Washington (old) County, Kansas Genealogy

United States Kansas  Washington (old) County

The old Washington County, Kansas Territory was created 30 August 1855 in the southwest corner of present-day Kansas and southeastern corner of present-day Colorado (that is, to the former eastern borders of Taos County, New Mexico Territory, and Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory).

Kansas: The old Washington County borders included parts of these Kansas modern counties: Barber, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Ford, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearney, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, the southwest corner of Marion, the southern part of McPherson, Meade, Morton, Ness, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno, Rice, Russell, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, nearly all of Sumner, and Wichita.

Colorado: The old Washington County borders included parts of these Colorado modern counties: Baca, Bent, Kiowa, and Prowers.

The name "Washington County" was given to another county in northeastern Kansas in February 1857. The former Washington County in the southwest went nameless until February 1860 when it was renamed Peketon County, Kansas Territory.

This older Washington County was never organized, and no county seat was established.

For information about residents of the old Washington County, Kansas Territory try searching records of:


 * Kansas Historical Society
 * Colorado State Archives
 * county records of the present-day Kansas or Colorado county which now includes the former Washington (old) County land where the person lived 1855-1861.