Kansas Counties
Find information on current and defunct counties:
Wilson County, Kansas
| Date Established: | August 25, 1855 |
| Date Organized: | September 24, 1864 |
| Location: |
 |
| Boundaries: | Wilson County as originally laid out was twenty-four miles square along the southern boundary of the state, the territory which today comprises Montgomery County. Later in the same year [1855], the legislature expanded the county 26 miles northward to its present northern line; in 1867, the southern half was carved off to form Montgomery County. |
| County Seat: | Fredonia |
| Origin of Name: | In honor of Col. Hiero T. Wilson (1806-1892), sutler, postmaster, and prominent citizen of Fort Scott. |
| History: | When originally created, the county was within the Osage Reserve and not open to white settlement. However, settlers began arriving as early as 1857. No attempt was made to organize the county until 1864, when an ambitious New Yorker named Daniel C. Finn arrived in the region and began agitating the question.
On 9 Sept 1864, Finn presented a petition for organization to the governor, who appointed the first slate of county officers. Several of those appointed failed to qualify, and the first meeting of the county commissioners did not take place until January 1867.
The question of a county seat caused eight elections between 1867 and 1873; Coy's Store [Coyville], Kalida [Clifton], Twin Mounds [Fredonia], Neodesha, and Center each won at least one election. The matter was finally settled in Fredonia's favor. |
| Cities & Townships: |
| Place | Population (2000 census) |
|---|
| Fredonia (city) | 2,600 |
| Neodesha (city) | 2,848 |
| Cedar Township | 701 |
| Center Township | 618 |
| Chetopa Township | 188 |
| Clifton Township | 414 |
| Colfax Township | 452 |
| Duck Creek Township | 103 |
| Fall River Township | 398 |
| Guilford Township | 205 |
| Neodesha Township | 583 |
| Newark Township | 226 |
| Pleasant Valley Township | 201 |
| Prairie Township | 118 |
| Talleyrand Township | 232 |
| Verdigris Township | 394 |
| Webster Township | 51 |
| Total population: | 10,332 | |
|  |
| Population: |
|
1860
|
 (27) |
|
1870
|
(6,694) |
|
1880
|
(13,775) |
|
1890
|
(15,286) |
|
1900
|
(15,621) |
|
1910
|
(19,810) |
|
1920
|
(21,157) |
|
1930
|
(18,646) |
|
1940
|
(17,723) |
|
1950
|
(14,815) |
|
1960
|
(13,077) |
|
1970
|
(11,317) |
|
1980
|
(12,128) |
|
1990
|
(10,289) |
|
2000
|
(10,332) |
|
| Other Resources: | Bibliography
Cemeteries in Wilson County, as of 1906
Newspapers available on microfilm
Townships & Independent Cities in Wilson County
Post offices in Wilson County
|
| Links to Other Sites: | Wilson County page [Blue Skyways]
Wilson County GenWeb
Early Kansas Maps [KanColl]
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