Barber County Court House, Medicine Lodge, Kansas
Photo by Nathan Lee, October 2006.

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Barber County, Kansas, was created in 1867 from Harper County, Kansas; the county seat is Medicine Lodge, Kansas. -- The Handy Book For Genealogists, 7th edition, Everton Publishers, Logan, Utah, 1981.

For all counties in Kansas, birth and death records since July 1, 1911; marriages since May 1, 1913; and divorces since July 1, 1951 are obtainable at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of Vital Statistics, Topeka, Kansas 66620. Records are indexed alphabetically by year.

The forms needed to order records from the Office of Vital Statistics are available online from The Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment Office of Vital Statistics. Another source of these forms is vitalrec.com.

Research

For vital records before the dates given above, and for probate, land records and other civil records, contact the appropriate office at the:

Barber County Courthouse
120 East Washington Street
Medicine Lodge, KS 67104-1421
Phone: (620) 886-3961.   Fax: (620) 886-5425.

To locate the names of current county officials and contact information for them, use the following Google search results:
"Barber County" +courthouse

If you want to find an obituary or news articles, start by checking this List of Barber County Newspapers to locate the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm reel number the item you're seeking is likely to be on. Links to information on borrowing microfilms through interlibrary loan are on the aforementioned page.

You will often read references to people in Barber County "homesteading" their land. Barber County was NOT settled under the provisions of the Homestead Act. Barber County is part of the Osage Diminished Reserve Lands. For more information, see the following page on the Comanche County, Kansas: History & Genealogy site: The Osage Diminished Reserve Lands.

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Collected Death Notices for Barber County, Kansas

Collected Marriage Notices for Barber County, Kansas

Petition for Incorporation of Sun City, 15 Jan 1886.

Corporations in Sun City, Kansas, courtesy of Kim Fowles.

James Anderson Court Case 1902

William Twombley Court Case 1903

Barber County Photos

Free Irish Genealogy Ebooks

Great Flood of 1885

Kansas Historical Society

Kansas State Library

Earl Kuhn - Western Artist

Lincoln Library - Medicine Lodge

Linkpendium - Barber County KS

Medicine Lodge History   Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty

National Register of Historic Places in Barber County

Obituaries of Kansas

Tornado of 1927

Tornado of 1944

USGW Special Projects

Wichita State University Special Collections   Images

Historic People

David Nation - Husband of Carry A. Nation

Business

Barber County Newspapers:

Barber County Index, 106 W. First, Medicine Lodge, KS 67104.
Phone: (620) 886-5617.

Gyp Hill Premiere, 110 N. Main, Medicine Lodge, Kansas 67104.
http://www.gyphillpremiere.com/
Phone: 620-886-5654.   Fax: 620-886-5655.

Kiowa News, 614 Main Street, Kiowa, KS 67070.
http://www.kiowanews.com/
Phone: (620) 825-4229

Barber County Libraries:

Hardtner Public Library, P. O. Box 38, Hardtner, KS 67057.
Phone: 620-296-4586.

Kiowa Public Library, 123 N. Seventh, Kiowa, KS 67070.
Phone: (620) 825-4630.

Lincoln Library, 201 N. Main, Medicine Lodge, KS 67104.
Phone: (620) 886-5746. Fax: (620) 886-9985.

Wisner Library, Sharon, KS 67138

Barber County Museums and Historical Societies:

Carrie Nation House, Highway 160, Medicine Lodge, KS 67104.
Phone: (620) 886-3908.

The Stockade Museum, Highway 160, Medicine Lodge, KS 67104.
Phone: (620) 886-3417.

Kiowa Historical Museum, 107 N. 7th, Kiowa, KS 67070.
Open: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Phone: (620) 825-4727.

Kiowa School Museum, 5th and Miller, Kiowa, KS 67070. Open by appointment.

KGS Online Catalog     Includes listings of historical records for Barber County, Ks, held by the Kansas Genealogical Society.

Records available through interlibrary loan from The Kansas State Historical Society:

* 1937-1938: Barber County farm directory,
    call# K/910.1/F229/-B23/1937-1938.
* 1949: Medicine Lodge city directory,
    call# K/910/-M46/1949.
* 1963: Barber County farm directory,
    call# K/910.1/F229/-B23/1963.

Indian Lodge at Medicine Creek, Kansas -- Scene of the Late Indian Peace Council
Harper's Weekly, October 16 - 26, 1867.
Sketch by J. Howland.

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Index to articles on this site about the Medicine Lodge Peace Council and Peace Treaties

Adjutant General's Muster Rolls & Payrolls for the Barber County Mounted Guards Under Captain L.H. Bowlus in 1874. (partial listing)

The Great Flood of April 21, 1885, Barber County, Kansas.

Women's Suffrage, 1887 news articles collected and contributed by Kim Fowles.

The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation, by Carry A. Nation, Revised edition, 1905.

Roster of the Names of All the Old Cowboys I Knew by T.J. Dyer

Memoirs of Phoebe (Rogers) Gibson:
The Early Days of Barber County, Kansas
Barber County Index, May 16, 1929.

Barney O'Conner Tells of Indian Scraps Here:
Early Day Character Relates Incidents From Fund of Pioneer Knowledge
Barber County Index, March 27, 1930.

Lee Wynkoop: "Recalls Narrow Escape From Indians"
(Undated newspaper clippings.)

Ten Bears, Comanche Chief, Made an Eloquent Address At The Medicine Lodge Peace Council
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

"The Medicine Lodge Peace Council", New York Daily Tribune Report
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

"The Medicine Lodge Peace Council": A Graphic Description of Famous Peace Council By An Eye Witness, Gov. A. A. Taylor of Tenn.
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

The Medicine Lodge Peace Council Location:
Sworn Statement of I-See-O
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

29 September 1927
"The Medicine Lodge Peace Council" by George Bent
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

"The Medicine Lodge Peace Council": Some More Interesting Articles Telling About Famous Medicine Lodge Indian Peace Council
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

EARLY DAYS IN BARBER COUNTY:
Mrs. Jennie Osborn Writes Most Interesting Article Concerning Experiences In Barber County
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

The West That Was - Cody
Barber County Index, September 29, 1927.

Green Adams Describe Things As He Saw Them In Barber County In The Early 1870's
Barber County Index, October 6, 1927.

Green Adams: An Early Day Vigilante Committee
Barber County Index, October 13, 1927.

Governor Paulen's Address Regarding the Medicine Lodge Peace Council
Barber County Index, October 20, 1927.

Tales From The Crypt,
by David Fasgold, The Gyp Hills Premiere, 27 Feb 2006.

The Tornado of May 7, 1927, As Told by Florence Mills Wells, interview courtesy of Peggy Wilson Newsome.

Blizzards in Barber County and Comanche County, Kansas

National Gypsum Plant near Sun City, Kansas

Cat Wagons at Sun City, Kansas

National Register of Historical Places: Barber County, Kansas
Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Site and Carry A. Nation Home/Museum

Barber County History
from William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas, published by A. T. Andreas, Chicago, Illinois, 1883.

Early History and Settlers of Barber County, Kansas
From the Kansas State Library.

Practical Jokes & Backfired Actions:
A few stories from Barber County, Kansas
Courtesy of David and Nate Massey