Knox County, Nebraska Genealogy

United States Nebraska  Knox County Knox County, Nebraska genealogy and family history research page. Guide to genealogy, history, 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
County Clerk has marriage records. County Judge has probate and court records. Clerk District Court has divorce records. Register of Deeds has land records.

History


The county is named for General Henry Knox (1750-1806), Revolutionary War hero, and the nation's first Secretary of War.

Parent County
1857 Knox County was created 10 February 1857 from Pierce County and unorganized territory. County seat: Center

Boundary Changes

 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nebraska - shows boundary changes for Nebraska Counties
 * Nebraska Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

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

Cities

 * Bloomfield
 * Creighton
 * Crofton

Villages

 * Bazile Mills
 * Center
 * Niobrara
 * Santee
 * Verdel
 * Verdigre
 * Wausa
 * Winnetoon

Census-designated place

 * Lindy

Unincorporated communities

 * Dukeville
 * Jelen
 * Knoxville
 * Mars
 * Pishelville
 * Sparta
 * Venus
 * Walnut

Townships

 * Addison
 * Bohemia
 * Central
 * Cleveland
 * Columbia
 * Creighton
 * Dolphin
 * Dowling
 * Eastern
 * Frankfort
 * Harrison
 * Herrick
 * Hill
 * Jefferson
 * Lincoln
 * Logan
 * Miller
 * Morton
 * Niobrara
 * North Frankfort
 * Peoria
 * Raymond
 * Spade
 * Sparta
 * Union
 * Valley
 * Verdigre
 * Walnut Grove
 * Washington
 * Western

Neighboring Counties

 * Antelope
 * Bon Homme County, South Dakota
 * Boyd
 * Cedar
 * Charles Mix County, South Dakota
 * Holt
 * Pierce
 * Yankton County, South Dakota

Cemeteries
L'Eau Qui Court Cemetery is on land purchased on June 19, 1874 by the L'Eau Qui Court Cemetery Company. The company was formed to lay out and establish a cemetery in the vicinity of the town of Niobrara, Knox Co., Nebraska. No records are available from June 1874 to May 19, 1922. Louis Dose, the undertaker had all of those records in his possession. They were destroyed in a fire of the Opocensky Store in 1922. A new plat was creates, deeds recorded for lots purchased were marked on the new plat and the members of the Cemetery Board carefully searched the cemetery grounds marking every known grave on that plat. L'Eau Qui Court Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the state of Nebraska which was duly and legally organized as a cemetery association. It is the resting place for many of our war dead. Civil War veterans are resting in final peace in many of the plots. This cemetery has a grave of the "Unknown Soldier, Known Only to God". Many pioneers have returned to their native soil for their eternal resting place.

State Census Records

 * 1854 - 1870 - Nebraska, Compiled Census Index, 1854-1870 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
 * 1860 - 1885 - Nebraska State Census Collection 1860-1885 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - Nebraska State Census 1885 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Federal Census Records
Federal Censuses were taken for Nebraska starting in 1860. For links to Federal census indexes, see Nebraska Census.

Court

 * 1870 - 1990 — Nebraska Prisoner Records 1870-1990 — index only

Land
For more information see Nebraska 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

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Nebraska Gazetteer - database for all known places found in 1890 and 1911 Nebraska gazetteers
 * Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nebraska - shows boundary changes for Nebraska Counties

Revolutionary War

 * 1775 - 1783 - at FamilySearch - images only
 * For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891 - Nebraska Resident Military Roster on June 1, 1891 at Ancestry.com - ($), Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, the Mexico War, and the War of the Rebellion, residing in Nebraska June 1, 1891
 * 1893 - Roster of Nebraska Veterans - list of veterans in 1893
 * For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

WWI

 * 1917 - 1918 - World War I Drafts 1917-1918 - index only
 * For more nationwide World War I databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Newspapers
 Nebraska Newspapers Online
 * Nebraska Newspapers - contains images of newspapers throughout Nebraska
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Nebraska newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites

Nebraska Newspaper Catalogs
 * Nebraska State Historical Society - catalog of known Nebraska newspapers; lists repositories that have the newspapers
 * 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

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1806 – 1989 Nebraska Wills and Probate Records 1806-1989 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Marriage Records
Online Marriage Records Indexes and Images
 * 1855 - 1995 — at FamilySearch — index only
 * 1856 - 1898 — Nebraska Marriages 1856-1898 at Ancestry.com ($), index only

Societies and Libraries

 * Niobrara Historical Society 89054 519 Ave Box 241 Niobrara, NE 68760 Phone: 402-857-3794


 * Nebraska State Historical Society P.O. Box 82554 1500 R St. Lincoln, NE 68501-2554 Phone: 402-471-3270


 * Winnetoon Historical Society P.O. Box 94HS Winnetoon, NE 68789 Phone: 402-847-3368


 * 

Libraries
 * Knox County Public Library 502 N 7th Street Vincennes, Indiana 47591 Phone: (812) 886-4380


 * Hastings Public Library 517 W. 4th St. Hastings, Ne 68901 402-461-2346


 * State DAR Library The State DAR Library is located in the Lue R. Spencer Genealogical Library at the Edith Abbott Memorial Library. It is open during the normal library hours.


 * Edith Abbott Memorial Library 2nd and Washington Streets Grand Island, NE 68801


 * Grand Island Library 211 N Washington St Grand Island, NE 68801 Phone: +1 308-385-5333 Website


 * Spencer Historical and Genealogy Society Website


 * Beatrice Public Library 100 North 16th Street Beatrice, Nebraska 68310 Phone: 402-223-3584 Fax: 402-223-3913 Email: lriedesel@beatrice.lib.ne.us Director:  Laureen Riedesel (402) 223-3584 Website


 * Hastings Public Library 517 W. 4th St. Hastings, Ne 68901 402-461-2346

Websites

 * NEGenWeb
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.