Marriage/Divorce RecordsMarriage and Divorce records are important sources of genealogical information. Unfortunately most states did not begin keeping official records until the twentieth century. The State of Kansas began recording marriage records beginning on May 1, 1913. Copies of these records are available through the Office of Vital Statistics, Charles B. Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson Street, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-1221; 785-296-1400. Before 1911 marriages and divorces may have been recorded in the county clerk of district court office where the event occurred. Most vital records that have survived are in the counties in which they were created. The originals, copies or indexes/finding aids may be found in the local historical or genealogical society. The information contained in these early records varies from place to place. Additional information may be gathered from church records, newspapers, and some other sources. The Kansas Historical Society has a few original vital records, primarily on microfilm. Please consult the local records and vital records card catalogs, or the Local Government Records on Microfilm notebooks, or the Local Government Records not on Microfilm in the research room for a list of our holdings. The local records catalog is arranged by county and creator, the notebooks by county. Due to changes in county boundaries or mergers, patrons may need to consult more than one county listing. Staff is happy to help patrons with vital records research. Helpful Hint: When looking for a divorce in a county that has not already separated them out from marriage records, check the civil appearance docket and look for same names. It might just be what you are looking for.
Information that May be found in:Marriage records
Divorce records
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