Barton County, Kansas Genealogy

Guide to Barton 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 after a woman - nurse Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross and Civil War heroinse. The County has Great Bend as its seat and the County was created 1872. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Barton County, Kansas Courthouse 1400 Main Street P.O. Box 1089 Great Bend, Kansas 67530-1089 Phone: 316.793.1870 Barton County Website County Clerk has birth and death records, 1892-1911 and cemetery records. Register of Deeds has land school and military discharge records. Clerk District Court has marriage, probate and naturalization records.

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

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Barton County, Kansas

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
Lutheran

'''Albert


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Albert, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

'''Barton County


 * Records of the American Lutheran Church, Barton County, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Land and Property Records
Online Land Records
 * Land records at Kansas Historical Society
 * 1902 Land Plat book for Barton County - image of plat book
 * 1916 Land Plat book for Barton 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
 * Biographical History of Barton County, Kansas. 1912. [Compiled by the staff of] Great Bend Tribune. Great Bend, Kan. : Great Bend Tribune.  Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; Ancestry ($);.
 * Echoes of Pawnee Rock. 1908. By Margaret Perkins. Wichita, Kansas : Goldsmith-Woolard Pub. Co. Online at: ;.
 * The Heart of New Kansas. 1880. By Bernard Bryan Smyth. Great Bend, Kan. : B.B. Smyth. Online at:
 * Moments in History. 1972. By Ray S. Schulz. Great Bend, Kansas : Barton County Historical Society. Online at:
 * We Will Go To a New Land : the Great East Frisian Migration to America 1845-1895. 1998.  By Robert H. Behrens. Mahomet, Illinois : Behrens Publishing. Online at:, Hathitrust;.

Maps and Gazetteers
.

Military Records

 * For information about Civil War records see Marion County.

1890 Census Veterans Schedules

Despite the destruction of the 1890 Federal Census, a few 1890 Census Veterans Schedules for the city of Great Bend in Barton County survived. They are available on roll 118 of "Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War" (NARA M123). The schedules list veterans and their widows who served as Union soldiers in the Civil War. For more information on the 1890 Veterans Schedules see Union Census Records.

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

Obituaries
Obituary Index for the Great Bend Tribune, Great Bend, Kansas. Can be accessed by name and by the date the obituary appeared in the newspaper. Index gives the Name, obituary date or dates, the town and the age. Copies can be ordered from the Great Bend Public Library.

Barton County Index of Obituaries and Death Notices. Includes people that lived in or around Barton County during their lives. Index gives name, year of birth and death. name of newspaper, date of death, and possible other information.

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

 * 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

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Great Bend Kansas Family History Center

Libraries
Great Bend Public Library 1409 Williams Great Bend, KS 67530 (620) 792-2409 Fax: (620) 793-7270 Website Great Bend Public Library is a FamilySearch Center. Microforms from the Salt Lake Family History Library may be ordered for use at the library. Facilities includes two reader/printers for use. One reader also has the capability of emailing or saving images to a flash drive. Reference librarians are available for assistance. A Genealogy collection and Kansas Collection provide other research materials for use in the building. Some duplicate items may be borrowed. Interlibrary Loan services can also be requested. Materials from other libraries around the world can often be located and borrowed for use. If borrowing is not possible, photocopies of specific pages or index pages can be obtained. Microfilm copies of most Barton County, Kansas, newspapers since the nineteenth century are found at the Library. Other miscellaneous microfilms, microfiche, and CD-Roms provide additional research materials.

Societies
Barton County Genealogical Society PO Box 425 Great Bend 67530

Barton County Historical Society 85 South Highway 281 Box 1091 Great Bend 67530 Telephone Number: 620-793-5125 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
 * Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)