Kansas Archives and Libraries

Archives & Libraries

These repositories preserve sources, maintain indexes, and provide services to help genealogists document their ancestors who lived in Kansas.

Wiki Articles on Major Repositories in Kansas
American Historical Society of Germans from Russia· Family History Library· National Archives I· National Archives at Kansas City· National Orphan Train Complex· Kansas Historical Society· Kansas State Library· Kansas Genealogical Society· Kansas Department of Health and Environment· Fort Hays State University Forsyth Library· Iola Public Library· Johnson County Library· Kansas Heritage Center· Riley County Genealogical Society Library· Topeka Genealogical Society Library· University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library· Wichita Public Library Genealogy Center· Mid-Continent Public Library Midwest Genealogy Center· Kansas City Public Library Missouri Valley Special Collections

National
American Historical Society of Germans from Russia 631 D St Lincoln, NE 68502 Telephone: 402-474-3363 E-mail: [mailto:ahsgr@ahsgr.org ahsgr@ahsgr.org] Internet: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Kansas Historical Society Help find your ancestors, state census, biographies, marriages, death and more.


 * AHSGR ancestor lists, cemeteries, homesteads, an AHSGR German hometowns list, passenger lists, obituaries, surname charts, Russian village files, and Karl Stumpp's Emigration from Germany to Russia in the Years 1763-1862.

Family History Library 35 North West Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150 Telephone: 801-240-2331 Fax: 801-240-1584 E-Mail: [mailto:fhl@ldschurch.org fhl@ldschurch.org] Internet: Family History Library


 * 450 computers, 3,400 databases, 3.1 million microforms, 4,500 periodicals, 310,000 books of worldwide family and local histories, civil, church, immigration, ethnic, military, and Mormon records. Many Kansas microfilms are also available at branch FamilySearch Centers  in local LDS churches, and described in their online FamilySearch Catalog.

National Archives I 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington DC Telephone: 1-866-272-6272 Fax:  301-837-0483 E-mail: Contact Us Internet: National Archives


 * Nationwide censuses, pre-WWI military service and pensions, passenger lists, naturalizations, passports, federal bounty land, homesteads, bankruptcy, ethnic sources, prisons, and federal employees. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC (Archives I), houses textual and microfilm records relating to genealogy, American Indians, pre-World War II military and naval-maritime matters, the New Deal, the District of Columbia, the Federal courts, and Congress.

National Archives at Kansas City 400 West Pershing Road Kansas City, MO 64108 Telephone: 816-268-8000 E-mail: [mailto:kansascity.archives@nara.gov kansascity.archives@nara.gov] Internet: National Archives at Kansas City, Missouri


 * The National Archives at Kansas City, Missouri has the records of regional federal offices for Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, including the following:


 * Federal naturalization records including A-files
 * Bureau of Indian Affairs and other American Indian records
 * Copies of federal census, military, and immigration records

National Orphan Train Complex 300 Washington St. PO Box 322 Concordia, KS 66901 Telephone: 785-243-4471 E-mail: General Information Internet: National Orphan Train Complex


 * History of the orphan train movement 1853-1930, stories of the children, photos, artifacts, 66 volumes (20,000 records) of orphan train riders, a 9,700 name database, and a rider registry.

Statewide
Kansas Historical Society 6425 SW Sixth Avenue Topeka, KS 66615-1099 Telephone: 1-913-272-8681 Ext. 117 Fax: 1-913-272-8682 E-mail: [mailto:information@kshs.org information@kshs.org] Internet: Kansas Historical Society


 * This is clearly the best place to start researching Kansas ancestors including newspapers, county records, biographies, genealogies, land records, and railroads.

Kansas State Library Capitol Building, Room 312-N Topeka, KS 66612 Telephone: 785-296-3296 E-mail: [mailto:infodesk@library.ks.gov infodesk@library.ks.gov] Internet: Kansas State Library


 * Largest book library in Kansas with county histories, ethnic sources, guides, inventories, and family genealogies. This is a main depository of historical documents about Kansas residents.

Kansas Genealogical Society Mail: P.O. Box 103 Street: 2601 Central Avenue Dodge City, KS 67801 Telephone: 620-225-1951 E-mail: [mailto:kgslibrary@gmail.com kgslibrary@gmail.com] Internet: Kansas Genealogical Society and Online Library


 * They have the best set of family folders and genealogical periodicals in Kansas. 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


 * In the same building as the Kansas Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment 1000 SW Jackson Topeka, Kansas 66612 Telephone: 785-296-1400 E-mail: [mailto:Vital.Records@kdheks.gov Vital.Records@kdheks.gov] Internet: KDHE Office of Vital Statistics


 * Kansas vital records: births, stillbirths, deaths since 1911; marriages since 1913; and divorce records since 1951 issued for a fee only to immediate family members or representatives.

Regional
Fort Hays State University Forsyth Library 502 South Campus Drive Hays KS 67601 Telephone: 785-628-4434 E-mail: [mailto:refserv@fhsu.edu refserv@fhsu.edu] Internet: Forsyth Library


 * Their Western Collection includes western Kansas history, oral histories, a great genealogical collection from local genealogical and historical societies, and many denominational sources for Hutterites, Mennonites, Catholics, and Lutherans.

Iola Public Library 218 E Madison Ave Iola, KS 66749 Telephone: 620-365-3262 E-mail: [mailto:iolaref@sekls.org iolaref@sekls.org] Internet: Iola Public Library


 * Their genealogy collection is good for all of Kansas including family folders, special indexes, and published records for many of the counties of Kansas.

Johnson County Library Central Resource Library 9875 W 87th St Overland Park, KS 66212 Telephone: 913-826-4600 E-mail: [mailto:ask@jocolibrary.libanswers.com ask@jocolibrary.libanswers.com] Internet: Central Resource Library


 * They have both Kansas and genealogy collections, and are a mostly a book and periodicals library with additional good coverage for Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. They also have microfilms and family folders as well.

Kansas Heritage Center Mail: PO Box 1207 Street: 1000 N 2nd Ave Dodge City KS 67801-1207 Telephone: 620-227-1616 Fax: 620-227-1701 E-mail: [mailto:library@ksheritage.org library@ksheritage.org] Internet: Kansas Heritage Center


 * Cowboys, oral histories, Fort Dodge history, and the Old West.

Riley County Genealogical Society Library 2005 Claflin Road Manhattan, Kansas 66502-3415 Telephone: 785-565-6495 E-mail: [mailto:info@rileycgs.com info@rileycgs.com] Internet: Riley County Genealogical Society


 * Their pre-Civil War records are excellent for Kansas. Early settlers are documented by obituaries, family folders, and some good indexes.

Topeka Genealogical Society Library Mail: P.O. Box 4048 Street: 2717 SE Indiana Ave. Topeka, KS 66604-0048 Telephone: 785-233-5762 E-mail: Contact Emailer form Internet: Topeka Genealogical Society


 * 12,000 books, 700 periodical titles strong on Shawnee County and northeastern Kansas. Includes almost every U.S. state, and many foreign nations. Shawnee county resources: probate, naturalization, and tax records. Computers and high-speed wireless Internet access are available. Most material can be checked-out to TGS members. Staffed by experienced volunteers. Non-member visitors are encouraged to support the library with a donation.

University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library 1450 Poplar Lane Lawrence, KS 66045-2800 Telephone: 913-864-4334 Fax: 913-864-5803 E-mail: [mailto:ksrlref@ku.edu ksrlref@ku.edu] Internet: University of Kansas Libraries


 * The Kansas Collection includes primary source materials that document the history of Kansas and the region. There are manuscripts, photographs, maps, histories, newspapers, periodicals, film and videotapes that document the "Kansas Experience" including pioneers, railroads, and American Indians. It is also a depository for publications of the state of Kansas and for Douglas County records. Most of their holdings cover the territorial period 1854-1861.

Wichita Public Library Genealogy Center 223 S. Main Wichita, KS 67202 Telephone: 316-261-8509 (Genealogy and Local History) E-mail: [mailto:reference@wichita.lib.ks.us reference@wichita.lib.ks.us] Internet: Central Library Internet: Local History and Genealogy


 * The Kansas and Local History collection has many genealogies. Their emphasis is mostly books, periodicals, and special publications for southeast Kansas, and corners of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Out of State
Mid-Continent Public Library Midwest Genealogy Center 3440 S. Lee's Summit Road Independence, MO 64055-1923 Telephone: 816-836-5200 Fax: 816-521-7253 E-mail: [mailto:ge@mcpl.lib.mo.us ge@mcpl.lib.mo.us] Internet: Midwest Genealogy Center


 * One of America's most complete genealogical centers including censuses and indexes, 80,000 family histories, 100,000 local histories, 565,000 microfilms, 7,000 maps, and newspapers. Surrounding states including Kansas are well represented. The Mid-Continent Public Library shares its genealogical materials through interlibrary loan.

Kansas City Public Library Missouri Valley Special Collections Central Library 14 W. 10th Street, 5th Floor Kansas City, MO 64105 Telephone: 816-701-3427 Fax: 816-701-3401 E-mail: [mailto:lhistory@kclibrary.org lhistory@kclibrary.org] Internet: Local history and genealogy


 * The Missouri Valley Room has a great genealogy collection for Missouri and Kansas with biographies, periodicals, genealogies, diaries, photos, scrapbooks, and newspapers of the Kansas City area.