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Ellis County, Kansas
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Ellis County Genealogical & Historical Information

Kansas GenWeb Project


Welcome to the Ellis County, Kansas GenWeb homepage, a part of the KSGenWeb Project.  We hope you'll find this page useful in pursuing your genealogy.  If you think you can contribute, please contact us at EllisCtyKSGenWeb@cox.net.

Ellis County, Kansas consists of a thirty mile square of western Kansas.  Founded in 1867 when the Kansas Legislature divided the unorganized territory (that part of Kansas which was west of the Sixth Principal Meridian), into sixty-two counties.  The county is named for Lieutenant George Ellis, of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry, who fought Quantrill's raiders in 1863 at Lawrence, Kansas and who was killed April 30, 1864, during the Civil War in a battle at Jenkins' Ferry, Arkansas.

An excellent guide to the early history of Kansas and of Ellis County is the 1883 edition of William G. Cutler's History of the State of Kansas.  Be aware that Cutler incorrectly described three of the five Russian settlements in Ellis County during 1885-1887.  Munjor is named Catharine, Catharine is named Schoenchen, and Schoenchen is named Munjor.

The Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau has a nice webpage with some history of Hays.

EllisCtyKSGenWeb@cox.net  (I live 185 miles from Ellis County so I can't do any onsite research for you)


Section of an 1895 map of Kansas


Item Description
County Map A map of Ellis County which I have drawn with various cities and locations indicated.
Oil Map Sometimes you can use an oil map to pinpoint locations within a county
Queries Genealogical queries for Ellis County, Kansas
Surnames Ellis County, Kansas Surname List
Cemeteries Ellis County Cemeteries
Books and Maps, etc.  Links to books and maps, some with volunteers who will perform lookup requests
Archives An assortment of books, pictures, maps, cemetery listings, etc. about Ellis County
Links An assortment of links to Ellis County genealogical information
Antonino Located 7 miles South East of Hays
Catharine (Catherine) Settled by a group from Katherininstadt, Russia
Chetola Located in South West Ellis County, site of 1890's gold rush
Easdale Located in the South East part of Ellis County
Ellis Boyhood home of Walter P. Chrysler.
Emmeram (Norddorf) Located 5 miles North East of Catharine, near Sacred Heart Cemetery
Hays Ellis County seat, Famous Kansas Cow Town, Home to Fort Hays State University
Herzog Settled by Volga Germans in April of 1876. Located half mile north of Victoria.
Hog Back Located five miles South East of Ellis
Hyacinth Located ten miles Northwest of Hays
Martin Located in North Central Ellis County on the Saline River
Mendota (Halton) Located in the North West corner of the county on the Saline River.  Mendota means "the place of meeting."
Munjor Settled by groups from Obermunjor and Wittman, Russia
Norddorf Later named Emmeram.
Palatine Located in South Central Ellis County on the Smoky Hill River
Pfeifer Settled by a group from Kamenka, Russia
Rome Predecessor of Hays, founded by Col. W. F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody
Schoenchen Settled by families from Obermunjor and Schoenchen, Russia
Severin Named after Catharine parish Reverand Father Severin
Smoky Hill City (coming)
Now extinct, Smoky Hill City was a former gold rush townsite.
Stock Range Located in South Western Ellis County on the Smoky Hill River
Toulon Located 5 miles East and 1 mile South of Hays
Turkville Located in the North East corner of Ellis County on the Saline River
Victoria Home to the Cathedral of the Plains
Vincent Located in the Southeast corner of Ellis County
Walker Located 14 miles East of Hays
Yocemento Midway between Hays and Ellis, Cement Mill built in 1907-1908
Pleasant Hill Township Settled by a group from Luxembourg
North Central Ellis Co Settled by a group of English cattlemen
Fort Fletcher Fort which later became Fort Hays, located 14 miles southeast of Hays
Fort Hays Quartermaster depot which supplied forts throughout the West
Walker Air Base Former Air base used during World War Two
KSELLIS-L Ellis County, Kansas Discussion List
Kansas Census Records Online Census Finder Kansas
City Directories in Kansas From the City Directories of the United States Project.
Courthouse Vital records information may be obtained from the Ellis County Clerk, 1204 Fort Street, Hays, KS 67601-3831. Vital records information for all Kansas Counties can be obtained from http://www.vitalrec.com/ks.html
Ellis Library Ellis Public Library, 911 Washington, P. O. Box 107, Ellis, KS 67637
Forsyth Library Fort Hays State University, 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601-4099. 
Hays Library Hays Public Library, 1205 Main, Hays, KS 67601-3693 (The Kansas Room has genealogical information)
Ellis Museum Ellis Railroad Museum, 911 Washington, Ellis, KS 67637
Ellis Museum Walter Chrysler Home & Museum, Tenth & Washington, Ellis, KS 67637
Hays Museum Ellis County Historical Society Museum, 100 W. 7th, Hays, KS
Hays Museum Fort Hays Historic Site, 1272 Alternate Hwy 183, Hays, KS
Hays Museum Sternberg Museum, 3000 Sternberg Dr, Hays, KS 67601
Newspaper Hays Daily News 
Society American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
Society In 1886, the first Bukovina Germans arrived in Ellis, Kansas. Learn more about their history from the Bukovina Society of the Americas based in Ellis County.
Web Site Germans from Russia Heritage Collection
Web Site From Far Away Russia, Russian-Germans in Kansas, from the Kansas State Historical Society
Web Site Germans from Russia Heritage Society
Web Site The Russian Archives

The U. S. Geological Survey supplies Ellis County information of interest to genealogists such as the list of populated places and a list of cemeteries. Kansas on the Net from Kansas University supplies some generic information about Ellis County.


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