Buffalo County, Nebraska Genealogy

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

Description
The county was created in 1855 by legislation and later fully organized in 1870. It was named after the then-prevalent buffalo herds. Buffalo County was named for American bison.

County Courthouse
Buffalo County Courthouse P.O. Box 520 1512 Central Ave. Kearney, NE 68848 Phone: 308-236-1228 Buffalo County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1872. County Judge has probate and court records from 1872. Clerk District Court has divorce records. Register of Deeds has land 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:

History Timeline
Additional Information

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

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 ($)

Court Records
Buffalo County houses a District Court and a County Court. The District Court issues writs and orders, collects and disperses child support fees, keeps court records, and records court proceedings.The County Court handles probate, civil, criminal and traffic cases.


 * Buffalo County District Court P.O. Box 520 Kearney, NE 68848 Phone: 308-236-1246 Website
 * County Court of Buffalo County 1512 Central Ave,P.O. Box 520 Kearney, NE 68848 Telephone: 308-236-1228 Website

Land and Property Records

 * Buffalo County Register of Deeds P.O. Box 1270 Kearney, NE 68848 In Nebraska counties with more than 20,000 inhabitants, there is a separate office for the Register of Deeds. The Register of Deeds website has an alphabetical index to Buffalo County Land Patents compiled by the agency.
 * 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.com - ($), index and images

For more information see Nebraska Land and Property

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

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Buffalo County for European and African American settlers included:


 * Platte River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

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
 * 1861 - 1948 - 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.

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

Other Records

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

Probate Records
Probate records are held and created by the Buffalo County Court listed in the County section on this page.

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of Buffalo County probate records 1906-1956 housed by the North Platte Genealogical Society in North Platte, Nebraska. As of April 2010 the society has an internet address but no web content.

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

Vital Records
The Family History Library has microfilm copies of Buffalo County marriage records 1896-1993 housed in the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Buffalo County Courthouse.

Marriage

 * 1855 - 1995 — at FamilySearch — index only
 * 1856 - 1898 — Nebraska Marriages 1856-1898 at Ancestry.com ($), index only

Death

 * 1861 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index

Family History Centers

 * Kearney Nebraska Family History Center

Libraries

 * Kearney Public Library and Information Center 2020 First Avenue Kearney, NE 68847-5306 Phone: 308-233-3282 Fax: 308-233-3291

Museums

 * Trails and Rails Museumin Kearney, Nebraska

Societies

 * Buffalo County Historical Society Trails and Rails Museum P.O. Box 523 710 West 11th St Kearney, NE 68848-0523 Phone: 308-234-3041 Email: [mailto:bchs.us@hotmail.com bchs.us@hotmail.com] The Trails and Rails Museum at 710 West 11th St. in Kearney houses their collection. The Society's archives have county atlases for various years, family papers from a few families, family histories, marriage records beginning 1872, probate records from 1872, newspapers published in Kearney and Shelton, naturalization records, school census records, Kearney water company records from 1887-1893, and more.
 * Fort Kearney Genealogical Society P.O. Box 22 Kearney, NE 68847 Phone: 308-234-6708 The Fort Kearney Genealogical Society was organized in 1978. It has in its own collection, or has access to early school records, cemetery inventories, census and Soundex records, microfilms of the Kearney HUB and other county newspapers, land patents, marriages, delayed birth records, naturalizations, early probates, etc. It publishes a quarterly journal titled Buffalo Chips. They are happy to do look-ups in their own archives and libraries and at the courthouse.
 * Ravenna Genealogical and Historical Society P.O. Box 33 Ravenna, NE 68869 Phone: 308-293-9200 Email: [mailto:mrussell@nctc.net mrussell@nctc.net]
 * Flatwater Genealogical Society P.O. Box 373 Gibbon, NE 68840 Phone: 308-468-5656; 308-468-6142

Websites

 * NEGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * - 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