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Pawnee County History and Information |
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See Also Kansas Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
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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 715 Broadway, Larned, KS 67550; Phone: (620)285-3721. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Pawnee County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1880-1911, Marriage Records from 1873 and Death Records from 1880-1911.
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.
Pawnee County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 1872.
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.
Pawnee County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1872 and Court Records from 1873.
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 Pawnee County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Pawnee County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Pawnee County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Pawnee County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Vital Records in Kansas
Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
Office of Vital Statistics, 1000 S W Jackson, Suite 110, Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-1400 Info; (785) 296-3253.
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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 Pawnee County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Pawnee County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Census Records
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Pawnee 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 Pawnee 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.
See Also Statewide Records that exist for Kansas
Below is a list of online resources for Pawnee County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Pawnee 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
- Pawnee County, Kansas Census Books at Amazon.com

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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 Pawnee County Maps. Email us with websites containing Pawnee County Maps by clicking the link below:
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See Also Military Records in Kansas
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 Pawnee County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Pawnee 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
- Pawnee County, Kansas Military Books at Amazon.com

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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 Pawnee County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Pawnee County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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- 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

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See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Kansas
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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 Pawnee County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Pawnee 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 Pawnee County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Pawnee County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Pawnee County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Pawnee 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: [ Pawnee County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
- Pawnee 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
- Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
- 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
- Pawnee County, Kansas Family Books at Amazon.com

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Transcribed from Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. ... Standard Pub. Co. Chicago : 1912.
Pawnee County, in the western part of the state, is the fourth county north of the Oklahoma line and the fifth east from Colorado. It is bounded on the north by Rush and Barton counties; on the east by Barton and Stafford; on the south by Stafford and Edwards, and on the west by Hodgeman and Ness. The county was created in 1867 and named for the Pawnee Indians. As originally defined the boundaries were as follows: "Commencing where the east line of range 16 west intersects the 4th standard parallel; thence south to the 5th standard parallel; thence west to the east line of range 21 west; thence north to the 4th standard parallel; thence east to the place of beginning.''
The present boundaries were fixed in 1873. Gov. James M. Harvey issued the proclamation organizing the county on Nov. 4, 1872. It provided for a temporary county seat at Larned and appointed the following officers: County clerk, D. A. Bright; commissioners, A. H. Boyd, George B. Cox and W. A. Russell. At the general election, which occurred the next day, officers were chosen as follows: County clerk and clerk of the district court, George Nolan; register of deeds, county attorney and probate judge, D. A. Bright; sheriff, F. C. Hawkins; treasurer, W. A. Russell; superintendent of public instruction, Henry Booth; commissioners, A. H. Boyd, George B. Cox and W. S. Patton. Henry Booth was the first representative.
Fort Larned was established by the government in the fall of 1859 and the buildings completed in 1860, but no settlement was made until 1864. In that year Samuel Parker established a ranch about a mile and a half above the mouth of Pawnee Fork. The next year he built another ranch house farther up the stream, which he sold to Tortat & Fletchfield. In 1867 this ranch was in the hands of a Mr. Wagginer. whose wife was the first white woman in the county. The Indians ran off the stock and burned the buildings, and the ranch then came into the hands of A. H. Boyd, who was also harassed by the savages, in 1868 they ran off all his live stock. He took a man by the name of McGinnis with him to Fort Larned where they bought a team. On the way home the Indians killed McGinnis, took the horse which he rode, and Boyd barely escaped with his life. The last raid was in 1871, when 10 mules and 6 horses were run off from the Boyd ranch. Among other early settlers were John Haney, William White, Henry Booth, F. C. Hawkins, F. S. Burleson, T. McCarthy and George Nolan.
The first term of the district court was held in Oct., 1873, withJudge W. R. Brown on the bench. The same day that the grasshoppers visited Pawnee county in 1874, there was an Indian scare and the people from the outlying settlements traveled to Larned by night. A proposition to bond the county for $2,000 for the relief of the destitute was voted down at the November election. Several car loads of provisions and coal were received from the outside. In 1876 the first steam roller mill in the county was built at Larned.
In 1873 the county was divided into three townships. There are now 14, viz: Ash Valley, Brown's Grove, Conkling, Garfield, Grant, Keysville, Larned, Logan, Pawnee, Pleasant Ridge, Pleasant Valley, River, Valley Center and Walnut. The postoffices are Burdett, Frizell, Garfield, Larned, Point View, Ray, Rozel and Sanford. The main line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R. enters in the northeast and crosses southwest through Larned, where a branch diverges and runs west into Hodgeman county. A branch of the Missouri Pacific enters in the east and terminates at Larned.
The general surface is an undulating prairie, nearly level south of the Arkansas. The bottom lands comprise 25 per cent. of the total area, and along the Arkansas are 4 miles in width. The belts of native timber are very thin, but there are some artificial plantings. Magnesian and common limestone are in the north, and sandstone of a good quality is quarried near Larned. Potter's clay and ocher exist in small quantities. The Arkansas river enters in the south and flows northeast into Bourbon county. The Pawnee river enters in the west and flows east to Larned where it empties into the Arkansas. There are a number of creeks.
Pawnee is one of the principal wheat counties in the state, that crop in 1910 being worth to the farmers $3,505,632. Corn the same year brought $328,075; oats, $86,503; Kafir corn, $107,190; animals sold for slaughter, $237,023; eggs and poultry, over $200,000; dairy products nearly $200,000. The total value of farm products in 1910 was $4,169,735. The value of live stock on hand was $3,277,604. The land was not farmed until 1874, but was used exclusively for pasturing live stock. The assessed valuation of property in 1873 was $377,954; in 1876, $927,359; in 1882, $1,092,869, and in 1910, $22,419,895.
The population in 1873 was estimated at 150. In 1882 it was 4,323; in 1890 it was 5,204; in 1900, before the county had scarcely recovered from the hard times, the population was 5,084, and in 1910 it was 8,859. The average wealth per capita according to these figures is over $2,500.
County Courthouse
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