Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Genealogy

United States

Oklahoma

Pottawatomie County

 

Guide to Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Oklahoma Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Shawnee Organized: 1891 Parent County(s): (Pottawatomie-Shawnee Lands) Neighboring Counties Cleveland  • Lincoln  • McClain  • Okfuskee  • Oklahoma  • Pontotoc  • Seminole See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

Pottawatomie County is located in the central area of the state. Pottawatomie County was named for the Potawatomi people.

County Courthouse

Pottawatomie County Courthouse
325 N. Broadway Street
Shawnee, Oklahoma 74801
Phone: 405.273.8222
Pottawatomie County Website

Clerk Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records;
County Clerk has land records from 1892

Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1908	1892	1908	1892	1892	1892	1860
Statewide registration for births and deaths in 1908. General compliance by 1930.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1891--Pottawatomie County was created in 1891. It was an original county from (Pottawatomie-Shawnee Lands). County seat: Shawnee Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties Oklahoma Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Oklahoma City (mostly in Oklahoma County)	Shawnee (county seat)	Tecumseh
Towns
Asher Bethel Acres Brooksville Earlsboro	Johnson Macomb Maud McLoud	Pink St. Louis Tribbey Wanette
Unincorporated communities
Aydelotte Bellemont	Harjo Pearson	Romulus Sacred Heart
Census-designated places
Dale

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com OKGenWeb USGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Oklahoma Gravestones Oklahoma Cemeteries Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves FamilySearch Places
See Oklahoma Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	26,412	—
1910	43,595	65.1%
1920	46,028	5.6%
1930	66,572	44.6%
1940	54,377	−18.3%
1950	43,517	−20.0%
1960	41,486	−4.7%
1970	43,134	4.0%
1980	55,239	28.1%
1990	58,760	6.4%
2000	65,521	11.5%
2010	69,442	6.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Genealogy census records online, see: Oklahoma Census.

Federal Census Records

Federal Censuses were taken for Oklahoma starting in 1860. For links to Federal census indexes, see Oklahoma Census.

State Census Records

• 1890 Oklahoma Territorial Census 1890 - Oklahoma Historical Societ
• 1890 and 1907 Oklahoma Territorial Census, 1890 and 1907 at Ancestry — index and image ($)

Church Records

Church records vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Oklahoma denominations, view the Oklahoma Church Records Wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

American Indians

Census

• 1851 - 1959 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Censuses and Rolls, 1851-1959 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1895 - 1914 U.S., Native American Citizens and Freedmen of Five Civilized Tribes, 1895-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1898 - 1914 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Dawes Census Cards for Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• Dawes Final Rolls - Oklahoma Historical Society

Land and Property

• 1884 - 1934 Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Land Allotment Jackets for Five Civilized Tribes, 1884-1934 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1889 Oklahoma County Plats 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
• 1899 - 1907 Oklahoma Applications for Allotment, Five Civilized Tribes, 1899-1907 at FamilySearch — index and images
• For more information see Indians of Oklahoma

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Oklahoma Land and Property for additional information about early Oklahoma land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

Online Land Records

• 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
  
• 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
• 1889 Oklahoma County Plats, 1889 - Oklahoma Historical Society
• El Reno Homesteader Filings - Oklahoma Historical Society

For more information see Oklahoma Land and Property

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Genealogy. County and town histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Oklahoma Local Histories.

Muskogee and Northeastern Oklahoma: including the counties of Muskogee, McIntosh, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Mayes, Rogers, Washington, Nowata, Craig, and Ottawa. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1922

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
• Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Oklahoma - shows boundary changes for Oklahoma Counties
• Maps n More - county and township maps.
• Oklahoma Civil War Map of Battles

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• 1775 - 1783 - United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - images only
  
• For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Civil War

• 1879-1920 - Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1920 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Oklahoma, Confederate Pension Index, 1915-1955 at Ancestry — index (free)
• For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War I

• For more nationwide World War I databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

World War II

• 1940-1945 - Oklahoma, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Oklahoma Military Deaths - Oklahoma Historical Society
• For more nationwide World War II databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.

Newspapers

Oklahoma Newspapers Online

• GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Oklahoma newspapers
• Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
• Chronicling America - contains images of some Oklahoma newspapers; searching tips
• Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites

Oklahoma Newspaper Catalogs

• Oklahoma State Historical Society - catalog of known Oklahoma 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.

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

• NewspaperArchive.com ($) has historical newspapers online including Ada newspapers that may have included Pottawatomie County residents. This database is sometimes free at libraries.

Probate Records

In most counties in Oklahoma, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.

The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Oklahoma - Pottawatomie - Probate records.

Online Records

• 1801 – 2008 Oklahoma Wills and Probate Records 1801-2008 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1887 – 2008 Oklahoma Probate Records, 1887-2008 at FamilySearch — images
  

School Records

• 1895 - 1936 Oklahoma, School Records, 1895-1936 at FamilySearch — index and images

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

Oklahoma tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. See the CDC Where to Write website for information on acquiring copies of these records.

Birth

Online Birth Records Indexes and Images

• Early Oklahoma Birth Records

Marriage

Online Marriage Records Indexes and Images

• 1790-1998 - Oklahoma, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1841 - 1927 - Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927 at Ancestry ($)
• 1852 - 1948 - Oklahoma, Church Marriages, 1852-1948 at FamilySearch — index
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma Marriages, 1870-1930 at FamilySearch Index only.
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma, Select Marriages, 1870-1930 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1870 - 1930 - Oklahoma, Marriages, 1870-1930 at My Heritage index ($)
• 1889 - 1951 - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Marriage Index, 1889-1951
• 1890 - 1995 - Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890-1995 at FamilySearch Index and images
• OKGenWeb Oklahoma Marriages

Death

Online Death Records Indexes and Images

• Obituaries Listed in the Oklahoman - Oklahoma Historical Society — index only
• United States Social Security Death Index
• 1864 - 1941 - Oklahoma Deaths and Burials, 1864-1941 at FamilySearch — index
• 1935 - 2014 - U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry ($)
• 1936 - 2007 - U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry incomplete ($}

Divorce

Online Divorce Records Indexes and Images

• 1923 - 1942 - Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Divorce Index, 1923-1942

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Introduction to Family History Centers
• Shawnee Oklahoma Family History Center 1501 E Independence Shawnee, Pottawatomie CO. OK 74804-4241 United States Location Map

Museums

Pottawatomie County Museum
614 East Main Street
Shawnee, Okalahoma, 74801
Telephone: 405-275-8412
Fax: 405-273-1210
E-mail:info@pottcountymuseum.org
Website

Societies

Pottawatomie County Genealogical Society
PO Box 3526
Shawnee, OK 74801

Websites

Pottawatomie County Genealogy Society has a lot of indexes for marriages, probate, wills, cemeteries, obits, etc. Pottawtomie County Genealogy Club

• FamilySearch Catalog - 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

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.