Cherokee County, Kansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the Cherokee Native Americans. It is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cherokee County Courthouse 110 W. Maple Street Columbus, Kansas 66725-0014 Phone: 620.429.3880 Cherokee County Website Register of Deeds has land records from 1866, Probate Court has probate records from 1870. County Clerk has birth, marriage and death records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

See also: National Regiser of Historic Places in Cherokee County, Kansas

Bible Records

 * 1960-1961 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * DAR Bible Records at DAR Library Catalog
 * Huston, Frances Jane Dew Bible at USGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from Cherokee County, Kansas (1883) from History of Kansas By William G. Cutler and published by A. T. Andreas are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

State and Territorial Census Records

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

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.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1811-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1918 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * FamilySearch Places

Funeral Homes

 * Bath Naylor Funeral Home and Crematory in Columbus and Weir
 * Derfelt Funeral Homes in Baxter Springs, Columbus, Galena and Oswego

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records


 * Land records at Kansas Historical Society


 * 1902 Land Plat book for Cherokee County - image of plat book


 * 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
 * 1863-1908 U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry - ($), index and images

For more information see Kansas Land and Property

Local Histories

 * History of Cherokee County, Kansas, and Representative Citizens. 1904. Edited and compiled by Nathaniel Thompson Allison. Chicago, Illinois : Biographical Pub. Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive,  Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Map of Cherokee County townships (Histopolis)
 * Township Map of 1887 Cherokee County, Kansas with enlarged views of each township (My Genealogy Hound)

Online Collections
These collections are unique to Kansas. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Kansas Military Records. Collections Covering Multiple Wars


 * Kansas Military Index at Kansas Historical Society - Index only, includes Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts
 * Records of the Deaths and Burials at the Kansas State Soldiers Home - Index only, the home is located in Fort Dodge, Ford County, Kansas.

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Cherokee County.
 * October 6, 1863 - Baxter Springs, also known as Baxter Springs Massacre.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.


 * Cherokee County was organized after the Civil War.

Men from this County enlisted in 1st Infantry Regiment, Company A.


 * Kansas Civil War Soldiers at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index only
 * 1862, 1863, 1868: Kansas, Civil War Enlistment Papers, 1862, 1863, 1868 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
 * 1866-1931: Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Bound Post Records, 1866-1931 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
 * 1880-1940: Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Post Reports, 1880-1940 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
 * 1889: Kansas, Enrollment of Civil War Veterans, 1889 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
 * Kansas Civil War Soldiers at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images

Spanish-American War (1898)


 * 1945-1970: Kansas, United Spanish War Veterans Reports of Deaths, 1945-1970 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images

World War I


 * History and Roster of the Kansas State Guard (WWI) at KSGenWeb - Taken from the book by the Adjutant General's Office
 * 1917-1919: Kansas, World War I Veteran Collection, 1917-1919 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
 * 1930: Kansas, Enrollment of WWI Veterans, 1930 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images

World War II


 * 1940-1946: Web: Kansas, WWII Selective Service Index, 1940-1946 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
 * World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing, State of Kansas, War Dept-June 1946 at KSGenWeb - Index only

Korean War


 * U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Kansas - Index only

Vietnam War


 * U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War for Kansas - Index only

For further information see Kansas Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1864 - 1972 Kansas, Naturalization Abstracts, 1864-1972 at Ancestry — ($), Index
 * 1865 - 1874 Kansas Indian Naturalizations, ca. 1865-1874 at the National Archives — Index, District of Kansas, Record Group 21.
 * 1865 - 1984 Kansas, Federal Naturalization Records, 1865-1984 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images
 * 1917 - 1918 Kansas, Registration Affidavits of Alien Enemies, 1917-1918 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images, includes German and other aliens living in Kansas

Newspapers
Kansas Newspapers Online
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Kansas Newspapers at Newspapers.com - ($), 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 Newspaper Catalogs


 * 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


 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Joplin, Missouri newspapers and Neosho, Missouri newspapers from the early 1900's that covered local news on residents from Cherokee County communities.

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 Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1803-1987 Kansas Wills and Probate Records 1803-1987 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1870-1917 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1872-1918 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Birth

 * 1811-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1818 - 1936 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1885 - 1911 at FamilySearch — Index and images, only covers Bulter, Cherokee, Clay, Elk, and Marion Counties.
 * 1885 - 1911 Kansas, Births and Christenings Index, 1885-1911 at Ancestry — index $

Marriage

 * 1800 - 1946 United States Marriages – Kansas, 1800-1946 at findmypast — ($), Index and images
 * 1811 - 1911 at FamilySearch — Index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1811 - 1911 Kansas, County Marriages, 1811-1911 at Ancestry — ($), Index
 * 1840 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — Index- How to Use this Collection
 * 1861 - 1918 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * 1911-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885-1930 at FamilySearch.org — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885-1930 Kansas, Deaths and Burials, Index, 1885-1930 at Ancestry — index $

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bartlesville Oklahoma FamilySearch Center
 * Independence Kansas FamilySearch Center
 * Joplin Missouri FamilySearch Center

Museums
Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum 740 East Avenue PO Box 514 Baxter Springs, KS 66713 Phone: 620-856-2385 Email:[mailto:baxterspringsmuseum@outlook.com baxterspringsmuseum@outlook.com] Website

Columbus Museum and Genealogy Library 100 S Tennessee Ave Columbus, Kansas 66725 Phone: 620-429-2160 Website

Societies
Baxter Springs Historical Society 740 East Avenue PO Box 514 Baxter Springs, KS 66713-2014 Phone: 620-856-2385 E-mail:[mailto:baxterspringsmuseum@outlook.com baxterspringsmuseum@outlook.com] Website

Cherokee County Kansas Genealogical-Historical Society 100 South Tennessee Box 33 Columbus, KS 66725-0033 Phone: 620-429-2992 E-mail:[mailto:cckghs@columbus-ks.com cckghs@columbus-ks.com] Website

Websites

 * Biographies from The History of Cherokee County, Kansas (1883) published by A. T. Andreas are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website
 * Cherokee County Kansas Genealogy Research.     Contains information for researching genealogy in Cherokee county KS,  Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
 * Cherokee County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * 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
 * Genealogy Book Publisher Data for Northeast Oklahoma, Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri Tri-State area, and parts of Northwest Arkansas.
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.