Brown County, Kansas Genealogy

Guide to Brown 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 Albert Gallatin Brown (1813-1880), United States senator from Mississippi at the time of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Other legislators, however, stated it was named for O. H. Browne, a member of that legislature. The County has Hiawatha as its seat and the County was created August 25, 1855. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Brown County Courthouse 601 Oregon Street Hiawatha, Kansas 66434 Phone: 785.742.2581 Brown County Website Clerk District Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1800’s and marriage records. Register of Deeds has land records from 1857.

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

See also: National Register of Historic Places in Brown County, Kansas Indian Reservation

The Kickapoo Indian Reservation is located within the boundaries of Brown County.

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.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records
 * Land records at Kansas Historical Society
 * 1887 Land Plat book for Brown County - image of plat book
 * 1904 Land Plat book for Brown County - image of plat book
 * 1919 and Plat book for Brown 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
 * Annals of Brown County, Kansas : From the Earliest Records to January 1, 1900. 1903. Compiled and published by Grant W. Harrington. Hiawatha, Kansas : G.W. Harrington.  Online at:, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.
 * History and Statistics of Brown County, Kansas. 1876.  By Edmund Needham Morrill. Hiawatha, Kan. : Kansas Herald Book, News, and Job Office. Online at:, Hathitrust,  Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
 * History of Brown County. (Title also known as A. N. Ruley's History of Brown County.) 1930. By Andrew Newton Ruley. Hiawatha, Kansas : [The Daily World]. Online at:, Ancestry ($);.
 * History of Brown County, Kansas : Giving Brief Sketches.... (Title also known as History and Statistics of Brown County, Kansas.) 1876. By Edmund Needham Morrill. Hiawatha, Kan. : Kansas Herald Book, News, and Job Office. Online at: ;.
 * A.N. Ruley's History of Brown County. (Title also known as History of Brown County.) 1976 Reprint. By Andrew Newton Ruley. [Marceline, Missouri] : Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc. Online at: ;.
 * A Pictorial History of Brown County, Kansas 1880-1991. 1992. By Hiawatha Daily World. Marceline, Missouri : Heritage House Pub. Online at: ;.

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


 * Missouri 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

Civil War
Soldiers from Brown County enlisted in:


 * 1st Regiment, Companies A and B
 * 2nd Infantry Regiment, Companies Dand G
 * 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Company I
 * 5th Cavalry Regiment, Companies G and L
 * 7th Regiment, Companies A, C, H, and I
 * 8th Regiment, Companies C and D
 * 9th Regiment, Company A
 * 11th Regiment, Company F
 * 13th Regiment, Companies A, B, E, G, H, I
 * 14th Cavalry Regiment, Companies A, H, L, K
 * 16th Cavalry Regiment, Companies A, C, and K
 * Nebraska 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Companies G and L
 * Missouri Regiments 5 and 25

All regiments are Kansas Infantry unless otherwise indicated.

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 $

Birth

 * 1818 - 1936 at FamilySearch.org — index


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

Marriage

 * 1800 - 1946 - United States Marriages – Kansas, 1800-1946 at findmypast — ($), Index and images
 * 1811 - 1911 - at FamilySearch — Index
 * 1811 - 1911 - Kansas, County Marriages, 1811-1911 at Ancestry — ($), Index
 * 1840 - 1935 - at FamilySearch.org — Index
 * 1854 - 1861 - KHS Kansas Marriage Index, 1854-1861 at Kansas Historical Society — Index

Death

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

Societies
Brown County Genealogical Society 116 South 7th Street Hiawatha, Kansas 66434-2307 E-mail: [mailto:brcogenealogy@yahoo.com brcogenealogy@yahoo.com]

Brown County Historical Society 611 Utah St  Hiawatha, KS 66434 Telephone Number: 785-742-3330 Website

Websites

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