Douglas County, Kansas Genealogy

United States Kansas  Douglas County

Guide to Edwards County, Kansas ancestry, family history and genealogy 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
Douglas County Courthouse 111 E 11th; Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: 785.841.7700 Clerk Discharge Court has probate and court records from 1863 naturalization records 1867-1953. Registrar of Deeds has land records. Spencer Research Lib has marriage 1863-1912.

Parent County
1855--Douglas County was created 30 August 1855 as an original county. County seat: Lawrence

Record Loss
1863  During the American Civil War, county records were destroyed on 21 August. Some marriage records have been reconstructed.

Neighboring Counties



 * Franklin
 * Jefferson
 * Johnson
 * Leavenworth
 * Miami
 * Osage
 * Shawnee

Cemeteries
BillionGraves:


 * Eudora Cemetery, Eudora
 * Maple Grove Cemetery, Lawrence
 * Pioneer Cemetery, Lawrence

Maps
Atlas of Douglas County, Kansas, 1873 published by F.W. Beers and Co., New York. Available on Kansas Memory.

Plat Book and Complete Survey of Douglas County, Kansas, 1909 including township and town maps with land owners. Published by Albert W. Armstrong. Available on Kansas Memory.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Kansas River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Douglas County.


 * August 21, 1863 = Lawrence, also known Lawrence Massacre


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Kansas.


 * Men from Douglas county enlisted in the 1st Infantry Regiment, Company A and  20th Regiment, Company H.

Probate
Online Records


 * 1803 – 1987 Kansas Wills and Probate Records 1803-1987 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Birth Records

 * 1818 - 1936 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1885 - 1911 Kansas, Births and Christenings Index, 1885-1911 at Ancestry.com — index $

Death Records

 * 1885 - 1930 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1885 - 1930 Kansas, Deaths and Burials, Index, 1885-1930 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage Records

 * 1840 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1855 - 1911 at | FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1855 - 1911 Kansas, County Marriages, 1855-1911 at Ancestry.com — images $

Societies and Libraries
Spencer Research Library—Kansas Collections (includes Douglas County Records) University of Kansas 1450 Poplar Lane Lawrence, KS 66045-7616 Phone: (785) 864-4334

Watkins Community Museum of History 1047 Massachusetts Street Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: (785) 841-4109 Email: info@watkinsmuseum.org

Kansas Historical Society 6425 SW Sixth Avenue Topeka, KS 66615-1099 Phone: (785) 272-8681 Fax: (785) 272-8682

Douglas County Genealogical Society

Family History Centers



 * Lawrence Kansas Family History Center

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project: Douglas County, Kansas. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.




 * Douglas County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

References