Kansas Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Kansas online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
Federal Censuses
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State Censuses
| Year | Type of Census | Links |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | State, all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
| 1915 | State, all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
| 1905 | State, all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
| 1895 | State, all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
| 1885 | State, names of all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
| 1875 | State, names of all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
| 1865 | State, names of all household members | at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
at Ancestry |
For more information on census records, see Kansas Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Kansas statewide beginning in 1912, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1811-1940: Kansas Births and Baptisms at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1818-1936: Kansas Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
- 1854-1879: Kansas Settlers at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1885-1911: Kansas Births and Christenings Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
Marriages
- 17thc-20thc: US Marriages – Kansas at Findmypast - index & images ($)
- 1811-1911: Kansas Marriages at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1840-1935: Kansas Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1854-1861: Kansas Marriage Index at Kansas Historical Society
- 1854-1873: Kansas Compiled Marriage Index from Select Counties at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1855-1911: Kansas County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
Deaths
- 1811-1940: Kansas Deaths at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1873-1970: Kansas Fraternal Order Death Index at Kansas Historical Society
- 1885-1930: Kansas Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only; Also at Ancestry ($)
- 1902-1930: Knights and Ladies of Security/Security Benefit Association at Kansas Historical Society
- 1935-2014: US Social Security Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1936-2007: US Social Security Applications and Claims Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1962-2014: US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch; index only
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Kansas, see How to Find Kansas Birth Records, How to Find Kansas Marriage Records, and How to Find Kansas Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1912. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- 1841-1981 Kansas Newspaper Archives (1841–1981) at Genealogy Bank
- 1873-1969 Kansas, Fraternal Order Death Index, 1873-1969 at Kansas Historical Societey - index; Also at MyHeritage ($)
- 1899-2012 United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
- The Kansas Genealogical Society Online Library obituary collection, index.
- Online Kansas Death Records & Indexes
- ObitsArchive.com
- Kansas Obituaries
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- Kansas Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Kansas Cemetery Records at Interment
- Kansas, Cemetery Records, 1812-1981 at Ancestry ($)
- Kansas, Cemetery Abstracts at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- Kansas, Deaths and Burials, Index, 1885-1930 at Ancestry ($)
- Kansas Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online Kansas Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Jewish Cemeteries in Kansas at Find-A-Grave
- Wichita Hebrew Cemetery at Find-A-Grave
- Kansas Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Kansas Obituaries and Kansas Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants.
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Kansas, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Kansas, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Kansas Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Kansas Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.