Beverly Whitaker, professional
genealogist, wants you to know that KC is a great place to do
genealogy research!
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WHAT RECORDS CAN THE RESEARCHER EXPECT TO FIND IN KANSAS CITY
??
Consider the following comments to be an
"introduction" to the abundance and variety of records
the genealogist can find in the Kansas City area. There are many repositories
here. Although the collections contain an abundance of material of local
interest, no geographical area is left untouched.
The listings below are not complete; our
libraries, archives, and societies constantly add materials. These listings are
simply some I have used for my own family research or at one time for clients.
Currently I have other projects claiming my attention; consequently I am not
taking clients at present. But there are other researchers
in the area, and they can help you if you find something here that might lead
to information you need. And I invite them to send me ADDITIONS and CORRECTIONS
to this page of resources.
Internet users are constantly surprised at
the volume of information available online for the Kansas City area. Take the
opportunity to use the Internet
Resource Links provided near the end of this web page.
Although much of Kansas City, Missouri, is in
Jackson County, the city extends north of the Missouri River into Clay and
Platte counties. Realistically, persons researching the Kansas City area ought
to think in terms of at least 5 counties, some on each side of the
Missouri/Kansas border:
Clay County, Missouri
Jackson County, Missouri
Platte County, Missouri
Johnson County, Kansas
Wyandotte County, Kansas
~~TYPES OF RECORDS TO BE
FOUND
1. BOOKS and JOURNALS:
Our libraries have full shelves! Expect to
find genealogical reference material not only for metro Kansas City, but also
for almost any region you might think of, especially for those areas from which
families migrated to this area. Library catalogs are ONLINE for the Kansas City Public Library, the Midwest Genealogy Center, and the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. Of
special interest to persons outside the area is a very large circulating
collection of genealogical books at the Mid-Continent Library, via
Inter-Library Loan.
2. CITY DIRECTORIES and TELEPHONE BOOKS:
The Kansas City Public Library has City
Directories since 1859, most of which are on microfilm although some scattered
volumes in book form are on open shelves. Kansas City metro area phone books
are on microfilm, 1899 to current, at the Kansas City Public Library.
3. EARLY DEATH RECORDS and INDEXES:
Two area libraries have death records on
microfilm for Kansas City, 1874-1909, with an index to 1915. [The records
themselves are very brief -- name, race, date of death, place of birth (state
or country), place of death, age, marital status, cause of death, name of
physician.] On microfilm, the images are of poor quality, difficult to read
because of crowded and faded entries.
4. BIRTH and DEATH RECORDS after 1910:
Beginning in 1910, both birth and death
records and certified statements relating to Missouri marriages and dissolution
of marriages are available at the state level. The fee has been $10, but that
is subject to change. The approximate date is required since they are indexed
only by date.
Bureau of Vital Records
930 Wildwood
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Telephone: (573) 751-6400
CERTIFIED copies of most Kansas City birth
and death records after 1910 are also available at the Kansas City Health
Department, if the date is known. They are unindexed, except by date. I don't
know the current charge, probably the same as at the state's Bureau of Vital
Records.
Kansas City Health Department
2400 Troost
Kansas City, MO
Telephone: (816) 512-6309
5. NEWSPAPERS:
Until 1990, Kansas City had both a morning
and evening newspaper. The Kansas City "Times" began publishing in
1871, and the Kansas City "Star" began its publication in 1880.
Microfilm is available for viewing at both the Kansas City Public Library and
the Mid-Continent Library in Independence which is also in Jackson County.
Obituaries, death and funeral notices were not
duplicated. Nor do they appear in an organized fashion until recent years. The
earliest ones are brief, often only 3-4 lines (for which there was a charge),
and were printed wherever there was space. News-worthy deaths were reported as
news items, not as obituaries. After about 1915 or 1920, if the date of death
is known, it is usually possible to locate an obituary in one of the newspapers
in about 30 to 45 minutes, checking each paper for about a week. Also available
is microfilm for the Kansas City "Post" for 1906-1928, the Kansas
City "Journal" (a magazine) for 1877-1942, and by various names, the
"Journal of Commerce" from 1857-1870. In addition, there were/are
suburban newspapers as well.
6. CEMETERY RECORDS:
Published records for cemeteries within
Kansas City include those for Elmwood Cemetery, Union Cemetery, Brookings Cemetery,
and more. The Clay County Archives in Liberty, Missouri, maintains a
computerized index for cemeteries in that county. The Kansas City, Kansas
Public Library has a collection of cemetery indexes for Wyandotte County.
7. MARRIAGE RECORDS:
There are transcribed, published records of
marriages for some years for Jackson County and surrounding counties. They are
located at various libraries in the metropolitan area. The state's Bureau of
Vital Records can provide certified statements of marriage or dissolution of
marriage for those which have occurred in Missouri from July 1, 1948 to the
present. A certified copy of the actual license or decree can only be obtained
from the county Recorder or Circuit Clerk's office. For information regarding
marriages since 1948, it is necessary to contact the county's Recorder of
Deeds; for dissolutions, contact the county's Circuit Clerk.
8. CENSUS:
The complete Federal Census for all states is
available here at both the National Archives Central Plains Region's Records
Services Facility in Kansas City and at the Mid-Continent Public Library's
Genealogy Department in Independence, Missouri. Both also have a large
collection of printed indexes of Federal Population Schedules for most of the
states.
Specifically, the microfilm collection at
Mid-Continent Library includes:
(1) U.S. Census Population Schedules for all
states 1790-1930, including all available slave schedules.
(2) Soundex for 1880, 1900, and 1920 census and for
those states indexed for Soundex in 1910 and 1930.
(3) 3 surviving rolls and 2 rolls index for the 1890 census.
(4) Descriptions of Census Enumeration Districts 1830 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920,
1930.
(5) Federal Mortality Census Schedules 1850-1880 (formerly in the Custody of
the DAR)
for states AZ, CO, DC, GA, KY, LA, TN.
(6) Agricultural, Industrial & Mortality Schedules for the state of
Missouri -- 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880.
9. MILITARY:
Assorted published records are available at
area libraries. The National Archives Central Plains Region has the usual
federal records on microfilm -- service, pension, and unit histories.
10. IMMIGRATION AND PASSENGER LISTS:
We have an abundance of published lists and
microfilm, but they are time-consuming to research.
11. COUNTY RECORDS:
Hundreds of rolls of microfilmed county
records have been added at the Genealogy and Local History Branch of the
Mid-Continent Library (Independence, Missouri) for CLAY and PLATTE counties.
Films have also been ordered for Jackson County.
~~
REPOSITORIES:
Even if you can't come to our area yourself, you need
to know what repositories are located here.
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES' CENTRAL PLAINS
REGION
has its headquarters in Kansas City. http://www.archives.gov/central-plains/
MIDWEST
REGIONAL STATE REPOSITORIES
·
Arkansas
History Commission - Little Rock, AR
·
Colorado State
Archives - Denver, CO
·
Illinois State
Archives - Springfield, IL
·
Iowa - State Historical
Society of Iowa - Des Moines, IA
·
Kansas State
Historical Society and Archives - Topeka, KS
·
Minnesota
Historical Society - St. Paul, MN
·
Missouri State
Archives - Jefferson City, MO
·
Missouri State
Historical Society - Columbia, MO
·
Nebraska State
Historical Society - Lincoln, NE
·
Oklahoma State
Archives - Oklahoma City, OK
COUNTY COURTHOUSES
Jackson County, Missouri, has two courthouses. The very early records are at Independence; newer records are in the courthouse located in downtown Kansas City. The Clay County Courthouse is at Liberty, MO. The Platte County Courthouse is at Platte City, MO. The Wyandotte County Courthouse is at Kansas City, Kansas. The County Courthouse for Johnson County, Kansas, is located in Olathe, Kansas.
Other county courthouses in close proximity to Kansas City:
In Missouri: Buchanan, Cass, Clinton, Johnson, Lafayette, and Ray
In Kansas: Atchison, Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Miami.
~AREA LIBRARIES
There are lots of libraries in the Kansas City area that have great genealogical and historical resources.
1. Midwest Genealogy Center This brand new state of the art genealogy facility is slated to open in summer 2008. The new library is built on about 8 acres of land at the intersection of Lee's Summit and Kiger Roads in Independence, Missouri. It is part of the Mid-Continent Public Library, which has had a genealogy collection for over 35 years. For more information about the types of materials available, visit their website.
2. Kansas City Public Library -- Missouri Valley Room (Local History & Genealogy) Come visit, use our Missouri Valley Special Collections, and see our beautiful new/old Central Library at 10th and Baltimore, downtown.
3. University of Missouri at Kansas City houses some of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection. See this website for hours etc.
4. Clay County Archives and Historical Library -- Liberty, Missouri
5. Kansas City, Kansas Public Library houses the Kansas Collection.
You may want to hire a researcher to seek
records for you in the Kansas City area. Follow my links to locate persons who
do genealogical research for a fee. [Note: Although you may find my name on
these lists, I am not taking new clients at the present.]
- Read "How to Hire a Professional" at the website of the Association of Professional Genealogists
- Locate regional professionals: Heartland Chapter, Association of Professional Genealogists
- Find a certified person: Board for Certification of Genealogists
- Find an accredited researcher: ICAPGen
~~
Learn the HISTORY of the area:
Kansas City, Missouri, extends
beyond Jackson County into Clay and Platte Counties which are north of the
Missouri River. And right "next door" is the smaller city of Kansas
City, Kansas in Wyandotte County with its very strong relationship with Kansas
City, Missouri, especially during the middle and late 1800s. Also on the Kansas
side is Johnson County, a thriving metropolitan suburban area with a rich
history. This means there are 5 counties with 5 sets of records to investigate!
You will want to learn something of our area's history here at the
Missouri/Kansas border. View my brief survey of four of those counties:
Jackson, Clay, and Platte in Missouri; Wyandotte in Kansas.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gentutor/KC.html
~~Internet Resource LINKS for the KC Area
Kansas City Attractions
· Newspaper: The Kansas City Star
· Postcards: Images of Kansas City
· Greater KC Convention & Visitors Bureau -- with many links
· The Nelson-Atkins Art Museum
· Art at Kansas City's Country Club Plaza (includes pictorial tour)
Linkpendium County Sites
·
Jackson County, Missouri Links
·
Platte County, Missouri Links
·
Johnson
County, Kansas Links
·
Wyandotte County, Kansas Links
U.S. GenWeb sites
· Missouri GenWeb County Links
U.S. County Directories -- These include links to maps, cities, addresses, & much more.
Genealogical and Historical Societies
· Missouri Genealogical and Historical Societies
· State Historical Society of Missouri
·
Jackson County
Historical Society in Independence, Missouri.
Contact them in advance to arrange time for a visit.
·
Northwest Missouri
Genealogical Society in St. Joseph, Missouri
This
repository houses resources for the 9 Platte Purchase Counties in Missouri and
adjacent Kansas Counties: Atchison, Nodaway, Worth, Gentry, Holt, Andrew,
DeKalb, Clinton and Buchanan Counties in Missouri and Brown and Doniphan
Counties in Kansas. They are also the official archive of Buchanan County,
Missouri and have original court and marriage records.
·
Johnson
County Genealogical Society (Kansas):
The society's holdings are located
at Johnson County Public Library located in Shawnee Mission,KS
· Kansas Genealogical and Historical Societies
LDS Family History Library and FamilySearch
Research Helps
·
Online
Catalog -
Includes listings of rental microfilm for counties
·
Research Outlines
and Worksheets, listed by state
Maps
·
Missouri
Census and County Formation Maps
Historic Newspapers
· Historic Missouri Newspaper Project
·
Ancestry.com
Historical Newspaper Collection
Get ORGANIZED:
Don't
overlook the clues to your own family's history right there in your own home
or by way of communication with other family members.
Get help at
Genealogy
Tutor Tips about how to gather and organize your material.
Genealogy + History + Geography = Enriched Heritage
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Email: Genealogy Tutor Beverly Whitaker