Ottawa County, Kansas Genealogy

United States Kansas  Ottawa County

Guide to Ottawa 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
Ottawa County Courthouse 307 N Concord Minneapolis, KS 67467 Phone: 785.392.2279 County clerk has marriage, divorce and probate records. City Officers have birth records from 1911 and death records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Parent County
1860--Ottawa County was created 27 February 1860 from unorganized territory. County seat: Minneapolis

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

Neighboring Counties



 * Clay
 * Cloud
 * Dickinson
 * Lincoln
 * Mitchell
 * Saline

Military
During the Civil War the settlers of Ottawa County were driven out by Indian raids and returned in 1863, but spent their energy in defending themselves against the Indians. After the war there was an influx of discharged Civil War Veterans coming to take advantage of their soldiers' claims.

Obituaries
Obituary Index for the Minneapolis Messenger (1920-2003) and other newspapers. Index gives the name and death date. Instructions for ordering a copy are included on the web page.

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

 * 1811 - 1911 at | FamilySearch — index
 * 1840 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1855 - 1911 Kansas, County Marriages, 1855-1911 at Ancestry.com — images $

Societies and Libraries
Ottawa County Historical Museum 110 South COncord Street Minneapolis, Kansas 67467 Telephone Number: 785-392-3621 Website

Tescott Historical Society PO Box 195 Tescott, KS 67484-0195

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Ottawa County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Ottawa County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)