Ellis County, Kansas Genealogy

Guide to Ellis 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 George Ellis, first lieutenant of the Twelfth Kansas Infantry. The County has Hays as its seat and the County was created 1867. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ellis County Courthouse 1204 Fort Street Hays, Kansas 67601-3899 Phone: 785.628.9410 Ellis County Website 23rd Judicial District Court 107 W. 12th St., Box 8 Hays, KS 67601 Telephone: 785-628-9415 Fax: 785-628-8415 Clerk of the District court has: NOTE: Ellis County recently reorganized and moved all non-court related offices from the Courthouse. They are now located in the new Ellis County Administrative Center.
 * County Clerk has birth, marriage, and death records 1886-1911.
 * Register of Deeds has land, military discharge &amp; school records.
 * Divorce, probate, court and naturalization records
 * Coroner's Reports 1890s- Present
 * Probate Files - 1867 - Present
 * Marriages - 1890s - Present
 * Domestic & Criminal Court Cases 1970s - Present
 * Guardianship Cases - early 1900s

Ellis Co. Administrative Center 718 Main St., POB 720 Hays, KS  67601 Telephone: 785-628-9410 Fax: 785-628-9413 E-mail: [mailto:dclerk@ellisco.net dclerk@ellisco.net] Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
 * Must file a Kansas Open Records Act request to access these records.

Populated Places
The following are locations in Ellis 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.

Court Records
See Courthouse above.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records
 * Land records at Kansas Historical Society
 * 1905 Land Plat book for Ellis County - image of plat book
 * 1922 Land Plat book for Ellis 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
 * Golden Jubilee of the German-Russian Settlements of Ellis and Rush. 1926. N.p.: n.p. Online at:, Hathitrust;.
 * Historical and Biographical Sketches. N.p.: n.p. Online at:, KSGenWeb;.
 * Indians to industry : a History of Hays and Ellis County. 1967. By Maureen Winter. [Ellis, Kansas] : Ellis County Star.  Online at:.
 * The Story of the Early Life of Fort Hays and of Hays City. (Title also known as Old Fort Hays, 1867-1889.) 1959. By Hays, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce. [Hays, Kansas] : Old Fort Hays Historical Association. Online at:.

Civil War

 * Ellis County was not organized until after the Civil War so no Civil War enlistment records exist.
 * Historic Fort Hays  1472 Hwy 183 Alt.   Hays, KS  67601   (785) 625-6812   Email:  thefort@kshs.org   http://kshs.org/   Open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Wednesday - Saturday   Some records available for soldiers who served there 1867-1889 - also available at the state archive in Topeka, Kansas.     Celebrating Fort Hays Sesquicentennial June 17&18, 2017

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


 * Ellis Review - Ellis Community Newspaper – issues 1886 – present available on microfilm from the Kansas State Archive in Topeka.  Print copies available at the Ellis Public Library 1969 - 1986
 * Hays Daily News - County’s official newspaper.  Issues 1929 – 2013 available on microfilm from the Kansas State Archive in Topeka.

Historic Ellis County newspapers:
 * Chronicling America
 * Kansas State Historical Society Ellis County Newspaper Collection

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 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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 — 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 $

Family History Centers

 * Hays Kansas Family History Center

Libraries
Ellis Public Library: Library holdings can be searched in Pathfinder Central. The library may have cataloged unique items related to genealogy and local history, in addition to published works for this area.

Hays Public Library – Kansas Room: The Kansas Room is located in the basement of the Hays Public Library. 1205 Main St. Hays, KS  67601 (785) 625-9014  Kansas room staffed 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Monday - Friday Open for research all hours the library is open.

http://www1.youseemore.com/hays/ Large collection of Germans from Russia material pertaining to the settlement of Ellis County Many local family histories Ellis County Cemetery records Polk's Hays City Directories 1938, 1963 – 2015 Several local historic newspapers on microfilm Kansas history books Many Kansas County Histories

Fort Hay State University - Forsyth Library Special Collections 502 S. Campus Dr. Hays, KS  67601 (785) 628-4434  Special Collections Parking is challenging during the school year. Visit campus Police department located in Custer Hall to obtain a visitor parking permit. Photos allowed. Copiers and scanners available. Archivist available 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday or by special appointment. Their Special Collections include: Special Collections include extensive Volga German history, Ellis County history, local family histories, area town and church histories. They also have many area County histories.

University Archive includes faculty information 1902- present

FHSU yearbooks 1914-2002

Government Records

Western Collection includes Smoky Hill Trail Association documents

Museums
Ellis County Historical Society Museum 100 West 7th Street Hays, KS 67601 Telephone Number: 785-628-2624 Website


 * Many Kansas County Histories

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