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| BIRTH / DEATH RECORDS | MARRIAGE / DIVORCE RECORDS |
| State requirements for recording births and deaths began in 1911. A few counties began keeping records of births and deaths in 1885. No birth and death records exist prior to 1885. You might get lucky with a notice of birth or obituary in the newspaper, but not everyone got mentioned in earlier newspapers. The Port Library (Beloit City Public Library) has a number of Beloit birth and death records that have not been microfilmed yet. They begin 11/1891 thru 7/1911 for births and 6/1891 thru 7/1911 for deaths.You can write them or use the North Central Kansas Genealogical Society for lookups. | County clerks and clerks of probate courts have records since creation of each county. The state has kept them as well since July 1913. The Port Library has unmicrofilmed Beloit marriage records from 4/1891 thru 12/1899. Contact them for information. |
| PROBATE RECORDS | COURT RECORDS |
| Probate records have been recorded by the county's probate clerk. These records include wills, inventories, bonds, appraisements, court orders, final settlements as well as others. | Court records include criminal and civil cases. |
| CENSUS RECORDS | CHURCH RECORDS |
| Census records for Kansas include Federal censuses from 1860 through 2000 (1930 and up are still private), territorial censuses from 1855 through 1858, and state censuses 1865 through 1925. These are available on microfilm through your local public library or Family History Library. | Church records may be available through the local churches in Beloit or from their central repositories. You should contact the local branch for information. |
| LAND / PROPERTY RECORDS | MILITARY RECORDS |
| Much of Kansas was homesteaded after the U.S. acquired the area. The first general land office in Kansas was established at Lecompton in 1856. To locate the land entry or homestead case file for an ancestor, first check with the county recorder of deeds. The National Archives has the original tract books, plats, homestead entry files, and cash entry files which you can then obtain copies of. | Many Kansans served in the military and their records can be found through the Federal Archives and other federal and state archives. A unique listing of Volunteers for the Kansas State Guard during WWI is available by clicking HERE. |
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NEWSPAPERS |
KANSAS ORPHAN TRAINS |
| Newspapers can be an invaluable resource tool, especially in small towns! Look for local "reporters" who will write up what their neighbors were up to, including trips out of town to visit relatives, dinner parties with guest lists, who is seeing who! You can really get a feel about what life for an ancestor was like by exploring this resource. Do expect to spend a lot of time reading! For a list of newspapers in Mitchell County, click HERE. You can order microfilm through your local public library or Family History Library. | The Orphan
Trains brought many children from New York to Kansas between 1867 and 1930. If
you think an ancestor could have been on one, check out this on-line history by
clicking
HERE.
For an except of one train's payload of children in 1886 Cawker City, click HERE. |
Your first goal should be to secure what is referred to as primary documentation: birth/baptismal, death, and marriage certificates. For the earlier years, these may not be available and you will need to search for information in censuses (both Federal and State), tax, and lands records.
TWO RESEARCH OPTIONS
There are two organizations in Mitchell County
which will do research. The first is the Mitchell County Historical Society. To
contact them, visit their website by
clicking here.
The second option is to contact the
North Central Kansas Genealogical Society and use the resources that they have
available. They are located upstairs in the Cawker City Public Library. To
reach them, write to:
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North Central Kansas
Genealogical Society
PO Box 251 Cawker City, KS 67430 |
| They are an all-volunteer organization with considerable Mitchell County resources. Among their holdings are: | ||
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The following links are for local and
Kansas-wide sites that have valuable information and resources. I have also
listed sites featuring professional researchers and volunteer lookups for those
who might be interested.
| GOVERNMENT | KANSAS GENEALOGY | |||||||||||
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| PROFESSIONAL HELP* | VOLUNTEER LOOKUPS | |||||||||||
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| *PLEASE NOTE! No recommendation is made for any of the professional researchers listed here. It is the sole responsibility of the person interested in using a paid researcher to determine their experience, reliability, and credentials. | ||||||||||||
To help you in researching, clickable links for other useful sites are available HERE. |
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