Payne County, Oklahoma Genealogy

United States Oklahoma  Payne County Payne 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
Payne County Courthouse 606 S Husband Street Stillwater, OK 74074 Phoen: 405.747-8310 Clerk Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1894; County Clerk has land records

Parent County
1890--Payne County was created in 1890. It was an original county. County seat: Stillwater

Description
Created on land that was once part of the Creek Nation, Payne was one of the first counties established in Oklahoma Territory by the Organic Act in May 2, 1890. It was first designated as the Sixth County, but was later named to honor Boomer leader David L. Payne. The county was part of the territory settled during the Land Run of 1889. Payne County's topography of rolling plains lies mostly within the Sandstone Hills physiographic region, and the western part of the county lies within the Red Bed Plains. The Twin Mounds, limestone-topped hills lying east of Ingalls, is the most noticeable feature. The Cimarron River is the primary waterway, draining most of the county via its own smaller tributaries and Stillwater Creek and its tributarieson the east, Delaware County on the south, and Craig County on the west. The name honors the Ottawa tribe.

The Government seat is Stillwater. The Largest city is Stillwater.

Boundary Changes

 * 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.

Cities

 * Cushing
 * Perkins
 * Stillwater (county seat)
 * Yale

Towns

 * Glencoe
 * Ripley

Unincorporated communities

 * Ingalls
 * Mehan
 * Oak Grove
 * Quay
 * Vinco
 * Yost Lake

Neighboring Counties

 * Creek
 * Lincoln
 * Logan
 * Noble
 * Pawnee

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.

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Stillwater

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

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

Marriages
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
Payne County Historical Society PO Box 194 Stillwater 74074

Payne County Genealogical Society PO Box 2708 Stillwater, OK 74076 Website

Cushing Genealogical Society PO Box 551 Cushing, OK 74023

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers


 * Cushing Oklahoma Family History Center 1500 E 9th St Cushing OK 74023-4726 United States Location Map


 * Stillwater Oklahoma Family History Center 2324 W 26th Ave Stillwater OK 74074 United States Location Map

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.