Beaver County, Oklahoma Genealogy

United States Oklahoma  Beaver County Beaver County, Oklahoma genealogy and family history research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

County Courthouse
Beaver County Courthouse 111 W 2nd Street Beaver, OK 73932-0000 Phone: 580.625.3418 Clerk Court has marriage, divore and court records from 1890 and probate from 1891

Parent County
1890--Beaver County was created in 1890. It was an original county created from public lands. County seat: Beaver

Description
Founded in 1890 - County Seat: Beaver

Beaver County lies in the Oklahoma Panhandle, a part of the Great Plains proper. It is one of only a few Oklahoma counties in that physiographic region. Kansas borders Beaver County on the north, and Texas on the south; Texas County abuts it on the west, and Harper and Ellis on the east. The concept of Beaver County did not come about until the formation of Cimarron Territory in 1886. That organization included all of No Man's Land, now the present three counties in the Panhandle. However, there were settlements in the area long before that time.

The land where Beaver County is located has been under several jurisdictions. At one time, it was part of Texas, before Texas became a state of the United States. There was a period of time that it was not part of the Oklahoma Territory but not a separate organized territory. After becoming part of the Oklahoma Territory in 1890, Beaver County (first called Seventh County) covered the entire Oklahoma Panhandle. At statehood on November 16, 1907, Cimarron County was taken from the western one-third, while Texas County was taken from the middle, leaving Beaver County only in the east. Its borders are now at 100° W (east), 37°N (north), 36.5°N.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Oklahoma County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Oklahoma County Boundary Maps" (1819-1912) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties
 * Oklahoma Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Towns

 * Beaver (county seat)
 * Forgan
 * Gate
 * Knowles

Census-designated place

 * Turpin

Unincorporated communities

 * Balko
 * Elmwood
 * Floris
 * Mocane
 * Slapout

Neighboring Counties

 * Clark County, Kansas
 * Ellis
 * Harper
 * Lipscomb County, Texas
 * Meade County, Kansas
 * Ochiltree County, Texas
 * Seward County, Kansas
 * Texas

American Indians
Census
 * 1851 - 1959 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Censuses and Rolls, 1851-1959 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1895 - 1914 U.S., Native American Citizens and Freedmen of Five Civilized Tribes, 1895-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1898 - 1914 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Dawes Census Cards for Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * Dawes Final Rolls - Oklahoma Historical Society

Land and Property
 * 1884 - 1934 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Land Allotment Jackets for Five Civilized Tribes, 1884-1934 at Ancestry — index and images ($) *1889 Oklahoma County Plats 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society


 * For more information see Indians of Oklahoma

State Census Records

 * 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census 1890 - Oklahoma Historical Societ
 * 1890 and 1907 Oklahoma Territorial Census, 1890 and 1907 at Ancestry — index and image ($)

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for Oklahoma starting in 1860. For links to Federal census indexes, see Oklahoma Census.

Land
Online Land Records

For more information see Oklahoma Land and Property
 * Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
 * 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
 * 1861 - 1936 - U.S. Homestead Records 1861-1936 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
 * 1889 Oklahoma County Plats, 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
 * El Reno Homesteader Filings - Oklahoma Historical Society

Maps

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties
 * Maps n More - county and township maps.
 * Oklahoma Civil War Map of Battles

Revolutionary War

 * 1775 - 1783 - at FamilySearch - images only
 * For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

 * http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9236 Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955] at Ancestry — index (free)
 * For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

WWI

 * For more nationwide World War I databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

WWII

 * Oklahoma Military Deaths - Oklahoma Historical Society
 * For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Newspapers
Oklahoma Newspapers Online Oklahoma Newspaper Catalogs
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Oklahoma newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Oklahoma newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * Oklahoma State Historical Society - catalog of known Oklahoma newspapers; lists repositories that have the newspapers
 * U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper

Probate
Online Records
 * 1801 – 2008 Oklahoma Wills and Probate Records 1801-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1887 – 2008 Oklahoma Probate Records 1887-2008 at FamilySearch — images

School Records

 * 1895 - 1936 at | FamilySearch — index and images

Vital Records
See also How to order Oklahoma Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Oklahoma Birth Certificate or Death Certificate Applications to mail.

Births
Online Birth Records Indexes and Images
 * Early Oklahoma Birth Records

Marriage
Online Marriage Records Indexes and Images
 * 1841 - 1927 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1870 - 1930 at FamilySearch Index only. *1870 - 1930 Oklahoma, Select Marriages, 1870-1930 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1870 - 1930 Oklahoma, Marriages, 1870-1930 at My Heritage index ($)
 * 1889 - 1951 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Marriage Index, 1889-1951
 * 1890 - 1995 at FamilySearch Index and images
 * OKGenWeb Oklahoma Marriages

Deaths
Online Death Records Indexes and Images
 * Obituaries Listed in the Oklahoman - Oklahoma Historical Society — index only
 * 1935 - 2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1936 - 2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry, incomplete ($}
 * 1936 - 2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry, incomplete ($}

Divorces
Online Divorce Records Indexes and Images
 * 1923 - 1942 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Divorce Index, 1923-1942

Societies and Libraries
Beaver River Genealogical & Historical Society Route 1, Box 79 Hooker, OK 73945

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Beaver County, OK History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Oklahoma Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Oklahoma Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.