#52Ancestors - At the Courthouse

                I truly enjoy researching at the courthouse.  There are so many treasures to be found!  Whenever we plan a genealogy road trip, we make sure at least one day is a weekday so we can go to the courthouse to find the wonderful information that is there.  I know each courthouse is different in where the records are kept, so make sure you ask for information when you go in.

                I visit the Magistrate Judge’s office to find marriage licenses for family members.  (If you don’t find them in the county they lived in, it doesn’t hurt to try neighboring counties).  This is the office where the probate records are kept.  These envelopes can be packed full of information.  There are the basic records detailing the division of the deceased’s property.  Some of the extras that can be found are receipts for the funeral expenses, records of the estate auction (items sold, to who and the amount they brought), affidavit of death giving the exact date and location of death, names and addresses of beneficiaries and more.  Adoption and Insanity records can also be found in the Magistrate’s office, but it is up to the Judge and the laws of the state whether you will be allowed to view those records. 

(The beautiful Lincoln County Kansas Courthouse)

                After the Judge’s office, I always make a stop at the Clerk of the District Court office.  This is the office where civil court case records are kept.  You can find divorces here, along with civil law suits.  The records I find in this office never fail to entertain me.  Reading old divorce records can be highly entertaining.  I found a divorce that was filed by the husband because his wife refused to give him his “husbandly rights”.  She countered by saying he was a rogue.  Which was the truth?  We may never know.

                It never hurts to stop by the County Clerk’s office.  In some Kansas counties, they have a book of early births and deaths.  Before it was required to register births and deaths with the state, there was a book at the courthouse where doctors, undertakers and family members could stop by and register those events.  It was not required, so there is no guarantee that you will find what you are looking for, but it is worth a try. 

                Then I go to is the Registrar of Deeds office.  The work in this office is more difficult for me, but it is well worth the time.  In this office you can find information on where your ancestors lived, when they moved there, when the land was sold and to whom.  They have township maps that will show the locations of the land and who the neighbors were.  The Registrar of Deeds office also holds one room schoolhouse records, immigration records and military discharge papers. 

                Finally, if I have found out that there is still a house on the ancestor’s land, I stop at the county assessor’s office.  If you can give them an address or exact location of the home, they can tell you what year it was built and if there have been any major remodels or additions and the year on those. 

                It is always worth scheduling a day to spend at the courthouse in the county your ancestors lived in.  Time spent there is time well spent!