Lyon County, Kansas Genealogy

United States

Kansas

Lyon County

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

Kansas Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Emporia Organized: February 17, 1857 Parent County(s): Original county Neighboring Counties Chase  • Coffey  • Greenwood  • Morris  • Osage  • Wabaunsee See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The County was named for General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in the Civil War. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Lyon County Courthouse
402 Commercial Street
Emporia, Kansas 67748-4000
Phone: 620-341-4380
Lyon County Website

Clerk District Court has marriage records from 1861, divorce records from 1860, probate records from 1859 and court records from 1858.
Register of Deeds has land records from 1856.
City Clerk has birth and death records.

Lyon County, Kansas 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 Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1886	1861	1885	1858	1856	1859	1855
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1911. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

Parent County: Breckenridge County was created 17 February 1857 as an original county. 1862: Name changed to Lyon County on 5 Feb 1862. County seat: Emporia Map: Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Kansas - shows boundary changes for Kansas Counties Chronology: Kansas Historical Boundary Changes - legislative details 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
Admire Allen Americus	Bushong Emporia Hartford	Neosho Rapids Olpe Reading
Unincorporated communities
Miller	Plymouth
Townships
Agnes City Americus Center Elmendaro	Emporia Fremont Ivy Jackson	Pike Reading Waterloo

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lyon County, Kansas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	KSGenWeb Kansas Gravestones Tombstone Project Billion Graves Index at FamilySearch KS Interment
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Cemetery Records by Access Genealogy FamilySearch Places
See Kansas Cemeteries for more information

• Kansas, Cemetery Abstracts at FamilySearch — index

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	8,014	—
1880	17,326	116.2%
1890	23,196	33.9%
1900	25,074	8.1%
1910	24,927	−0.6%
1920	26,154	4.9%
1930	29,240	11.8%
1940	26,424	−9.6%
1950	26,576	0.6%
1960	26,928	1.3%
1970	32,071	19.1%
1980	35,108	9.5%
1990	34,732	−1.1%
2000	35,935	3.5%
2010	33,690	−6.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Kansas became a territory in 1854 and the first territory census taken was in 1855. It was also enumerated as Kansas Territory in the 1860 Federal Census, although there were 15 counties that were marked with "no population" in them. The state continued to take state censuses after it was admitted to the Union in 1861. See links listed below.

State and Territorial Census Records

• 1855-1925 - Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images; covers census years 1855-1859, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925
• 1860 - 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Kansas Territory at FamilySearch — Index and images
• 1860 - 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Kansas Territory at Ancestry — ($), Index and images
• 1865 - Kansas State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1875 - Kansas State Census, 1875 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1885 - Kansas State Census, 1885 at FamilySearch — images
• 1895 - Kansas State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1905 - Kansas State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index
• 1915 - Kansas State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1919-1961 - Kansas, City and County Census Records, 1919-1961 at Ancestry — Partial index (4 counties) and images
• 1925 - Kansas State Census, 1925 at FamilySearch — index

Federal Census Records

The 1870 Census was the first Federal Census taken for Kansas after it became a state in 1861. For links to Federal Census indexes, see Kansas Census.

Church Records

Most church records are held by individual churches. For contact information, check a phone directory, such as SearchBug or Dex Knows. Some denominations are gathering their records into a central repository. For more information about these major repositories, see Kansas Church Records.

• 1861-1918 - Kansas, Swedish Church Records, 1861-1918 at FamilySearch — index

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

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 Kansas Land and Property for additional information about early Kansas 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 records at Kansas Historical Society
  

• 1878 Land Plat book for Lyon County - image of plat book
  
• 1901 Land Plat book for Lyon County - image of plat book
  
• 1918 Land Plat book for Lyon County - image of plat book
  

• 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
  

For more information see Kansas Land and Property

Local Histories

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

Online County Histories

• Annals of Emporia and Lyon County : Historical Incidents of the First Quarter of a Century, 1857 to 1882. By Jacob Stotler. Emporia, Kan. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Emporia and Lyon County. c1929. By Laura Margaret French. Emporia, Kansas : Emporia Gazette Print. Online at: Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• A Memorial to Pioneers of Lyon County, 1855-1875. 1922. [Emporia, Kan.] : Gazette. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

Online Collections

These collections are unique to Kansas. You will find nationwide databases for military records on U.S. Military Online Genealogy Records and Kansas Military Records.

Collections Covering Multiple Wars

• Kansas Military Index at Kansas Historical Society - Index only, includes Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts
  
• Records of the Deaths and Burials at the Kansas State Soldiers Home - Index only, the home is located in Fort Dodge, Ford County, Kansas.
  

Civil War

During the Civil War men from Lyon County enlisted in the Emporia Guards, the Emporia Artillery and the Emporia Cavalry, 2nd Regiment Kansas Volunteer Infantry, Company H; 8th Regiment Kansas Infantry, Company H which was tranferred to the 9th Regiment Kansas Infantry, Company B; and the 11th Regiment Kansas Cavalry, Company C.

- 11th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry (Union), Company B

• Kansas Civil War Soldiers at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index only
  
• 1862, 1863, 1868: Kansas, Civil War Enlistment Papers, 1862, 1863, 1868 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  
• 1866-1931: Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Bound Post Records, 1866-1931 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  
• 1880-1940: Kansas, Grand Army of the Republic Post Reports, 1880-1940 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  
• 1889: Kansas, Enrollment of Civil War Veterans, 1889 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  
• Kansas Civil War Soldiers at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  

Spanish-American War (1898)

• 1945-1970: Kansas, United Spanish War Veterans Reports of Deaths, 1945-1970 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  

World War I

• History and Roster of the Kansas State Guard (WWI) at KSGenWeb - Taken from the book by the Adjutant General's Office
  
• 1917-1919: Kansas, World War I Veteran Collection, 1917-1919 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  
• 1930: Kansas, Enrollment of WWI Veterans, 1930 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  

World War II

• 1940-1946: Web: Kansas, WWII Selective Service Index, 1940-1946 at the Ancestry.com - ($), Index and images
  
• World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing, State of Kansas, War Dept-June 1946 at KSGenWeb - Index only
  

Korean War

• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Korean War for Kansas - Index only
  

Vietnam War

• U.S. Military Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War for Kansas - Index only
  

For further information see Kansas Military Records.

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1864 - 1972 - Kansas, Naturalization Abstracts, 1864-1972 at Ancestry — ($), Index
• 1865 - 1874 - Kansas Indian Naturalizations, ca. 1865-1874 at the National Archives — Index, District of Kansas, Record Group 21.
• 1865 - 1984 - Kansas, Federal Naturalization Records, 1865-1984 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images
• 1917 - 1918 - Kansas, Registration Affidavits of Alien Enemies, 1917-1918 at Ancestry — ($), Index and images, includes German and other aliens living in Kansas

Newspapers

For more information, see Kansas Newspapers.

Kansas Newspapers Online

• Kansas Newspapers at Newspapers.com - ($), free to Kansas residents through Kansas Historical Society
• GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Kansas newspapers
• Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Kansas newspapers
• Chronicling America - contains images of some Kansas newspapers; searching tips
• Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites

Kansas Newspaper Catalogs

• Kansas Online Historical Newspapers - contains a list of known Kansas newspapers online and the websites they are found on
• 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

Emporia Gazette

Obituaries

Emporia Gazette Death Notices Index 1892-1989 - Site gives information on the Index and how to obtain a copy of the obituary.

Emporia Gazette Death Notices Index 1990-1999  - Site gives information on the Index and how to obtain a copy of the obituary.

Other Records

Voter Records

• 1854 - Kansas Election List, 1854 at Ancestry — ($), Index
• 1854 - 1856 - Kansas Voter Registration Lists, 1854-1856 at Ancestry — ($), Index

Probate Records

In most counties in Kansas, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, inventories, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, 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 Kansas, Lyon and click Probate records.

Online Records

• 1803 – 1987 Kansas Wills and Probate Records 1803-1987 at Ancestry.com — 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

Kansas tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. Tax lists were usually made every year, however, there may be gaps of several years. For more information, see the wiki page Kansas Taxation.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents.

A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Kansas Vital Records. For information about restrictions and costs for certificates, see the CDC Where to Write for Vital Records site.

Birth

• 1818 - 1936 Kansas, Births and Christenings, 1818-1936 at FamilySearch.org — index

• 1885 - 1911 Kansas, Births and Christenings Index, 1885-1911 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage

• 1800 - 1946 - United States Marriages – Kansas, 1800-1946 at findmypast — ($), Index and images
• 1811 - 1911 - Kansas, Marriages, 1811-1911 at FamilySearch — Index
• 1811 - 1911 - Kansas, County Marriages, 1811-1911 at Ancestry — ($), Index
• 1840 - 1935 - Kansas, Marriages, 1840-1935 at FamilySearch.org — Index
• 1854 - 1861 - KHS Kansas Marriage Index, 1854-1861 at Kansas Historical Society — Index
• 1861 - 1918 - Kansas, Swedish Church Vital Records, 1861-1918 at FamilySearch — index

Death

• 1885 - 1930 Kansas, Deaths and Burials, 1885-1930 at FamilySearch.org — index
• 1885 - 1930 Kansas, Deaths and Burials, Index, 1885-1930 at Ancestry.com — index $

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

• Emporia Kansas Family History Center

Museums

Lyon County History Center
225 E 6th St
Emporia, KS 66801
E-mail:lchsresearchcenter@gmail.com
Website

Societies

Lyon County Historical Society
118 East 6th Avenue
Emporia 66801

Flint Hills Genealogical Society
PO Box 555
Emporia, KS 66801-0555

Websites

• Lyon County Kansas Genealogy Research. Contains information for researching genealogy in Lyon county KS, Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
• 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
• Lyon County, Kansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

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