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Wallace County History and Information |
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Wallace County was created on March 11, 1868 (Abolished in 1879 and Re Established in 1889) from Unorganized Territory. The County Seat is Sharon Springs. The County was named for Gen. William H. L. Wallace. Commander of the Second Division at the Battle of Shiloh (6 Apr 1862), he was wounded in action and died a few days later, on 10 Apr 1862.
Counties adjacent to Wallace County are Sherman County (north), Logan County (east), Wichita County (southeast), Greeley County (south), Cheyenne County, Colorado (west), Kit Carson County, Colorado (northwest). Cities and Towns Include Sharon Springs and Wallace. See also County History and County Courthouse for more details.
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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 P.O. Box 70, Sharon Springs, KS 67758-0070; Phone: (785)852-4282. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Wallace County Clerks Office has Birth Records from 1880, Marriage Records from 1891-1911 and Death Records from 1891-1911.
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.
Wallace County Register of Deeds Office has Land Records from 18?.
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.
Wallace County Clerk of District Court has Probate Records from 18? and Court Records from 1884.
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 Wallace County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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 Wallace County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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 Wallace County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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 Wallace County, Kansas are 1870, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Wallace County, Kansas are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1870. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1870. 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 Wallace County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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
- Wallace 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 Wallace County Maps. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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 Wallace County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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
- Wallace 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 Wallace County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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 Wallace County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Wallace 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 Wallace County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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 Wallace County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Wallace 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: [ Wallace County ] [ Kansas ] [ Main Page ]
- Wallace 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
- Wallace 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.
Wallace County, one of the most western in the state, is in the third tier south from Nebraska. It is bounded on the north by Sherman county; on the east by Logan; on the south by Greeley and Wichita, and on the west by the State of Colorado. It was created in 1868 and named in honor of Gen. W. H. L. Wallace, a veteran of the Mexican war who died from wounds received in the battle of Shiloh, Tenn. The county first included all of the territory now comprised within Wallace and Logan and the boundaries were defined by the legislature as follows: "Commencing at the northwest corner of Gove county; thence west on the 2d standard parallel line to the west line of the State of Kansas; thence south on the west line of the state to the 3d standard parallel line; thence east on 3d standard parallel line to the west line of Gove county; thence north on said west line of Gove county to the place of beginning."
It was attached to Ellis county for judicial purposes. The Union Pacific R. R. was built through the county in 1868, which added to the number of settlers. In the summer a census enumeration was made showing a population of 609. It was sworn to by W. H. Bush, W. L. Todd and Richard Blake on Aug. 17, and on this showing Gov. Samuel J. Crawford, on the 25th of the same month, issued a proclamation organizing the county, designating Pond City as the temporary county seat and naming the following officers: County clerk, Welcome Hughes; justice of the peace, John Whiteford; commissioners, W. L. Todd, Richard McClure and Richard Blake.
The county government thus established was sustained until 1875. An election was held for county officers that year in which but 24 votes were cast. All of them were for Wallace for county seat. During the next few years no representative was sent to the legislature and the few people remaining in the county expressed a desire to be relieved of the burden of separate government. Accordingly the legislature in 1879 voted to dissolve the government, if the supreme court should decide that it had been fraudulently organized, as was claimed by some of the citizens. Meantime, in 1875, the boundaries of the county had been enlarged by a tract 52 miles long and 6 miles wide on the north and another 36 miles long and 6 miles wide in the east. In 1881 the county took its final form, the boundaries being redefined as follows: "Commencing at a point where the east boundary line of range 38 west crosses the 2d standard parallel; thence west along said 2d standard parallel to the west line of the state; thence south along said west line of the state to the 3d standard parallel; thence east on said 3d standard parallel to the point where said 3d standard parallel crosses the east boundary line of range No. 38 west; thence north on said range line to the place of beginning."
It was attached to Trego for judicial purposes, but in 1886 the citizens of Wallace county, wishing to resume separate government, asked for reorganization. The attorney-general looked into the matter and decided that no reorganization was necessary, giving it as his opinion that the county had never been disorganized by the supreme court. Accordingly those who remained of the county officers elected in 1875 resumed their duties at Wallace, the former county seat. Those present were commissioner, T. F. Hayes; county clerk, F. L. Amet; deputy county clerk, Charles J. Smith. They appointed James Yoxall and Lewis Winans county commissioners to fill the vacancies and voted to ask the governor to appoint Samuel A. Chisum as sheriff. The county was divided into voting precincts in preparation for the fall election. The element around Sharon Springs objected to this, but a mass meeting was held at Wallace and resolutions adopted that they recognized the county as organized and ordered that the regular election be held in November. The following officers were then elected: County clerk, I. T. Teeters; treasurer, George W. McEwen; sheriff, Samuel Chisum; attorney, Thomas D. Hamilton; clerk of the district court, George R. Allaman register of deeds, J. V. Campbell; superintendent of public instruction, Parminis Smith; coroner, H. H. Yost; surveyor, Thomas L. Dellinger; commissioners, Myner T. Griggs, Thomas Madigan and James Yoxall.
The Sharon Springs faction took the matter to the supreme court and in Jan., 1887, it handed down a decision that the county was not organized and that the officers were not legally elected. This was startling news to a number of couples who had been married by the probate judge, and who now feared that their marriages were not legal. The county government was set aside and Wallace again became attached to Trego county for judicial purposes.
In the fall of 1888 C. L. Vanderpool was appointed census taker. His report showed a population of 2,357, of whom 692 were householders. The assessed valuation of property was $327,618, of which $140,812 was real estate. In his proclamation issued Jan. 5, 1889, Gov. Martin named Sharon Springs as the temporary county scat and appointed as county clerk, Samuel L. Kay; sheriff, James Yoxall; commissioners, O. R. Brown, John W. Gessell and Myner T. Griggs. The commissioners met and divided the county into voting precincts. A bill was passed by the legislature granting to the commissioners the power to retain Sharon Springs as the county seat without an election for five years. This unusual proceeding caused great dissatisfaction in some parts of the county especially in Wallace, and the feeling ran very high between the two factions. At the special election, held on April 15, 1889, the Wallace faction voted for their own town which received 330 votes out of 606 which would have been sufficient to have made it the county seat. The Sharon Springs supporters did not vote on the county seat matter and would not recognize the question as being before the people. The following officers were elected: clerk, Edwin H. Soule; treasurer, John Zencker; probate judge, John M. Ewell; sheriff, Fred P. Manzer; attorney, Joseph M. Sanders; district clerk, John F. Stevens; superintendent of public instruction, James M. Robinson; surveyor, Thomas L. Dellinger; commissioners, Eden Lewis, George Robinson and James Yake.
The clerk, sheriff and district clerk being of the Wallace faction moved their offices to that town while the other officers remained in Sharon Springs. The sheriff called a special election for Sept. 18 to select a county seat. Wallace received 343 votes which would have made that town county seat under ordinary circumstances. The Sharon Springs faction did not vote. The supreme court decided that the county seat was at Sharon Springs and refused a rehearing of the case. A courthouse was built at that place and the county clerk was compelled to remove there with the records.
The population of the county in 1884 was 500; in 1890 it was 2,468; during the next decade there was a decrease to 1,178; but in the next ten years the population more than doubled, the 1910 census showing 2,759. Wallace county is divided into 7 townships, viz: Harrison, Morton, North, Sharon Springs, Stockholm, Wallace and Weskan. The Union Pacific R. R. enters on the east line, crosses southwest to Sharon Springs, thence west into Colorado. Magnesian limestone, native lime and gypsum are common.
The general surface is undulating with rough lands along the streams. Timber is scarce. Bottom lands average from one-fourth mile to one mile in width. The Smoky Hill river, which enters across the west line from Colorado, and its numerous branches form the water system.
The value of farm products was $384,671 in 1910, corn, the leading crop, being worth $55,206. The assessed valuation of property was $5,240,975.
County Courthouse
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