Pottawatomie County, Kansas Genealogy

Guide to Pottawatomie County, Kansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for the Pottawatomie tribe. The County has Westmoreland as its seat and the County was created February 20, 1857. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Pottawatomie County Courthouse 207 N. 1st Street Westmoreland, Kansas 66549-0187 Phone: 785.457.3314 Pottawatomie County Website County Clerk has birth, marriage and death records 1885-1910. Unified Court System has divorce, probate and court records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
The following are locations in Pottawatomie County, Kansas:

State and Territorial Census Records

 * 1855-1925 - Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images; covers census years 1855-1859, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925
 * 1860 - at FamilySearch — Index and images
 * 1860 - 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Kansas Territory at Ancestry — ($), Index and images
 * 1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1875 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — images
 * 1895 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1919-1961 - Kansas, City and County Census Records, 1919-1961 at Ancestry — Partial index (4 counties) and images

Federal Census Records
The 1870 Census was the first Federal Census taken for Kansas after it became a state in 1861. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Kansas Census.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records
 * Land records at Kansas Historical Society
 * 1899 Land Plat book for Pottawatomie County - image of plat book
 * 1905 Land Plat book for Pottawatomie County - image of plat book

For more information see Kansas 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

Local Histories
Online County Histories
 * Early history of Pottawatomie County, 1854-1954. 1954.  N.p.: n.p.  Online at:.
 * Early history of Pottawatomie County, 1854-1954. N.p.: n.p.  Online at: .  Note: Although title is the same, this is not a duplicate of above book.
 * Old Settler's Tales : Pottawatomie and Nemaha Counties. 1973. By F. F. Crevecoeur and Mary Elizabeth Hoover Morrison.  N.p.: n.p. Online at:.
 * Old Settlers' Tales. 1902. By Ferdinand Francis Crevecoeur. [Onaga, Kan] : n.p. Online at: Hathitrust;.
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson, Jefferson and Pottawatomie Counties, Kansas. 1890.  Chicago, IL : Chapman Bros.  Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
 * Welcome to Wamego, Kansas, 1866-1976. [1977].  Compiled by Inez (Roberts) Owens.  N.p.: n.p.  Online at: ;.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Pottawatomie County, Kansas Genealogy for European and African American settlers included:


 * Kansas River
 * Big Blue River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Newspapers
Kansas Newspapers Online Kansas Newspaper Catalogs
 * Kansas Newspapers at Newspapers.com - ($), free to Kansas residents through Kansas Historical Society
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Kansas newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Kansas newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Kansas newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * Kansas Online Historical Newspapers - contains a list of known Kansas newspapers online and the websites they are found on
 * 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

Other Records
Voter Records
 * 1854 - Kansas Election List, 1854 at Ancestry — ($), Index
 * 1854 - 1856 - Kansas Voter Registration Lists, 1854-1856 at Ancestry — ($), Index

Probate Records
'''Online Records


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

Birth

 * 1818 - 1936 at FamilySearch.org — index


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

Marriage

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

Death

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

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
 * Pottawatomie County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)