indians were repulsed by Ben Markley and a son of Capt. Pierce, on whose house the attack was made. At the same time the Smithville postoffice was burned and two young men—Mr. Dyer and John Weir—were killed.

Among the disasters, the first was the drouth of 1860, in which the settlers received relief to the extent of 10,810 pounds of provisions. The grasshopper raid in 1874, which devastated the whole state, killed all the vegetation in the county, and the people were again obliged to ask aid. A cyclone on Salt creek in May, 1879, resulted in the loss of 6 lives, the killed being Katie Krone, Mrs. Vosh, Anna Vosh, Mr. McCalmot, Jacob Garber, of Center county, Pa., and a party whose name is not known. A number of persons were seriously injured and the property loss was over $15,000. On the night of June 10, 1879, another cyclone, following the course of the Solomon river, wrought havoc through the center of the county. No lives were lost, but the property damage amounted to $26,000. On June 9, 1881, a third cyclone occurred in the southern part of the county, moving east from the Saline river. Six homes were destroyed and 3 people—Mr. and Mrs. L. F. Frothingham and George Combs—were killed. Many others were injured but recovered.

The first school in the county was taught at Concord in 1864 by Miss Charlotte Ingersoll. The first marriage occurred at old Fort Solomon in 1865 between D. W. Bruce and Matilda Jones. The first death was that of Mrs. E. W. Branch. The first birth was a son of Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Wright in 1859. The first sermon was preached at the house of Mrs. Boss at Fort Solomon, in 1865. The first justices of the peace were Seymour Ayres and John Knight. Two postoffices were established in 1864—one at Bennington with S. Z. Boss as postmaster, and the other at Ayresburg with J. C. Boblett as postmaster. The latter, with Israel Markley, built the first mill in the county at Elkhorn, and the first store in the county was opened by Col. John Kerwin at Fort Solomon in 1866.

The first railroad was the Solomon Valley branch of the Kansas Pacific. It was built to Minneapolis in 1877 and extended to the limits of the county two years later. Bonds to the extent of $100,000 were issued to aid in the building. This road, which is now the Union Pacific, enters the southeast corner and follows the Solomon valley northwest into Cloud county. Another line of the Union Pacific runs through the southwest corner of the county, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe crosses the central portion east and west.

Ottawa county is divided into 20 townships, viz: Bennington, Blaine, Buckeye, Center, Chapman, Concord, Culver, Durham, Fountain, Garfield, Grant, Henry, Lincoln, Logan, Morton, Ottawa, Richland, Sheridan, Sherman and Stanton.

The surface in general is undulating prairie with rough lands along the divides and slopes leading down to the bottom lands, which constitute about one-fourth of the total area of the county. Limestone, red sandstone, ocher, gypsum and potter's clay are plentiful. One of the geological curiosities of the state, known as the "City of Rocks," is located a short distance southwest of Minneapolis on the opposite side of the Solomon Valley. At one time it consisted of several hundred round and oval shaped rocks, varying in size from 2 to 15 feet in diameter. The material is a white flinty sandstone in thin layers or scales. A number of theories have been advanced to explain the formation.

The principal stream is the Solomon river entering the county in the northwest part and flowing in a southeasterly direction. Into it empty Pipe and Coal creeks from the east and Salt creek from the west. The Saline river crosses the southwest corner. The area is 720 square miles or 640,800 acres, of which 350,397 acres are under cultivation. The value of the farm products in 1910 was $4,423,784, of which wheat amounted to $862,082; corn, $1,192,308, and oats to $235,765.53. The value of animals sold for slaughter was $1,443,246. The total assessed valuation of property was $27,124,816. The population of the county was 11,811, making the average wealth per capita over $2,300.

County Courthouse

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