Labette County, Kansas Genealogy

United States Kansas  Labette County

Guide to Labette County, Kansas ancestry, family history and genealogy 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
Labette County Courthouse 501 Merchant St P O Box 387 Oswego KS 67356 Phone: 316 795-2227

County Clerk has birth records 1885-1896 and death records 1885-1889. Probate Judge has marriage and probate records from 1870. Clerk District Court has divorce and court records from 1870. Register of Deeds has land records from 1875. A yearly county census was taken 1915-1979.

Parent County
1867--Labette County was created 7 February 1867 from Neosho County. County seat: Oswego

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

Populated Places

 * Altamont
 * Angola
 * Bartlett
 * Brownstone
 * Chetopa
 * Dennis
 * Edna
 * Fern
 * Garvin
 * Grove
 * Labette
 * Laneville
 * Montana
 * Morehead
 * Mound Valley
 * Orchard Park
 * Oswego
 * Parsons
 * Penfield
 * Stover
 * Strauss
 * Valeda
 * Winway

Neighboring Counties



 * Cherokee
 * Craig County, Oklahoma
 * Crawford
 * Montgomery
 * Neosho
 * Nowata County, Oklahoma
 * Wilson

Cemeteries
Several published books as well as archival materials exist for Labette County cemeteries. (See WorldCatfor library holdings.) Compilations include:


 * Funeral Registers, 1900-1926. Wall Funeral Home, Parsons, Kansas. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987
 * Labette County Funeral Registers, 1889-1926.
 * Murphy, D.D, and Josephine Murphy. Tombstone Inscriptions from Cemeteries on Montana Road, Oswego, Labette County., 1970.
 * Rice, Tina, and Wanda Houts. Tombstone Inscriptions. Parsons, KS. (P.O. Box 826, Parsons 67357: T. Rice and W. Houts, 1981.

In addition, several national websites include information for Labette County graves:


 * Findagrave.com
 * Interment.net

Resources for specific cemeteries are:

Oak Hill Cemetery, Chetopa Google map and searchable database on BillionGraves

Church

 * Brown Chapel, African Methodist Episcopal
 * Cecil Church (historical)
 * Center Bethel Church
 * Center Chapel
 * Edna Baptist Church
 * Elm Church
 * Hopewell Church
 * Mount Pleasant Baptist
 * Mount Zion Baptist Church (historical)
 * Pleasant Hill Church
 * St. Paul's Church. [See book: Protestant Episcopal Church, Kansas Parish Registers of Baptisms, Burials, Marriages, Etc: Chetopa, St. Paul's Church, 1889-1960]
 * Salem Church (historical)
 * Spring Valley Church
 * Zion Hill Church

Court
Labette County Court House 501 Merchant St Oswego KS 67356 (620) 795-2227

The Kansas Historical Sociey has the following on microfilm:

Chetopa City Clerk Ordinance book book, 1879-1881

Land
The Labette County Register of Deeds Office has land records from 1867.

An additional resource is: 'Deed records, Labette County, 1868-1877, Kansas by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Oceanic Hopkins Chapter (Pittsburg, Kansas) and Margaret Grandle. Available on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and FamilySearch Centers worldwide.

Local Histories
See WorldCatto locate the following materials: [Note: some digital versions are available online.]

Brotherton, Mike, and Mattox, David. Labette County. Arcadia Pub. , 2011.

Canfield, Thomas H. Business Directory of the City of Oswego: Labette County, Kansas, Containing a History of the Town from the Beginning, with the Present Business of the Place, Together with an Outline Map of the City and Its Surroundings, Its Population and Its Railroad Facilities, Present and Future. Oswego: Printed by Colver &amp; M'Gill, 1870.

Case, Nelson. History of Labette County, Kansas: And Representative Citizens. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co, 1901. Digital version at Internet Archive.

Case, Nelson. History of Labette County, Kansas: From the First Settlement to the Close of 1892. Topeka, Kan: Crane &amp; Co, 1893. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.

Earle, Jonathan, Ted Wilson, Norman Saul, Paul Kelton, Stephen Hasiotis, and John N. Mack. Swords into Ploughshares: the Struggle to Build an Ordered Community of Liberty on the Southeast Kansas Frontier 1867-1876. , 2009. Internet resource at KU Scholar Works.

Graue, Bertha I, and Norman R. Peters. The Bartlett Book: A Collection of Newspaper Articles Containing a History of the Many Families Who Have Lived in the Southern Part of Labette County, Kansas, 1850-1977. Washington, D.C.] (Box 21117, Washington 20009: N.R. Peters, 1982.

James Lincoln Stice Papers: Scrapbooks, Letters, Newspaper Clippings, Photographs. Fayetteville, Ark: Special Collections Division, University Libraries, 1999.

Kinton, Maxine L. Some Ohioans to Labette Co., Kansas. Mansfield, Ohio: M.L. Kinton, 1980.

Labette County, Kansas. S.l.: General Books, 2010.

Lightfoot, W H. Our Heroes in Our Defense: Labette County, Kansas. Parsons, Kan: Printed by Commercial publishing co, 1921. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.

Nixon, Ruth. History of Big Hill and Old Mt. Zion. Cherryvale? (Kan.: s.n., 1982.

Parsons, Labette County, Kansas Years from 1869 to 1895 : Story of "the Benders". Parsons, Kan. : Bell Bookcraft, 1970. Digital version at Internet Archive.

Maps
The David Rumsey Map Collection website has digitized atlas maps of Labette County, as well as the cities of Altamont, Chetopa, Dennis, Labette City, Mathewson, Montana, Mortimer, Mound Valley, Neosho Falls, Oswego, and Parsons. The maps' source is "The Official State Atlas of Kansas compiled from government surveys, county records and personal investigations" Philadelphia. L.H. Everts &amp; Co. 1887.

Military
The WorldCat websiteprovides holdings details for the following publications and archival materials:

Civil War Veterans to Labette Co., Kansas. Kansas?: s.n, 1900.

Hollingsworth, Patricia Merrill. World War I Draft Registration Cards Labette County Kansas. Mariba, Kentucky : P.M. Hollingsworth, 2003. (Available at FamilySearch centers.)

Kinton, Maxine L. Some Civil War Veterans to Labette Co., Kansas. Mansfield, Ohio: M.L. Kinton, 1980.

Mack, John N. "A Second Revolution: The Struggle to Define the Meaning of the Civil War in Southeast Kansas, 1867-1876." Kansas History. 32.1 (2009)

Memorial ... Parsons, Kansas. Parsons, Kan.?: s.n., 1970.

Nixon, Perry O. C. [Civil War Memoir of Perry O.C. Nixon, Sergeant, Company C, 10th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 1861-1865]. , 1907

For information about Civil War records see Neosho County.

Newspapers
Current newspapers in Labette include the Altamont Journal, Chetopa Advance, Labette Avenue, Oswego Independent-Observer, and Parsons Sun.

Historical newspapers: The Kansas Historical Society holds the following newspapers on microfilm: [for dates and additional information see the Newspaper Index at their website.

Altamont Gazette, Altamont Journal, Altamont Saturday Item, Altamont Sentinel, American Crank, Anti-Monopolist, Arbitrator, Bartlett News, Blade-Democra, Breeze, Chetopa Advance, Chetopa Advance Reunion Daily, Chetopa Advance-Clipper, Chetopa Clipper, Chetopa Democrat, Chetopa Herald, Chetopa Statesman, Chetopa Times, Coffins Business Directory, Daily Eclipse, Daily Eli, Daily Evening Star, Daily News, Daily Out-Look, Daily Pilot, Daily Republican, Democrat, Dennis Hustler, Dennis Leader, Edna Enterprise, Edna Independent, Edna News, Edna Star, Edna Sun, Evening Herald, Evening Journal, Eye Opener, Farm Talk, Golden Rod, High School Sentiment, Independent, Infant Wonder [many variant titles], Kansas Advocate, Kansas Christian Advocate, Kansas Democrat, Kansas Farm and Home, Kansas Messenger, Kansas State Alliance, Kansas Workman, Labette County Democrat, Labette County Statesman, Labette County Times, Labette County Times-Statesman, Labette Record, Labette Sentinel, Labette Star, Mills' Weekly World, Mound Valley Herald, Mound Valley Journal, Mound Valley News, Mound Valley Times, Oswego Bee, Oswego Blade, Oswego Courant, Oswego Daily Bee, Oswego Daily Independent, Oswego Daily Republican, Oswego Democrat, Oswego Independent, Oswego Independent-Observer, Oswego News-Blade, Oswego Register, Oswego Republican, Oswego Weekly Blade, Oswego Weekly Republican, Our Home, Parsons Advertiser, Parsons Broadaxe, Parsons Business College Journal, Parsons Daily Eclipse, Parsons Daily Journal, Parsons Daily News, Parsons Daily Republican, Parsons Daily Sun, Parsons Eclipse, Parsons Evening Globe, Parsons Independent, Parsons News, Parsons Palladium, Parsons School Reporter, Parsons Sun, Parsons Sun and Semi Weekly Herald, Parsons Surprise, Parsons Visitor, Parsons Weekly Blade, Parsons Weekly Eclipse, Parsons Weekly Globe, Parsons Weekly Herald, Parsons Weekly Star, Parsons Weekly Sun, Pilot , Railway Employee, School Reporter, Senior Annual, Sentiment, Settler's Guide, South East Kansas Independent Observer, Southern Kansas Advance, State Alliance-Workman, Sun, Times-Journal, Union Blade, United Labor, Weekly Clarion, Western Enterprise, Western World, White Banner, Wilsonton Journal

Probate
Online Records


 * 1803 – 1987 Kansas Wills and Probate Records 1803-1987 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

The Kansas Historical Society has the following on microfilm:


 * Probate journals, 1868-1919
 * Will records, 1868-1921

Birth Records

 * 1818 - 1936 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1885 - 1911 Kansas, Births and Christenings Index, 1885-1911 at Ancestry.com — index $

Death Records

 * 1885 - 1930 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1885 - 1930 Kansas, Deaths and Burials, Index, 1885-1930 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage Records

 * 1811 - 1911 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1840 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1855 - 1911 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1855 - 1911 Kansas, County Marriages, 1855-1911 at Ancestry.com — images $

The Labette County Clerk's Office holds the following records:


 * Birth records: 1885 to 1896
 * Marriage records: 1867 to the present
 * Death records: 1885 to 1893

In addition, birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates are held by the State of Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of Vital Statistics. Post-1940 records are not public; to obtain copies one must be named on the record, or be an immediate family member, or need the record for legal rights. Pre-1940 records may be requested by an individual related as at least a cousin. Records held by the state are:


 * Birth and death certificates: July 1, 1911 to the present
 * Marriage licenses: May 1, 1913 to the present
 * Divorce certificates: July 1, 1951 to the present

The Kansas Historical Sociey has the following on microfilm:


 * Marriage records: 1867 to 1920
 * Marriage register: 1885 to 1896

The WorldCat website has information on holdings of these published and archival materials:

Early Marriage Records, Labette County, Kansas: 30 October 1867-13 April 1878, 15 May 1880-27 March 1881. Topeka, Kan: Topeka Genealogical Society, 1978.

Grandle, Margaret, and Susan G. Tillman. Birth Records Labette County, [Kansas], 1885-1892. Pittsburg, Kan: s.n, 1992.

Labette County Early Births Early Deaths. S.l: s.n, 1900.

Protestant Episcopal Church, Kansas Parish Registers of Baptisms, Burials, Marriages, Etc: Chetopa, St. Paul's Church, 1889-1960. , 1889.

Societies, Libraries, and Museums
Chetopa Historical Museum 419 Maple Chetopa, KS Telephone Number: 620-236-7121

Edna Historical Museum 101 S. Delaware Edna, KS Telephone Number: 620-922-3333 Website

Labette County Genealogical Society 1205 So. 32nd St Parsons, KS 67357 Website

Mound Valley Historical Museum Mound Valley, KS Telephone Number: 620-328-2811

 Mound Valley Historical Society 588 12000 Road Mound Valley, KS Website

Oswego Historical Museum 410 Commercial Street Oswego, KS Telephone Number: 620-795-4500 Website

Parsons Historical Society Museum 401 South 18th Parsons, KS 67357 Telephone Number: 620-421-2109 Website

Parsons Iron Horse Museum 18th and Corning Parsons, KS 67357 Telephone Number: 620-421-1959

Altamont Public Library 407 Huston Ave Altamont, KS 67330 (620) 784-5530

Chetopa City Library 312 Maple Chetopa, KS 67336 (620) 236-7194

Edna Public Library 105 N Delaware Edna, KS 67342 (620) 922-3470

Mound Valley Library 411 Hickory Mound Valley, KS 67354 (620) 328-3411

Oswego Public Library 704 Fourth Street Oswego, KS 67356 (620) 795-4921

Parsons Public Library 311 S 17th Street Parsons, KS 67357 (620) 421-5920

Southeast Kansas Education Museum 402 Ohio St Oswego, KS 67356 (620) 795-2003

Web Sites

 * Official Labette County, Kansas website
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * Labette County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Labette County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)