Kansas Church Records

Historical Background
Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Kansas were the Methodist-Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Disciples of Christ

DeZurko published a religious history of Kansas:
 * Early Kansas Churches (online) DeZurko, Edward R. Manhattan, Kansas: Kansas State College, 1949.  book 978.1 A1 no. 35; film 928360 item 4

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
'''Ancestry.com, Findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.


 * 1811-1940 at FamilySearch, index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1826-1992 Kansas, Church Records, 1826-1992 - index and images, very incomplete
 * 1818-1936, index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885-1911 Kansas, Births and Christenings Index, 1885-1911 ($)
 * 1885-1930, index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885-1930 Kansas, Deaths and Burials, Index, 1885-1930 ($)
 * 1840-1935, index - How to Use this Collection

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images. Incomplete. ($)
 * 1861-1918 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1918 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, ($). Incomplete.

Other Collections

 * The Ancestor Hunt: Free Kansas Online Church Records

Look for digital copies of church records in the FamilySearch Catalog.

 * The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
 * Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
 * If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
 * Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
 * To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of United States, Kansas.
 * b. Click on Places within United States, Kansas and a list of counties will appear.
 * c. Click on your county if it appears.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Click on Places within United States, Kansas [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.
 * f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

'''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to  Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Lutheran
Bethany College Archives Wallerstedt Library 335 E. Swensson Street Lindsborg, Kansas 67456-1897 Phone: (785) 227-3311, Ext. 8342 E-mail: carsond@bethanylb.edu
 * Archives hold records for closed churches. For open churches write directly to the local church.

Some materials related to the current Central States Synod territory of Kansas and Missouri may also be found in the archives of the Nebraska Synod, which are located at Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb. That collection has both Augustana materials and recordsfrom the German Nebraska Synod, part of the former United Lutheran Church in America. Luther Library Midland Lutheran College 900 North Clarkson Fremont, Nebraska 68025 Email: hinmanl@midlandu.edu Phone: (402) 941-6252

Methodist
Baker University Library 606 Eighth Street Baldwin City, KS 66006 Phone: (913) 594-8414 Fax: (913) 594-6721

Memorial Library Southwestern College 100 College Street Winfield, KS 67156 Phone: (316) 221-8225 Fax: (316) 221-2499

Roman Catholic
Diocese of Dodge City P.O. Box 137 Dodge City, KS 67801 Phone: (620) 227-1500

The diocese includes the counties of: Barber, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Kiowa, Lane, Meade, Morton, Ness, Pawnee, Pratt, Rush, Scott, Seward, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens and Wichita
 * Contact the local parish: Parish Listing
 * Archives: The Archives receives materials from the various agencies, ministries and parishes as well as the chancery. The Archives assists these units with identifying historical information. The Archives makes the heritage of the Diocese of Dodge City available to historical researchers within the guidelines of civil and canon law.

Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas Chancery Office 12615 Parallel Parkway Kansas City, KS 66109 Phone: (913) 721-1570 Fax: (913) 721-1577 The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Anderson, Atchison, Brown, Coffey, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Lyon, Marshall, Miami, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee and Wyandotte
 * The Archives Office is responsible for sacramental records before April 1958, historical material and the upkeep of the Archdiocesan Reference Library.
 * Contact the local parish first.

Diocese of Salina 103 North Ninth Street Salina, KS 67401-2503 Phone: (785) 827-8746
 * Contact the local parish for requests.

The diocese includes the counties of: Cheyenne, Clay, Cloud, Decatur, Dickinson, Ellis, Ellsworth, Gove, Graham, Jewell, Lincoln, Logan, Mitchell, Norton, Osborne, Ottawa, Phillips, Rawlins, Republic, Riley, Rooks, Russell, Saline, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego, Wallace and Washington

Diocese of Wichita 424 N. Broadway Wichita, KS 67202 Phone: (316) 269-3900
 * Contact the local parish with requests.

The diocese includes the counties of: Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Morris, neosho, Reno, Rice, Sedgwick, Sumner, Wilson and Woodson

Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.
Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:
 * Society Hill List of Kansas Societies

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.
There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.