Kansas Archives and Libraries

United States Kansas Archives and Libraries

The following archives, libraries, and societies have collections or services helpful for genealogical research in Kansas.

Kansas State Historical Society
6425 SW Sixth Avenue
Topeka, KS 66615-1099
Telephone: 1-913-272-8681 Ext. 117
Fax: 1-913-272-8682

The Kansas State Historical Society has several important facilities for genealogists. The Reference Library houses printed materials and the Department of Archives maintains original records of Kansas government jurisdictions, newspapers, and other historical documents. The Manuscript Department has unpublished papers, maps, and photographs.

National Archives—Central Plains Region (Kansas City)
400 West Pershing Road
Kansas City, MO 64108
Telephone: 1-816-268-8000 

Kansas Genealogical Society and Online Library
P.O. Box 103
Dodge City, KS 67801
Telephone: 1-620-225-1951

The society was founded to preserve genealogical, biographical, historical and educational data relating to the ancestry of society members and the founders of our country.It offers various online collections such as:

• pedigree charts of their members
• clippings of anniversaries, birthdays and reunions
• an obituary index
• an online catalog

Kansas State Library
State Capitol Building
Room 169-W
300 SW 10th
Topeka, KS 66612-1593
Telephone: 1-913-296-3296
Fax: 1-913-296-6650 

The State Library has long served as a depository of legal and historical documents for Kansas residents.

University of Kansas
Spencer Research Library—Kansas Collections
Lawrence, KS 66045-2800
Telephone: 1-913-864-4274
Fax: 1-913-864-5803

The Kansas Collection include primary source materials that document the history of Kansas and the region. There are manuscripts, photographs, maps, architectural drawings and blueprints, books, newspapers, periodicals, film and videotapes that document the "Kansas Experience." It is also a depository for publications of the state of Kansas and for Douglas County records.The bulk of the Collection's holdings cover the Kansas Territorial period (1854-1861)

National Orphan Train Complex
300 Washington Street
P.O. Box 322
Concordia, KS 66901
Telephone: 1-785-243-4471 

The Orphan Train Complex is dedicated to preserving the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929

To learn more about the history and record-keeping systems of Kansas counties, use the 14 inventories of county archives published by the Historical Records Survey around 1940. Copies of these inventories are at the Family History Library.

Kansas Online Records

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Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records.

• Genealogical and Biographical Record of North-Eastern Kansas; published in 1900: Contains 479 biographies and 38 photos, click on a name or a letter to locate an individual.

Web Sites

USGenWeb   A cooperative effort by many volunteers to list genealogical databases, libraries, bulletin boards, and other resources available on the Internet for each county, state, and country.

Roots-L  

FamilySearch  At this site you can access digitized historical records, the Family History Library Catalog, lists of Family History Centers, and other resources related to family history.

Cutler's History of Kansas, 1883