Website To Offer Free Access To Selected Kansas Archives

Wed, January 18, 2012

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KMUW / Briana O’Higgins

A new partnership between the state historical society and a family history website will allow Kansans to access millions of state records online.

In exchange for digitized documents from the Kansas Historical Society, Ancestry.com will allow free access to state records to Kansans with a valid drivers license.

Teresa Jenkins, public information officer for the Kansas Historical society says the partnership will give Kansans access to many records that were previously only available at the state archives in Topeka.

“You can access things like the Kansas state census records from 1865 to 1925, Civil War enlistment papers of the Kansas volunteer regiments, the Russell County vital and probate records, some of our World War I manuscripts, and certain United Spanish American war veterans certificates collections,” says Jenkins.

The records contain valuable information for Kansans looking to do research on their state, community and family.

“You will be able to find statistics on your family members,” says Jenkins, “possibly even see some specific details - occupation, people who used to live in the house of your ancestors that you didn’t even know.”

Current records are available through kshs.org. Jenkins says they are hoping to be able to add more of the state historical records to the website in the future.