Stafford County, Kansas Genealogy Facts and Records

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Stafford County History and Information

Stafford County Facts

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

Stafford County was created on February 26, 1867 (Organized on 1879) from Unorganized Territory. The County Seat is St. John. The County was named for Capt. Lewis Stafford of Co. E, First Kansas Infantry, who was accidentally killed at Young's Point, La., on 31 Jan 1863.

Counties adjacent to Stafford County are Barton County (north), Rice County (northeast), Reno County (east), Pratt County (south), Edwards County (west), Pawnee County (west). Cities and Towns Include St. John, Stafford, Macksville, Hudson, Seward, Radium. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.

Kansas Settlers, 1854-1879: Listing of over 3200 early settlers of Kansas
The Stafford County Official Government Website
Search the Kansas USGenWeb Archives
Stafford 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 Stafford 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 209 N Broadway, Saint John, KS 67576; Phone: (620) 549-3509. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Stafford County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1886-93, Marriage Records from 1879 and Death Records from 1886-89.
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.

Stafford County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 1879.
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.

Stafford County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 1879 and Court Records from 1879.
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 Stafford County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Stafford 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)
Stafford County, Kansas Court Books at Amazon.com

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

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

Stafford County Historical And Genealogical Society, 100 South Main, Box 249, Stafford 67578
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

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Stafford County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
Stafford 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
Stafford 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.

Stafford County, in the southwestern section of the state, is the third county north of the Oklahoma line, and its western border is about 175 miles east of Colorado. It is bounded on the north by Barton county; on the east by Rice and Reno; on the south by Pratt, and on the west by Edwards and Pawnee. The legislature of 1870 defined the boundaries of Stafford county and named it in honor of Capt. Lewis Stafford, of the First Kansas infantry. In 1875, in an effort to obliterate it, the legislature gave a portion to each of three surrounding counties, Pawnee, Barton and Pratt. However, a strip 6 miles wide and 12 miles long remained and was still called Stafford. In 1879 the supreme court decided that the act of the legislature dividing the county was unconstitutional and the original boundaries were restored.

In the meantime the settlers had been coming in and improving the land. The first ones came in 1874, among whom were, John Birbeck, Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Hoole, whose son, born the next year, was the first white child born in the county, Martin Fitzpatrick, James O'Connor, Elisha, Edward and F. Williamson, Abraham Lash, H. Campbell, J. C. Stone, R. MI. Blair, Jesse Vickers, E. B. Crawford, Edwin Hadlock and W. Z. Nutting. Some dozen families located the same year in the eastern portion of the county, forming what was known as the Missouri settlement, and a few families located near the site of St. John. In the spring of 1875 a colony of Mormons, comprising 40 families, located where St. John now stands and founded Zion Valley. A postoffice was established there and the prophet of the community, William Bickerton, was postmaster. In 1876 a few people moved into the northeastern portion of the county, locating in the vicinity of "Salt Marsh." A company was organized to manufacture salt, but the enterprise did not pay and was abandoned. The first school house was erected that year and Miss Ella Miller was the first teacher. During the next two years a great many new settlers located in the county and by 1879 the population was sufficient for organization.

In response to a memorial Gov. St. John appointed a census taker. A public meeting was held in Zion Valley church on May 31 to choose men to be recommended to the governor for temporary officers and to decide upon a place for temporary county seat. The governor acted upon the choice made at this meeting and in his proclamation issued in July designated St. John as the temporary county seat and appointed the following officers: County clerk, Frank G. Fox; commisisoners,[sic] M. B. Walker, Frederick Baumgardner and J. C. Townsley. The first election was held in August and resulted in the choice of the following officers: County clerk, S. M. Nolder; treasurer, J. B. Smith; probate judge, George W. Hovey; register of deeds, Berlin Zenor; sheriff, J. W. Miles; clerk of the district court, George W. Bausman; attorney, F. M. Morgan; coroner, W. S. Tyrrell; surveyor, H. L. Fitch; superintendent of public instruction, N. L. D. Smith; commissioners, G. M. Detwiler, Frederick Baumgardner and J. C. Townsley; representative, C. M. Johnson. The candidates for county seat were, St. John, Stafford, Newburg, Livingston and Center. Out of a total vote of 822 St. John received 411, lacking one of having a majority. It was continued as the temporary county seat, and a special election was held on April 5, 1882, to decide the matter. A cyclone struck Stafford at 4 p. m. that day, destroying the ballot box, so that there was no returns from that township, and another election was ordered to be held on April 14. The candidates were St. John, Stafford and Bedford. No place received a majority. Another vote was taken on April 18, with Bedford eliminated. St. John received a majority and became the permanent county seat.

The storm which destroyed the ballot box at Stafford wrecked every building and scattered household goods and merchants' stocks to the four winds. It was followed the same season by a storm in Richland, which killed and wounded a large number of people, besides leaving many families homeless. Considerable property and growing crops were destroyed in Hayes and Cooper townships, but no lives were lost.

The first newspaper in the county was the Stafford Citizen, established by T. L. Kerr in 1877. At their first meeting the commissioners divided the county into 7 townships, Hayes, Seward, Lincoln, St. John, Clear Creek, York and Stafford. Cooper township was organized a few months later. Since that time 11 more have been organized, Albano, Byron, Cleveland, Douglas, Fairview, Farmington, Ohio, Putnam, Richland, Rose Valley and Union. The postoffices are, Dillwyn, Hudson, Macksville, Neola, St. John, Seward, Stafford and Zenith. A cut-off branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad from the main line at Hutchinson enters on the eastern border and crosses west through Stafford and St. John into Edwards county. A branch of the Missouri Pacific northwest from Winfield enters in the southeast and crosses west and northwest into Pawnee county.

The general surface is rolling prairie, well adapted to cultivation. Bottom lands average one mile in width and comprise 15 per cent. of the area. The native timber is limited to a few cottonwoods along Rattlesnake creek, which is the principal stream. It enters in the southwest, flows northeast across the center of the county and leaves at the northeast corner. There is plenty of building stone, clay for bricks and gypsum, and a salt marsh is in the northeast.

In 1882 the number of acres of land under cultivation was 142,992. The area under cultivation in 1910 was 370,734. The value of the products in that year was $3,303,412. Wheat, the leading crop, brought $1,879,970; corn, $626,769; Kafir corn, $91,500; hay, $157,636; animals sold for slaughter, $265,071; poultry and eggs, $76,440; dairy products, $81,160. A great many more sheep were raised in the early days than at present. In 1910 the live stock numbered 42,566 head with a valuation of $2,382,742. There were 35,000 head of live stock in 1882, 30,000 of which were sheep. The number of bearing fruit trees in 1882 was 7,191; the number in 1910 was 120,000. The acreage of artificial forest in 1882 was 1,244, the value of farm implements in use was $23,496. The assessed valuation in 1910 was $26,622,334. The population in 1880 was 4,746; in 1890, 8,520; in 1900, 9,820; and in 1910, 12,510, showing a steady increase by decades, although there were years during the '80s and '90s when the population decreased. The average wealth per capita is several hundred dollars above the average for the state.

County Courthouse

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