Cheyenne County, Nebraska Genealogy

Cheyenne 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 and land records. County Court has probate records. Clerk District Court has divorce records.

Parent County
1867 Cheyenne County was created 22 June 1867 from unorganized territory. County seat: Sidney.

Description
Cheyenne County was formed in 1871 and named after the Cheyenne Native American tribe.

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  ====
 * Dalton
 * Gurley
 * Lodgepole
 * Potter
 * Sidney
 * The town was founded by the Union Pacific Railroadin 1867 and grew up around the military base of Fort Sidney where soldiers were stationed to guard the transcontinental railroad from Indian attacks.

Neighboring Counties

 * Banner
 * Deuel
 * Garden
 * Kimball
 * Logan County, Colorado
 * Morrill
 * Sedgwick County, Colorado
 * Weld County, Colorado

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

Cheyenne County has both a District and a County Court. The District Court issues writs, files papers delivered to him, endorses papers, and keeps records of court proceedings. The County Court files copies of Land records as well as birth, marriage, and death records.


 * Distric Court Courthouse 1000 10th Ave PO Box 217 Sidney, Nebraska 69162-0217 Telephone: (308)254-2814
 * County Court Courthouse 1000 10th Ave Sidney, Nebraska 69162-0217 Telephone: (308)254-2141

Land
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

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

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

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


 * Cheyenne County Genealogical Society&#160;(DDGS) P.O. Box 802 Sidney, NE 69162 The society has all Cheyenne County marriage records prior to 1 Jan 1987, cemetery transcription books done in 1998, census films for the county, and a county history with biographies. See their GenWeb site for fees. The collections of the CCGS have been moved to the Sidney Public Library to the B. Seda Heritage Room.


 * Cheyenne County Historical Society P.O. Box 802 Sidney, NE 69162


 * Cheyenne County Historical Society Fort Sidney Complex 6th &amp; Jackson Sts. Sidney, NE 69162 Phone: 308-254-2550

Libraries


 * Sidney Public Library 1112 12th Ave. Sidney, NE 69162 Phone: 308-254-3110


 * Dalton Public Library P.O. Box 206 Dalton, NE 69131-0206 Phone: 308-377-2413


 * Nancy Fawcett Memorial Library 724 Oberfelder St P.O. Box 318 Lodgepole, NE 69149-0318 Phone: 308-483-5714 Fax: 308-483-5715 Email: [mailto:nafameli@daltontel.net nafameli@daltontel.net]


 * Potter Public Library 333 Chestnut P.O. Box 317 Potter, NE 69156-0317 Phone: 308-879-4345 Fax: 308-879-4456

Family History Centers



 * Sidney Nebraska Family History Center

Websites

 * NEGenWeb
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.