Burt County, Nebraska Genealogy

Burt 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 and land records. County Judge has probate and court records. Clerk District Court has divorce records.

Parent County
1854 Burt County was created 23 November 1854 as an original county. County seat: Tekamah

Description
Burt County, Nebraska was formed in 1854. The County seat is Tekamah. Burt County was named for Francis Burt.

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

 * Lyons
 * Oakland
 * Tekamah

Villages

 * Craig
 * Decatur

Unincorporated communities

 * Bertha

Townships

 * Arizona
 * Bell Creek
 * Craig
 * Decatur
 * Everett
 * Logan
 * Oakland
 * Pershing
 * Quinnebaugh
 * Riverside
 * Silver Creek
 * Summit

Ghost towns

 * Argo
 * Basford
 * Golden

Neighboring Counties

 * Cuming
 * Dodge
 * Harrison County, Iowa
 * Monona County, Iowa
 * Thurston
 * Washington

Cemeteries
Check Cemeteries in Google Maps

The following links may only be partial listings of the graves in these cemeteries.


 * Advent Cemetery, 8 miles North &amp; 3 miles West of Tekamah.
 * Argo Cemetery located about 1/2 mile south of Uehling, NE on US 77 and then 3 miles east and 1/4 mile south. Or 6 miles south &amp; 2 miles west of Craig (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Arizona Cemetery 2 miles north &amp; 5 miles east of Tekamah.
 * Craig Cemetery 1/2 mile south of Craig
 * Deman Hinds Cemetery also called Anderson or Decatur Cemetery Located 4 miles west and 1/2 mile south of Decatur, NE (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Grace Lutheran Cemetery 1 mile south of Bertha, NE or 6 miles north of Craig (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Hillcrest Cemetery located in northwest corner of Decatur
 * Holy Family Cemetery Located 2 miles southwest of Decatur, NE (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Lyons Cemetery 1/2 mile northeast of Lyons
 * Oakland Cemetery and Lutheran Cemetery just south Oakland. These two cemeteries are adjoining but separate.
 * Pioneer Cemetery More listed here (in Cuming Co. but operated by Oakland, Burt County) (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * (Another cemetery down the road from Pioneer and even further into Cuming County is named Peterson Pioneer Cemetery)
 * Saint John's Luthern Church Cemetery 4 mi. South on Hwy 77, 1 mi. East and ½ mi. South of Lyons, Nebraska (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Saint Josephs Cemetery aka Holy Cross Cemetery, 1 mile east &amp; 1 mile south of Bancroft.Or 3 miles north and 5 miles west of Lyons.
 * Saint Paul's Luthern Church Cemetery located about 1 mile west and 3 miles north of Uehling, NE (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Salem Cemetery 3 miles west of Oakland on Hwy 32, 2 miles South.
 * Silver Creek Cemetery in Silver Creek Township, Burt County, Nebraska9 miles east of Oakland. (also on Find-A-Grave)
 * Small Burial Plot, S20, T21N, RIOE. between Craig and Tekamah
 * Tekamah Cemetery 1 mile north of Tekamah
 * Westside Methodist Cemetery, 4 miles west of Oakland on Hwy 32 &amp; 2 miles North. (also on Find-A-Grave)

Census
In addition to the federal census of 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 Burt County can also be found in several territorial and state census.

1854 NE Territorial Census, District 6 (Burt &amp; Washington Counties)

1856 NE Territorial Census for Burt County

Burt County Taxes of April 1872

1885 NE State Census for Burt County

1890-1 Business Directory &amp; Farmer's List of the Nebraska State Gazetteer : Burt County

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

Local Histories
History of the State of Nebraska first published in 1882 by The Western Historical Company, A. T. Andreas, Proprietor, Chicago, IL. Includes a detailed chapter on Burt County. Republished on the web by NEGenWeb Project Resource Center On-Line Library. (Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska: Burt County Produced by Karen Elliott.)

"Burt County Nebraska in the World War, VICTORY" 1919, published by The Burt County Herald, Tekamah, NE. (Produced by William Wever, T&amp;C Miller with index.)Republished on the web by NEGenWeb Project Resource Center On-Line Library.

"Noteworthy Men of Tekamah and Vicinity", by Ott Brothers, 1905. Republished on the web by NEGenWeb Project Resource Center On-Line Library.

A history of Burt County, Nebraska : from 1803 to 1929. Wahoo, Neb. : Ludi Print. Co., [1929?] Available online through Heritage Quest (check with your local library through which you may have access already to Heritage Quests databases)

Story of an old town: with reminiscences of early Nebraska and biographies of pioneers by DeMilt, A. P. Omaha, Neb.: Douglas Print. Co. 1902 [about Decatur, Burt County, NE, chapter 6 is about early Burt County in general with biographical sketches] Available online through Heritage Quest (check with your local library through which you may have access already to Heritage Quests databases).

[http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/burt/olres/whoswho/whosburt.htm Who's Who in Burt County, Nebraska, 1940. by Douglas C. Sutherland.] Transcribed by Karen Elliott for NEGenWeb Project.

A Craig scrapbook: a story of a village in Burt County, Nebraska by Lang, Russell Clark; Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, c2008 Available online by BYU Digital Archives.

1884 Atlas of State: Record of County Officials of Burt County, Nebraska 1855 - 1884. Transcribed and submitted by Bonnie Marks for USGenWeb Project.

"Nebraska... Our Towns" contains short histories of the individual towns in Burt county. "Historical Nebraska" is part of "Virtual Nebraska" by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Maps and Gazetteers
Burt County website has a group of useful maps including very detailed road, county, and city maps.

Nebraska Department of Roads website lists a number of very detailed historic maps.
 * 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
 * Military Pensioners, 1 January 1883 transcribed by Alice Miller for USGenWeb Nebraska Archives
 * 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.

World War I

 * Burt County WWI Draft Records and Military Personal transcribed by Bill Weaver for USGenWeb Nebraska Archives
 * 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 Newspaper Catalogs
 * 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 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 $

Taxation
Burt County Taxes of April 1872

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

Marriage Records 1861-1937 transcribed by Bill Weaver for USGenWeb Nebraska Archives

Societies and Libraries
County, Township and City Societies


 * Burt County Historical Society P.O. Box 125 Tekamah, NE 68061-0125


 * Northeastern Nebraska Genealogical Society (NENGS) P.O. Box 249 Lyons, NE 68038-0249

Libraries


 * Lyons Public Library 335 Main Street Lyons, NE 68038-0198 Phone: 402-687-2895


 * Oakland Public Library 110 East 3rd Street Oakland, NE 68045-1356 Phone: 402-685-5113


 * Tekamah Public Library 204 South 13th Street Tekamah, NE 68061-1304 Phone: 402-374-2453


 * Burt County Museum E.C. Houston House 319 North 13th Street P.O. Box 125 Tekamah, NE 68061-0125 Phone: 402-374-1505 Email: [mailto:burtcomuseum@huntel.net burtcomuseum@huntel.net]

Family History Centers



 * Swedish Heritage Center 301 North Chard Avenue Oakland, NE 68045 Phone: 402-685-6161 or 402-685-5057

Websites

 * NEGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * Nebraska Genealogy: Burt County Page
 * Linkpendium: Burt County
 * Linkpendium: Burt County