Gosper County, Nebraska Genealogy

United States Nebraska  Gosper County Gosper 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
Gosper County Courthouse 507 Smith Ave,P.O. Box 136 Elwood, NE 68937-0136 Phone: 308.785.2611 County Judge has marriage and probate records from 1891 and court records 1920. County Clerk has divorce records from 1880 and land records.

Parent County
1873--Gosper County was created 26 November 1873 from Kearney County and unorganized territory. County seat: Elwood

Description
Gosper County is located on the high divide of table-land between the Platte and Republican Rivers. The county is bounded on the north by Dawson,east by Phelps, south by Furnas and west by Frontier. Its county seat is Elwood. The county was formed in 1873 and later organized in 1881. It was named after John J. Gosper, a Secretary of State of Nebraska.

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.

Populated Places

 * Elwood (county seat)
 * Smithfield

Neighboring Counties

 * Dawson
 * Frontier
 * Furnas
 * Phelps

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

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

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Platte 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

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 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 Newspaper Catalogs
 * 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

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1806 – 1989 Nebraska Wills and Probate Records 1806-1989 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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


 * Historical Society of Furnas-Gosper Counties 401 Nebraska Ave PO Box 202 Arapahoe, NE 68922-0202 Phone: 308-962-8420


 * Dawson County Historical Society 805 N Taft PO Box 369 Lexington, NE 68850

Nebraska Historical & Genealogical Societies


 * The Nebraska State Genealogical Society (NSGS) Box 5608 Lincoln, NE 68505-0608 Email- General Inquiry: conference@nsgs


 * Nebraska State Historical Society P.O. Box 82554 1500 R St. Lincoln, NE 68501-2554 Phone: 402-471-3270


 * Nebraska Military Historical Society 1330 N. Burlington Ave. P.O. Box 1286 Hastings 68901-1286


 * Nebraska Jewish Historical Society 333 S. 132nd St. Omaha, NE 68154 Phone: 402-334-6442


 * North Central Nebraska Genealogical Society P.O. Box 362 O’Neill NE 68763


 * Northeastern Nebraska Genealogical Society P.O. Box 169 Lyons NE 68038


 * Northern Nebraska Genealogical Society P.O. Box 362 O’Neill NE 68763


 * Northwest Nebraska Genealogical Society P.O. Box 6 Alliance, Nebraska 69301


 * Nebraska Society of Mayflower Descendants Nebraska Society of Mayflower Descendants Contact: Martin W. Beerman, Historian Nebraska Society of Mayflower Descendants 19509 Frances Circle Omaha, NE 68130-2982


 * The Danish Brotherhood/Sisterhood Museum of Danish America 4210 Main Street PO Box 249 Elk Horn, IA 51531 Phone: 712.764.7008 877.764.7008 (toll free) 712.764.7010 Email: genealogy@danishmuse

Librairies

 * Elwood Public Library 306 Calvert Ave Elwood, NE Phone: 308-784-8155 Contact


 * Arapahoe Public Library 306 Nebraska Ave Arapahoe, NE Phone: 308-962-7806 Email: arapahoereads@gmail.com

Web Sites

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