Sherman County, Kansas Genealogy Facts and Records

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Sherman County History and Information

Sherman County Facts

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

Sherman County was created on March 20, 1873 (Organized on 1886) from Unorganized Territory. The County Seat is Goodland. The County was named for General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), most famous for his scorched-earth tactics during the Civil War, during the march from Atlanta to the sea. As general commander of the U.S. Army after 1869, he asserted that the aim of Indian policy should be to place the tribes on reservations and make them stay there, and he directed the campaigns through the 1870s that put this policy into practice.

Counties adjacent to Sherman County are Cheyenne County (north), Rawlins County (northeast), Thomas County (east), Logan County (southeast), Wallace County (south), Kit Carson County, Colorado (west). Cities and Towns Include Goodland and Kanorado. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

Kansas Settlers, 1854-1879: Listing of over 3200 early settlers of Kansas
The Sherman County Official Government Website
Search the Kansas USGenWeb Archives
Sherman 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 Sherman 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 813 Broadway, Goodland, KS 67735-3056; Phone: (785) 899-4800. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Sherman County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1888-1911, Marriage Records from 1886 and Death Records from 1888-1911.
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.

Sherman County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 1888.
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.

Sherman County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1886 and Court Records from 1887.
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 Sherman County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Sherman 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)
Sherman County, Kansas Court Books at Amazon.com

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

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

Sherman County Historical Society, P.O. Box 684, Goodland 67735
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

Sherman 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 Sherman County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Sherman 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 Sherman County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Sherman 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 Sherman County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Sherman County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Sherman County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
Sherman County USGenweb Archives
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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
Sherman 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.

Sherman County, one of the western tier, the second south from Nebraska, is bounded on the north by Cheyenne county; on the east by Thomas; on the south by Wallace and Logan, and on the west by the State of Colorado. It was created in 1873 and named for Gen. William T. Sherman. The boundaries were defined as follows: "Commencing where the east line of range 37 west intersects the 1st standard parallel; thence south with said line to the 2nd standard parallel; thence west with said parallel to the west line of the State of Kansas; thence north on said line to the 1st standard parallel; thence east on said parallel to the place of beginning."

There were no settlers in the county at that time. The first town was laid out at the geographical center of the county about 1880 and was called Inez. It had disappeared, in name at least, before the county organization, which took place in 1886. The first newspaper in the county was the Voltaire Advertiser, founded in Dec., 1885, by Ernest J. Scott. In the spring of 1886 there was such an influx of new settlers that the population was sufficient for county organization. The citizens of Voltaire tried to bring about the organization before the newer settlers in the southwest part of the county were eligible to vote, hoping in this way to have their town made the county seat. In June they secured the appointment of O. T. McCormick as census taker and he was instructed to make all possible haste in the enumeration so that the election to complete the organization could be held not later than the middle of September. He did not make his returns until Aug. 30, and the people of Voltaire, learning that he had been given several lots in the town of Eustis, ascribed the delay to that fact.

The returns showed a population of 2,820, of whom 975 were householders. There was taxable property to the amount of $362,960, of which $129,320 was real estate. In order to delay the organization the Eustis men had claimed that there were less than 400 voters in the county. However, their petition to the governor asking that Eustis be made county seat had 2,500 names attached to it. The opponents of Eustis claimed that hundreds of these names were of people living in adjoining counties, but this was not proven and Eustis was made the temporary county seat. The following officers were appointed: county clerk, J. H. Tate; commissioners, L. J. Gandy, O. D. Dickey and R. R. Edwards. The other candidates for county seat were, Itasca, Shermanville and Voltaire. The first named town moved to Shermanville, which began to be called Sherman Center. An effort was made to get Voltaire to move, and the Voltaire newspaper was very much in favor of joining forces against Eustis and making Sherman Center the county seat. About half of the people of Voltaire moved but those who remained entered the town in the lists at November election, when Eustis won by 61 votes, and the following officers were elected: county clerk, G. W. Benson; sheriff, R. G. Albright; treasurer, J. E. Rule; superintendent of public instruction, F. S. Palmer; register of deeds, E. W. Penny; county attorney, W. K. Brown; probate judge, L. E. Tobias; clerk of the district court, P. C. Brown; surveyor, L. M. Harwood; coroner, A. E. Tice; commissioners, C. E. Bennett, John Bray and E. L. Lyons.

In the spring of 1887 Goodland was founded just south of the geographical center of the county and not far from Sherman Center. The latter town was induced to move to the new site. The county seat matter was again voted upon in Nov., 1887. The vote was not properly canvassed and a mandamus was issued by the supreme court the next spring to compel a canvass of all the returns of the election. It was found that Goodland had a majority and that town became the permanent county seat. Eustis moved to Goodland and the county seat contest was ended.

At their first meeting in 1886 the commissioners divided the county into 6 townships, Grant, Voltaire, Shermanville, McPherson, Itasca and Washington. Since that time, Iowa, Lincoln, Llanos, Logan, Smoky, State Line and Union have been organized, making 13 in all. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad crosses the center of the county from east to west, a distance of 36 miles.

The general surface is undulating prairie, with a few bluffs and some rough lands along Beaver creek and in the western part of the county. Lamborn (railroad name Kanorado) is the highest point in the state. Its altitude is 3,906 feet. Timber is scarce, existing only in thin belts along the north fork of the Smoky Hill river and on the middle fork of the Sappa. The north fork of the Smoky Hill enters near the southwest corner and flows across the southern portion into Wallace county. The north and middle forks of the Sappa have their source in the central part of the county and flow northeast across the eastern boundary. Beaver and Little Beaver creeks rise in the northern part and flow north into Cheyenne county. Limestone is found in the southwest.

In 1885 there were 2,605 head of live stock in the county valued at $12,138. The next year there were 4,409 head with a total value of $100,087. The field crops that year amounted to $82,628, the wool clip to $1,548, the produce to $2,000 and the milk sold to $100. In 1910 the value of live stock was $1,035,082, and the number of head was 19,756. The value of animals sold for slaughter in the same year was over $66,000; the value of corn, the largest field crop, was $158,214; barley, $126,694; wheat, $137,569; hay, $94,863; sorghum, $45,465; oats, $22,540; poultry and eggs, $18,203; dairy products, $53,230. The total value of farm products in 1910 was $776,149.

The population in 1890 was 5,261, nearly twice what it was in 1886. During the next ten years there was a decrease incident to poor crops and heavy immigration to the southwestern states and the population in 1900 was but 3,341. The last few years have seen an increase and in 1910 the number of inhabitants had reached 4,549. The assessed valuation of property in that year was $9,343,387. The average wealth per capita being $2,054, several hundred dollars above the average for the state.

County Courthouse

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