Saunders County, Nebraska Genealogy

Saunders 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, burial, divorce, probate, court and land records.

Parent County
1856 Saunders County was created 26 January 1856 from Lancaster and Douglas Counties. County seat: Wahoo

Description
Saunders County was organized in 1866. The county was originally named after John C. Calhoun; in 1862, during the American Civil War, it was renamed after Nebraska territorial governor Alvin Saunders. It is located in the great Platte Valley.

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.

Places/Localities
==== Populated Places ====

Cities

 * Ashland
 * Wahoo
 * Yutan

Villages

 * Cedar Bluffs
 * Ceresco
 * Colon
 * Ithaca
 * Leshara
 * Malmo
 * Mead
 * Memphis
 * Morse Bluff
 * Prague
 * Valparaiso
 * Weston

Townships

 * Ashland
 * Bohemia
 * Center
 * Chapman
 * Chester
 * Clear Creek
 * Douglas
 * Elk
 * Green
 * Leshara
 * Marble
 * Marietta
 * Mariposa
 * Morse Bluff
 * Newman
 * North Cedar
 * Oak Creek
 * Pohocco
 * Richland
 * Rock Creek
 * South Cedar
 * Stocking
 * Union
 * Wahoo

Neighboring Counties

 * Butler
 * Cass
 * Colfax
 * Dodge
 * Douglas
 * Lancaster
 * Sarpy
 * Seward

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
Online Land Records

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
Past and Present of Saunders County Nebraska: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement -- Vol. 1 -- http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/saunders/1915/index.html. Vol 2 -- Biographical Sketches Names Index: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/saunders/1915/vol2/vol2-names.html

Saunders County Nebraska, Saunders County History 1983, Sponsored by the Saunders County Historical Society and Written by the People of Saunders County, Nebraska (Library of Congress No. 83- 050295) http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/saunders/1983hist/ Family Stories Index http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/saunders/1983hist/famnames.html

Maps and Gazetteers
Plat Book, Saunders County Nebraska, compiled and published by The Brown-Scoville Publishing Co., 1907
 * 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 Saunders 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
 * 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 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 $

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
County, Township and City Societies


 * Saunders County Historical Society 240 N Walnut St Wahoo, NE 68005 Phone: 402-443-3090 Website

Libraries


 * Wahoo Public Library 637 N. Maple Wahoo, NE 68066 Phone: 402-443-3871 Fax: 402-443-3877


 * Mead Public Library 316 S Vine St Mead, NE 68041, Phone: 402-624-6605


 * Gretna Public Library Main Library-736 South St Gretna, NE Phone: 402-332-4480 Fax: 402-537-3902 Email: Gretna.Library@gmail.com

Websites

 * NEGenWeb
 * USGenWeb
 * Genealogy Trails
 * Linkpendium