Kansas Census

Do you ever take for granted a set of records available for your research that may not be available in other localities? If so, you are not alone. I have deep Kansas roots and I’ve taken for granted the wonderful census records found in Kansas.

I was reminded of that today when I say Michael John Neill’s Genealogy Tip of the Day: Kansas State Census Records.

From 1855 to 1925, Kansas had a statewide census for the years ending in ‘5’. The Kansas State Historical Society’s 1855-1940 Kansas Censuses page provides details about what was recorded on each of these records.

These census records are very valuable for documenting Kansas families, especially between 1880 and 1900. For example, I can prove that my second great grandfather, Washington Marion Crawford and his family had moved from Indiana to Dodge City by 1885 because I can find him listed as M Crawford on the 1885 census in Ford County, Kansas

These census records are available on Ancestry in the dataset titled, Kansas, U.S., State Census Collection, 1855-1925. When I want to use this set of records I often can’t remember the exact name of the set. Thus, I search the catalog for the keywords, Kansas Census, and then scroll thru the results until I find this set.

These records are also available on FamilySearch. They can be found by searching the catalog for Kansas and then looking for the Census records in the list of results.

For those eagerly anticipating the 1950 census, Kansas is ahead of the game. There is another record set on Ancestry that includes census records up to 1961. This set of records is titled, All Kansas, U.S. City and County Census Records, 1919-1961. Below are some of the results for my grandparents, Edward Osmund Briles and his wife Pauline, who lived in Emporia, Lyon County, Kansas.

With these records, the family members are listed along with their ages and their address.

These records have helped me track where my grandmother, Pauline Briles, lived after the death of her husband, Edward Briles.

If you have Kansas roots, be sure to check out these wonderful records!