Records, Comanche County, Kansas

THE HANDY BOOK FOR GENEALOGISTS, 7th edition, gives the following informantion on finding records: Comanche County was created in 1867, the parent county was Kiowa County. The county seat is Coldwater, Kansas. The County Clerk has birth and death records from 1891-1911. The Magistrate Judge has marriage records from 1891-1912 and the probate and civil court records. The Clerk of the District court has divorce records. The Registrar of Deeds has land records.

Comanche County Clerk
201 S. New York
Coldwater, Kansas 67029
Phone: (620) 582-2361

For all counties in Kansas, birth and death records since July 1, 1911; marriages since May 1, 1913; and divorices since July 1, 1951 are obtainable at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of Vital Statistics, Topeka, Kansas 66620. Records are indexed alphabetically by year.

The forms needed to order records from the Office of Vital Statistics are available online from The Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment Office of Vital Statistics. Another source of these forms is vitalrec.com.

Kathleen Gregory of Comanche County, Kansas, is a volunteer researcher for Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, a global volunteer research organization. You may direct your research requests for Comanche County, Kansas, to her through RAOGK in accordance with the guidelines of RAOGK. Once you have read the guidelines on that site, you will be able to find contact information for her.

Military records are available from The National Personnel Records Center. Also see Research Sources for Military Service.

To quickly search the entire Comanche County, Kansas: History and Genealogy web site for a word or name, use the dedicated site search engine.

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Historical Records on this site:

History of Comanche County from Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, 1912.

Comanche Steal - The Fraudulent Organization of Comanche County, Kansas by Thomas Allen McNeal from When Kansas Was Young, pages 61 - 65.

Collected Marriage Records from Comanche County, Kansas.

Birth Notices, Comanche County, Kansas

Death Notices: A Collection of Brief Death Notices, Comanche County, Kansas, 1891 -

1940 Registrants for the Draft From Comanche County, Kansas

The Osage Diminished Reserve Lands included what is today Comanche County, Kansas. Comanche County was NOT settled under the provisions of the Homestead Act.

Published Notices of Various 1886 & 1887 Land Transactions in Comanche County, Ks.

Sheriffs of Comanche County, Kansas, 1885 - 2006

Comanche County Officers, 1885 - 2007

Sheriff's Sales - 1887

Real Estate Sales - Probate, The Western Star, December 3, 1887.

Civil & Criminal Cases in District Court, June 9, 1886
Nescatunga Enterprise, June 5, 1886.

March 2, 1888:
District Court Proceedings
The Coldwater Review, March 2, 1888.

District Court Proceedings
The Coldwater Review, March 16, 1888.

Documents from a P-38 Crash, courtesy of Paul Raoles.

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The Western Star has been published continuously in Comanche County since 1884. Archives of the newspaper (and of The Wilmore News are available on microfilm in the Coldwater Library. For subscription information, please write or call:
The Western Star, 113 S. Central, Coldwater, Kansas 67029.
Phone: (620) 582-2101

The Protection Press is also published in Comanche County, Kansas.
Subscriptions: P0 Box 567, Protection, KS 67127    
Phone: (620) 622-4288
Annual Subscriptions: $24.00 (Kansas addresses)       $25.00 (out of state addresses)

Comanche County Obituaries at KSGenWeb     Shirley Brier has transcribed and contributed nearly 200 obituaries from local newspapers for the The Digital Library of the KSGenWeb! This is a GREAT research resource! More obituaries will be added to the site, so be sure to bookmark it & to check back often.

The Kansas Genealogical Society has the following reports in their collection:

• Comanche County Cemeteries: Comanche, Protection Mennonite, Protection & Wilmore Cemeteries
  Compiled by Research Club, Coldwater, KS, 1999. 74 pages.
• Crown Hill Cemetery, Coldwater, KS, 1 Jan 1888 to 22 May 1993
  Compiled by Mrs James W Byram, 44 pages, alphabetical order.
• Deaths & Obituaries - Comanche Co, KS , from The Western Star, Coldwater, KS, 1980-1988. (9 Folders).
  Compiled by Mr. & Mrs. Leo Shoemaker. Indexed.
• Comanche Co, KS Birth Records, 1892-1908; Index of Wills, 1872-1904, Bk No 1 & Copy of Deaths from county records.
• Anniversaries & Birthdays - 1986, 1987, 1988 - Comanche Co, KS, taken from Western Star, Coldwater, KS & Protection Press, Protection, KS
  Compiled by Rose Mary Shoemaker, Medicine Lodge, Ks. 33 pages, 30 pages and 37 pages. Indexed.
• United Methodist Church, Coldwater, KS: Centennial Directory 1884-1984
  Compiled by History Committee; Betty Jackson, Chair, Lloyd Swindler, pastor.
• Comanche County History, Comanche Co, KS
  Comanche County Historial Society, Coldwater, Kansas, 816 pages, alphabetical order, 1981.
• Index to Marriages of Comanche Co, KS: Bk 1 (1885-1917); Bk 2 (1917-1939), Office of the Clerk of District Court, Comanche Co
• Marriage License Record No 1, 5 Dec 1885 - 31 Dec 1891, Clerk of District Court, Comanche Co, KS
  Compiled by Mrs Wm D Daniels, Dodge City, KS 1987
• National Record No 1, First papers, District Court, Comanche Co, KS; Final Naturalization No 1, District Court, Comanche Co, KS
  Declaration of Intention Comanche Co, KS; District Court Abstracts of Original Book; compiled by Mrs Wm D Daniels
• Protection Paragraphs, A Scrapbook of Historical Highlights
  by Dave Webb, Comanche Press, Protection, Kansas.
• Obituaries & Other Stories, 1963, 14 pages.

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1904-05 County Officers: On upper steps from the left: R.A. Strain with beard: above him, Anna Huffmaster, County Supt,; H.I. Burr, Register of Deeds; J.M. Griffith, County Treasurer; Jay T. Botts, County Clerk; upper right, Nellie Botts, clerk in Treasurer's Office; to her left, Park Thornton and Vernie Griffith.
Bottom row: from the left: Lawrence Bratcher, Register of Deeds; Ralph Maris, Deputy Sheriff; Dr. F.L. Holcomb, Coroner; C.A. Fridley, Sheriff; and W.C. Monticue, Clerk of District Court. Comanche County, Kansas.

The above photograph is from the Coldwater Diamond Jubilee Historical Souvenir Program, Coldwater, KS: Western Star, 1959. The copy of the booklet from which it was copied belonged to Jean Hackney and is from the collection of Robert D. Hackney. Thanks to Bobbi (Hackney) Huck for scanning & providing this image for this website.