The Kinsley Library has excellent resources for research in Edwards County genealogy and local history.  Probably the most valuable is librarian Rosetta Graff, who draws from over 30 years of experience helping people discover their ancestors or explore the area’s fascinating history.

          The library has microfilm of all existing copies of the county newspapers since 1883 where obituaries and other historical information can be gathered and printed on our microfilm reader/printer.  The library has a burial file which contains a card for Edwards County people memorialized locally or buried in the Edwards County cemeteries (map) including:

          Belpre (paper records)                     Bethel     

          Fellsburg                                           Hillside

          Kinsley's first cemetery                    Peace Lutheran

          Prattsburg (paper records)              Providence (paper records)

          St. Bernard (paper records)             St. Nicholas

          Sts. Peter & Paul                              Salem

          Trotter                                              Wayne

          Wire (private)

Cemetery sexton Ray Wetzel has given us a Directory of Hillside Cemetery (with tombstone pictures).  Hillside is the largest cemetery in the county. 

          The city of Offerle is located on the western edge of Edwards County.  Many Edwards County residents are buried in cemeteries just inside bordering Ford County.  Evergreen Cemetery   Search in: 

     Evergreen Cemetery: Index by Last Name

     Evergreen Cemetery:  By Location With Additional Notes; 

     Old St. Joseph Cemetery:  Index by Last Name

     Old St. Joseph Cemetery:  By Location With Additional Notes

     St. Joseph Cemetery:  Index by Last Name

     St. Joseph Cemetery:  By Location With Additional Notes.

          Another source is the 1880 Mortality Schedule for Edwards County compiled by Thelma Carpenter and Helen Franklin.

         We have Birth Records compiled from old city records, and Marriage Records of Edwards, County Kansas, 1877-1896.

           The 1930 to 1939 Kinsley Mercury was indexed by volunteers and is on line in categories:  Births, Marriages, Deaths, and News Highlights and Businesses. 

    (NOTE:  To obtain actual birth, marriage, divorce or death records, contact the Office of Vital Statistics (a division of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment).  You can order records online at http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/index.html . Or you can contact them by phone or email at 785-296-1400 or Vital.Records@kdhe.state.ks.us .)

             Kansas Humanities Council awarded the Kinsley Public Library a  Kansans Tell Their Stories Community Heritage grant for $3,248 in support of an oral history project which will collect and preserve 20 interviews of citizens who lived in Edwards County between 1939-1948.  For more information about the effect World War II had on Edwards County, go to the Patchwork of Dependency page for this work in progress.

Ed Carlson has compiled several notebooks of interest:

• U.S. Passport Applications with Edwards County connections up to1923.   View index.

• Kinsley and Edwards County Residents Before the Supreme Courts of the States and the Federal Supreme Court, 1884-1946.  View index.

• United States Patents from Belpre, Garfield, Kinsley, and Lewis Kansas, 1883 to 1929.  View index.

          The Kinsley High School Alumni (1891-1988) roster  and Offerle High School Alumni list (1918-1966) from the 1966 Chieftain annual are available on-line.  Check the card catalog for high school annuals from Edwards County Schools in the library collection.

          We have Church of the Holy Nativity (Episcopalian) Church Records beginning in 1934 to 2004.  We have photocopies of church records for Peace Lutheran Church (1906-2006), Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (1947-2005), Salem Methodist Church (1887-1927), and the Kinsley Christian Church (1903-1980).

          The Standard Atlas of Edwards County, Kansas contains a patron directory of a partial list of Edwards County residents in 1906.

          The Kinsley Library microfilm collection also contains the Edwards County State Census of 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925; and the U.S. census for Edwards County for 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. 

          The 1930 to 1939 Kinsley Mercury was indexed by volunteers and is on line in categories:  Births, Marriages, Deaths, and News Highlights and Businesses. 

         From Prairie to People:  The Edwards County Centennial Book, 1873-1973 was indexed by people's names by the Eldorado Correctional Facility (hard copy only).  Also an online digital index of businesses, events, places, etc.  was generated by Darlene Carlson.

         The Kansas State Historical Society has two references edited by James C. Malin online: J. A. Walker's Early History of Edwards County  and The Kinsley Boom of the Late Eighties  Part 1

          Rosetta with the research help of Ed Carlson have put together an extensive vertical file on the people, businesses, places and events in Edwards County.  These have been entered into the Kinsley Library Card Catalog.

          The Historical Downtown Kinsley Digital Map contains a map with linked timeline of business sites in the main 4 block area of downtown Kinsley.   Images and detailed card catalog descriptions of the images are linked to the business sites.  

          Historical Kinsley and Edwards County Photos are images organized by location within the city or county.  They are linked to detailed descriptions in the card catalog.

          Our collection also contains general genealogy resources in both book and other formats.   For use in the library we have several CD ROMS including Family Tree Searcher and PERSI, the genealogy periodical index.   Check out on-line card catalog as well. On video we have How To Trace Your Native American Heritage,  the popular 10 tape ANCESTORS video series, and another series which goes into detail on researching in four specific areas (U.S. military records, land records, immigration and ship passenger lists, and court records). 

         We own an index and copies of the DAR magazine from 1914 to 1997,  all 21 volumes of the Forgotten Settlers of Kansas.  We have back issues and continue to subscribe to the Kansas Treesearcher and Genealogy Helper.

          We were given a mixture of resources exploring Swedish genealogy.

          We are able to do quick searchers (as our time permits) for out-of-town people seeking specific information.  Unfortunately, time does not permit us to do extensive research.  We will provide up to five pages of copies for a fee of $1.00

GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY AT-A-GLANCE       

CONTACT:    

                        Rosetta Graff or Joan Weaver

                        Kinsley Library

                        208 E. 8^th

                        Kinsley, KS 67547

                        620-659-3341

                        kinlib@kl.kscoxmail.com  

LOCAL HISTORY BOOKS:

                        Belpre Kansas: The Story of a Small Town by David M. Kearney

                        Centennial books for Kinsley, Lewis, and Offerle

                        Parish histories for St. Peter & Paul and St.Mary’s Churches

The Crescent Communities of Kiowa and Edwards Counties

                        Myrtle Richardson’s books:                  Changes Rode the Winds

                                                                                    The Great Next Year Country

                                                                                    Whirlwind

                                                                                    Oft' Told Tales

                        Some family histories -- Check the Card Catalog

                        Marriage Records of Edwards County, Kansas, 1977-1896

MICROFILM:

                        Existing copies of all Edwards County Newspapers since 1883

Kansas State Census, Edwards County:  1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 

U.S. Census for Edwards County:           1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930

                        Misc. microfilms from Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas

                        Interlibrary Loan from Kansas State Historical Society

VIDEO:

                        PPB Ancestors series

                        How to Trace Your Native American Heritage

                        OGS/FGS Genealogical Teleconferences:

                                    American Court Records

                                    American Land Records

                                    Immigration and Ships Passenger Lists

                                    U.S. Military Records

PERIODICALS:

                        PERCI (Index for U.S. genealogical magazines)

                        Kansas Treesearcher

                        DAR Magazine with Index: 1914-1997

                        Forgotten Settlers of Kansas, all 24 volumes and indexes

VERTICAL FILE:

                        Edwards County people, buildings, historical events, and places (see Card Catalog)

                                Burial Card File for people buried in Edwards County (Burial Card File index online)

CD ROMS:

                        PERSI  Index of Genealogical Periodicals

                        Family Tree Maker

                        Social Security Death Index: U.S. 1937-1995

                        Family Archives:  World Family Tree, Pre 1600 to Present,  Vol. 1-22 

Census Index: Colonial America 1607-1789

                        Census Microfilm Records: Virginia, 1850

                        Marriage Index: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV   1728-1850

                        Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834

CONTRIBUTING RESEARCHERS

                            Julie Ackerman       Don Benish           Sally Bidleman      Ed Carlson                    Beverly Craft

                            Virginia Gleason     Rosetta Graff       Mary Graff           Lucy Herrmann             Sandra Jasper      

                            Carol Mathews        Bette Ryan            Maxine Shaffer     Nancy Weidenheimer    Joan Weaver  

                            Eula Westphal        Ray Wetzel