Cowley County, Kansas Genealogy

United States &gt; Kansas &gt; Cowley County

Registar of Deeds
The central location for vital records and land records for Cowley County. The Register of Deeds maintains a variety of records and prepares reports of some complexity; assists the public in preparing forms, answering inquiries, certifying copies of military discharges, and looking up records; receives, records, and indexes grantor, grantee, and related records; records plats and maps; files chattel mortgages; makes lien searches; maintains various office records; computes and posts figures; etc.

Phone: 620.221.5461; Fax: 620.221.5463 Location: County Courthouse; 311 E. 9th; Winfield, KS 67156 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 741; Winfield, KS 67156 Website: http://www.cowleycounty.org/deeds/

County Clerk
Records minutes of Commission meetings and maintains files for minutes and resolutions; Assist in budget preparation, accounting, payroll, etc.; Manages elections and voting; Selling of hunting and fishing licenses, etc; Birth and death records from the 1800's to 1911 for the county are available; Land records from the 1800's are also available.

Phone: 620.221.5400 or 620.441.4500; Fax: 620.221.5498 Location: County Courthouse; 311 E. 9th; Winfield, KS 67156 Website: http://www.cowleycounty.org/clerk/

Parent County

 * 1867--Cowley County was created 26 February 1867 from Butler County. County seat: Winfield
 * These lands belonged to the Osage and were not opened to white settlement though many settlers crossed over from Butler County. In January 1870, settlers paid head money to Chetopa, the Osage chief, to remain on Osage lands and laid out towns along the rivers.
 * On 28 Feb 1870, Cowley County was officially organized and on 15 Jul 1870, the Osage lands were opened for settlement.
 * Between 1870 and 1874, the land in Cowley was divided and redivided into townships and communities, the boundaries changing frequently with the changing population.
 * In 1874 and 1875 swarms of grasshoppers devoured the drought damaged crops causing many settlers to leave the county and state. In 1880 drought caused another exodus.

Populated Places
Arkansas City Atlanta Burden Cambridge Dexter Maple City New Salem Rock Silverdale Udall Winfield

Neighboring Counties

 * Butler
 * Chautauqua
 * Elk
 * Kay County, Oklahoma
 * Osage County, Oklahoma
 * Sedgwick
 * Sumner

Cemeteries
Cowley County cemeteries web page. Not all cemeteries have been transcribed. If transcribed, gives the name, date of birth and death and comments if any.

Topographic Map Cemetery Features in Cowley County, Kansas lists the larger cemeteries and their gps locations. Also, links to topigraphical maps containing the cemetery locaions.

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Arkansas City

Land
See Registar of Deeds above.

Local Histories
[http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/cowley/people/heritage/heritage-book.html The History of Cowley County, Kansas. (1990)] index and some pages transcribed available online through the Cowley, KS GenWeb site.

Cutler, William G., Cowley County, History of the State of Kansas, published 1883 by A. T. Andreas, Chicago, IL.

Maps
Cowley County GIS Maps A very detailed set of interactive and pdf maps of Cowley County including township lines, roads and water ways, towns, schools, and cemeteries.

Newspapers
Newspaper Files Transcribed by Mary Ann Wortman from Microfilm contains transcribed articles for various newspapers 1868-1895 and 1918-1922.

Vital Records
See County Offices above.

Web Sites

 * Cowley County, KS USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog