Rush County, Kansas Genealogy Facts and Records

Start your family tree. We'll start searching. It's FREE. - Enter a few simple facts about recent generations of your family. We'll use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.

SEARCH THIS SITE

SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS IN THESE KANSAS GENEALOGICAL DATABASES:

KS Court, Land & Wills

KS Public Records

KS Birth, Marriage & Death

Rush County History and Information

Rush County Facts

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

Rush County was created on February 26, 1867 (Organized on 1874) from Unorganized and Peketon Territory. The County Seat is LaCrosse. The County was named for Alexander Rush, captain of Co. H, 2nd Kansas Colored Infantry, who was killed in action at Jenkins' Ferry, Ark., on 30 Apr 1864.

Counties adjacent to Rush County are Ellis County (north), Russell County (northeast), Barton County (east), Pawnee County (south), Ness County (west). Cities and Towns Include La Crosse, Otis, Bison, McCracken, Rush Center, Liebenthal, Timken, Alexander. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

Kansas Settlers, 1854-1879: Listing of over 3200 early settlers of Kansas
The Rush County Official Government Website
Search the Kansas USGenWeb Archives
Rush 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 Rush 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 P.O. Box 220, La Crosse, KS 67548-0220; Phone: (785) 222-2659. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Rush County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1895-1911, Marriage Records from 1874 and Death Records from 1886-1911.
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.

Rush County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 1874.
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.

Rush County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1876 and Court Records from 1875.
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 Rush County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Rush 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)
Rush County, Kansas Court Books at Amazon.com

Rush 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 Rush County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Rush 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
Rush County, Kansas Military Books at Amazon.com

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

Rush County Historical Society, 202 West 1st, Box 473, La Crosse 67548
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

Rush 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 Rush County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Rush 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 Rush County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Rush 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 Rush County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Rush 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: [ Rush County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
Rush 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
Rush 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.

Rush County, west of the central part of the state, is the fifth county north from Oklahoma, the fourth south from Nebraska, and the sixth east from the west line of the state. It is bounded on the north by Ellis county; on the east by Barton; on the south by Pawnee, and on the west by Ness. It was named in honor of Capt. Alexander Rush, who was killed at Jenkins' Ferry, Ark. The boundaries were described in the creative act as follows: "Commencing where the east line of range 16 west crosses the 3d standard parallel; thence south to the 4th standard parallel; then west to the east line of range 21 west; thence north to the 3d standard parallel; thence east to the place of beginning." By an act of the legislature in 1873, the southern tier of townships was taken off and the present boundaries established.

The first settlers came in 1870. They were William Basham, Adolph Ashoft and P. C. Dixon. The first family was that of I. S. Templeton, who came in Sept., 1871. His son was the first white child born in the county. Other early settlers were A. A. Stilson, F. E. Garner, A. Harvey, James Corrall and Joseph Shaw Brown. The first church services were held in 1873 by Rev. A. Hartman, a Methodist minister. The first marriage was that of Adolph Ashoft and Dora Gein in Dec., 1872. The first postoffice was Economy in Pioneer township, established in 1871 with N. S. Gilbert postmaster. The first newspaper was the Walnut Valley Standard, started at Rush Center by W. P. Tomlinson in 1874. It was taken to La Crosse in the spring of 1877. The Rush County Progress was founded in Rush Center, but was taken to La Crosse when the county seat was moved to that place. The first store was a grocery, established in Center township in 1874 by John Hubbard.

County organization was effected in 1874. William S. Wood was appointed census taker in September. He made his report in December and Gov. Thomas A. Osborn issued a proclamation organizing the county, naming Rush Center as the temporary county seat, and appointing the following officers: County clerk, Frank E. Garner; commissioners, P. C. Dixon, John Shaftsbury and Frederick R. Smith. At the first election the following officers were chosen: Commissioners, Frederick R. Smith, T. S. De La Plaine and Levi Cline; county clerk Allen McCann; treasurer, John Felch; register of deeds, George W. Cooley; surveyor, Eugene N. Gunn; sheriff, P. H. Mosier; coroner, T. S. Clark; superintendent of public instruction, John Hargrave; probate judge, J. E. Mill; county attorney, W. E. Dawson, clerk of the district court, Frank E. Garner.

It is not reported how this election resulted with regard to the county seat, but it evidently left the matter undecided, as the records remained at Rush Center (then called Walnut City), and in 1877 another election was held, when La Crosse was made the county seat and the official county paper was moved from Rush Center to that place along with the county records. Another election was held in 1878. Rush Center had a few more votes and the records were taken back to that place, but La Crosse took the matter to the district court on charges of fraud. The opposition made no answer and judgment was rendered in favor of La Crosse on default. The records were then taken to that place, the removal occurring about the first of the year 1883. Rush Center took the case to the supreme court, where the decision was rendered in favor of that town in 1886. This gave rise to a new county seat election. Under the law a petition of two-thirds of the legal voters was necessary to secure a special election in this case. The petition was secured and the election was held on Aug. 23, 1887, resulting in favor of La Crosse. Rush Center then took the matter to the court, alleging that the petition was not secured according to law. In March, 1888, the court found that the petition was legal and issued a writ of mandamus to have the county records moved to La Crosse. Accordingly a large body of citizens from that place went over in wagons and, aided by about 50 farmers, took forcible possession of the county property and conveyed it to La Crosse where it has since remained.

While all this was going on, the county was steadily building up. In 1877 out of 460,800 acres of land there remained but 150,000 taken. The population of the county was 2,000, a great many of the inhabitants having come in that year. The county indebtedness was $4,727. There were 16 organized school districts, and the assessed valuation of property was $176,033. There were 1,000 head of live stock. Five years later the live stock had increased to 13,000 head, the taxable property to $329,301, the number of organized school districts to 46, and there were teachers' normals being held during vacations.

In 1875 the county was divided into 4 townships; in 1878 there were 8; in 1880 there were 13, and in 1910 there were 15, as follows: Alexander, Banner, Belle Plaine; Big Timber, Brookdale, Center, Fairview, Garfield, Hampton, Illinois, La Crosse, Lone Star, Pioneer, Pleasant Dale and Union. The postoffices are Alexander, Bison, Hampton, Hargrave, La Crosse, Liebenthal, McCracken, Nekoma, Otis, Rushcenter, Shaffer and Timken.

The county is crossed by two railroads, both of which enter on the east line from Barton county. The Missouri Pacific runs west and northwest through La Crosse, the county seat, which is in the central part. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe from Great Bend crosses about 8 miles from the southern line, through Rush Center.

The general surface is tillable prairie. Bottom lands average one mile in width and comprise about 20 per cent. of the area. The streams are fringed by thin belts of timber, the chief varieties being ash, elm, cottonwood, walnut, hackberry and box-elder. Walnut creek, the principal stream, flows from west to east, somewhat south of the center. Sand and Otter creeks are the most important tributaries. Big Timber creek in the northwest flows northeast and empties into the Smoky Hill river. Magnesian limestone is common. Shell-rock limestone, potter's clay and gypsum are found in some localities.

The value of farm products in 1910 was $3,619,191. The leading field crops are, wheat, which in 1910 was worth $2,438,765; corn brought $409,344; oats, $115,610; Kafir corn, $95,250; hay, $142,769; animals sold for slaughter, $113,440; poultry and eggs, $86,145; and dairy products, $94,908. The value of live stock on hand was $1,786,875. The assessed valuation of property was $16,351,545. The population in 1875 was 451; in 1878 it was 2,794; in 1890 it was 5,204; in 1900 it had increased to 6,134, and in 1910 it was 7,826. The average wealth per capita was $2,075.

County Courthouse

Your user agent does not support frames or is currently configured not to display frames.