Wyandotte County, Kansas Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the Wyandot Indians. The County has Kansas City as its seat and the County was created January 29, 1859. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wyandotte County Courthouse 710 N 7th Street Kansas City, KS 66112 Phone: 913.573.5260 Wyandotte County Website City Clerk has birth and death records. Probate Judge has marriage and probate records. Clerk District Court has divorce records. Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
The following are locations in Wyandotte County, Kansas:

Incorporated cities Name and population (2012 U.S. Census estimate): Unincorporated places
 * 147,268 - Kansas City (county seat)
 * 7,419 - Bonner Springs, of which about 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) lies within Leavenworth County
 * 4,377 - Edwardsville
 * 928 - Lake Quivira, of which a quarter of the city lies within Wyandotte County, the majority being in Johnson County
 * Argentine, formerly a city, annexed by the city of Kansas City in 1910
 * Armourdale, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886
 * Armstrong, a town absorbed by Wyandotte
 * Piper, annexed by the city of Kansas City in 1991
 * Rosedale, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1922
 * Turner
 * Wyandotte, formerly a city, consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886
 * Welborn

Cemeteries
Cemetery Index - Wyandotte County Historical Museum - Trowbridge Research Library BillionGraves:
 * Bonner Springs Cemetery, Bonner Springs
 * Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Edwardsville Cemetery, Edwardsville
 * Franklin Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Grinter Chapel Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Highland Park Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Lenexa Cemetery, Lenexa West 87th Place and Pflumm Rd.
 * Maywood Church Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Mount Calvary Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Mount Hope Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Old Quindaro Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Quindaro Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Riverview Cemetery, Bonner Springs
 * St. John Catholic Cemetery, Lenexa
 * White Church Cemetery, Kansas City
 * Woodlawn Cemetery, Kansas City

State and Territorial Census Records

 * 1855-1925 - Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images; covers census years 1855-1859, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925
 * 1860 - at FamilySearch — Index and images
 * 1860 - 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Kansas Territory at Ancestry — ($), Index and images
 * 1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1875 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1885 - at FamilySearch — images
 * 1895 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1919-1961 - Kansas, City and County Census Records, 1919-1961 at Ancestry — Partial index (4 counties) and images

Federal Census Records
The 1870 Census was the first Federal Census taken for Kansas after it became a state in 1861. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Kansas Census.

Church Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Kansas City

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records
 * Land records at Kansas Historical Society
 * 1857 Shawnee Indian Reservation Land Plat book for COUNTY - image of plat book
 * 1887 Land Plat book for Wyandotte County - image of plat book
 * 1893 Land Plat book for Wyandotte County - image of plat book
 * 1907 Land Plat book for Wyandotte County - image of plat book

For more information see Kansas 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
Online County Histories
 * Historical Spots or Mile-stones in the Progress of Wyandotte County, Kansas. 1935.  By Grant W. Harrington.  Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2013.  Online at:.
 * History of Wyandotte County, Kansas and Its People. 2 Volumes. 1911. By Perl W. Morgan.  Chicago, Illinois : Lewis Pub. Co.  Online at:  - Vol. 1,  - Vol. 2, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books - Vol. 1, Google Books - Vol. 2;.
 * Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas : Historical and Biographical. 1890.  Chicago, Illinois : Goodspeed Pub. Co.  Online at:, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Wyandotte County, Kansas for European and African American settlers included:


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

Civil War
During the Civil War men from this county enlisted in the 1st Regiment Kansas Infantry Volunteers, 1st Regiment Kansas Colored Troops, 2nd Regiment Kansas Infantry, 5th Regiment Kansas Cavalry, 6th Regiment Kansas Cavalry, 10th Regiment Kansas Infantry, 12th Regiment Kansas Cavalry, 15th Regiment, Kansas Cavalry, Company E, and the16th Regiment Kansas Cavalry.

Newspapers
Kansas Newspapers Online Kansas Newspaper Catalogs
 * Kansas Newspapers at Newspapers.com - ($), free to Kansas residents through Kansas Historical Society
 * GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Kansas newspapers
 * Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Kansas newspapers
 * Chronicling America - contains images of some Kansas newspapers; searching tips
 * Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
 * Kansas Online Historical Newspapers - contains a list of known Kansas newspapers online and the websites they are found on
 * 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 Records
'''Online Records


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

Tax Records

 * Tax List for Wyandotte County - Wyandotte County Historical Museum - Trowbridge Research Library

Birth

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

Marriage

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

Death

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

Family History Centers

 * Kansas City Kansas Family History Center

Museums
Wyandotte County Historical Society and Museum 631 N 126th St Bonner Springs, KS 66012 Telephone Number: 913-573-5002 Website

Societies
Wyandotte County Historical Society and Museum 631 N 126th St Bonner Springs, KS 66012 Telephone Number: 913-573-5002 Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * 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
 * Wyandotte County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)