Keith County, Nebraska Genealogy
Guide to Keith County, Nebraska ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County InformationEdit
DescriptionEdit
The County was named for either M. C. Keith of North Platte, whose grandson Keith Neville or John Keith, also of North Platte. The County is located in west central area of the state.[2]
County CourthouseEdit
Keith County Courthouse
511 N. Spruce Street
P.O. Box 149
Ogallala, NE 69153-0149
Phone: 308.284.4726
Keith County Website
County Clerk has birth, death, and land records. County Judge has marriage records.
Clerk District Court has divorce, probate, and court records. [1]
Keith County, Nebraska Record DatesEdit
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1904 | 1873 | 1904 | 1873 | 1873 | 1873 | 1854 |
Record LossEdit
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary ChangesEdit
|
Populated PlacesEdit
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
History TimelineEdit
ResourcesEdit
Bible RecordsEdit
BiographiesEdit
Business, Commerce, and OccupationsEdit
CemeteriesEdit
Census RecordsEdit
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 194 | — |
| 1890 | 2,556 | 1217.5% |
| 1900 | 1,951 | −23.7% |
| 1910 | 3,692 | 89.2% |
| 1920 | 5,294 | 43.4% |
| 1930 | 6,721 | 27.0% |
| 1940 | 8,333 | 24.0% |
| 1950 | 7,449 | −10.6% |
| 1960 | 7,958 | 6.8% |
| 1970 | 8,487 | 6.6% |
| 1980 | 9,364 | 10.3% |
| 1990 | 8,584 | −8.3% |
| 2000 | 8,875 | 3.4% |
| 2010 | 8,063 | −9.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Federal Censuses were taken for Nebraska starting in 1860. For links to Federal census indexes, see Nebraska Census.
For tips on accessing Keith County, Nebraska Genealogy census records online, see: Nebraska Census.
State Census Records
- 1854 - 1870 - Nebraska, Compiled Census Index, 1854-1870 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
- 1860 - 1885 - Nebraska State Census Collection 1860-1885 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
- 1885 - Nebraska State Census 1885 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1885 - Nebraska State Census 1885 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
Church RecordsEdit
Church records vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Nebraska denominations, view the Nebraska Church Records wiki page.
Online Church Records
- 1875-1899 - Nebraska, Church Records, 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index
Court RecordsEdit
DirectoriesEdit
Emigration and ImmigrationEdit
Ethnic, Political, and Religious GroupsEdit
Funeral HomesEdit
GenealogiesEdit
GuardianshipEdit
Land and Property RecordsEdit
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Nebraska Land and Property for additional information about early Nebraska land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.
- Land Patent Search - index to federal patents and homesteads on the Bureau of Land Management website, some images available
- 1796 - 1907 - U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 at Ancestry - index, info taken from Bureau of Land Management website
- 1863 - 1908 - U.S. Homestead Records 1863-1908 at Ancestry.com - ($), index and images
For more information see Nebraska Land and Property
Local HistoriesEdit
Local histories are available for Keith County, Nebraska Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Nebraska Local Histories.
Maps and GazetteersEdit
for more resources
- Nebraska Gazetteer - database for all known places found in 1890 and 1911 Nebraska gazetteers
- Interactive Formation Boundary Map of Nebraska - shows boundary changes for Nebraska Counties
MigrationEdit
Early migration routes to and from Keith County for European and African American settlers included:
|
- Platte River
- Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon[5]
- California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California[6]
- Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah[7]
Military RecordsEdit
Revolutionary WarEdit
- 1775 - 1783 - United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - images only
- For more nationwide Revolutionary War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.
Civil WarEdit
- 1861 - 1865 - Nebraska Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1861 - 1948 - Nebraska, Grand Army of the Republic, Burial Records, 1861-1948 at FamilySearch — index
- 1891 - Nebraska Resident Military Roster on June 1, 1891 at Ancestry.com - ($), Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, the Mexico War, and the War of the Rebellion, residing in Nebraska June 1, 1891
- 1893 - Roster of Nebraska Veterans - list of veterans in 1893
- For more nationwide Civil War databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.
World War IEdit
- 1917 - 1918 - World War I Drafts 1917-1918 - index only
- For more nationwide World War I databases, see US Military Online Genealogy Records.
World War IIEdit
- 1940 - 1945 - Nebraska, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization and CitizenshipEdit
NewspapersEdit
For information on Nebraska newspapers, see Nebraska Newspapers. Nebraska Newspapers Online
- Nebraska Newspapers - contains images of newspapers throughout Nebraska
- GenealogyBank - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
- Newspaper Archive - ($), contains images of Nebraska newspapers
- Chronicling America - contains images of some Nebraska newspapers; searching tips
- Elephind - Free; search engine that retrieves newspaper images from other free newspaper websites
Nebraska Newspaper Catalogs
- Nebraska State Historical Society - catalog of known Nebraska newspapers; lists repositories that have the newspapers
- U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper
ObituariesEdit
Other RecordsEdit
- 1870 - 1990 — Nebraska Prisoner Records 1870-1990 — index only
PeriodicalsEdit
Probate RecordsEdit
In most counties in Nebraska, probate records have been kept by the county judge. They include wills, fee books, claim registers, legacy records, inheritance records, probate ticklers, and dockets. The records are available at the county courthouse.
The FamilySearch Catalog lists films of probate records. To find the records for this county, use the Place Search for Nebraska - Keith - Probate records.
Online Probate Records
- 1806 – 1989 Nebraska Wills and Probate Records 1806-1989 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
School RecordsEdit
Tax RecordsEdit
Nebraska tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.
Vital RecordsEdit
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred.
BirthEdit
MarriageEdit
- 1855 - 1995 — Nebraska Marriages, 1855-1995 at FamilySearch — index only
- 1856 - 1898 — Nebraska Marriages 1856-1898 at Ancestry.com ($), index only
DeathEdit
- 1861 - 1948 - Nebraska, Grand Army of the Republic, Burial Records, 1861-1948 at FamilySearch — index
DivorceEdit
Research FacilitiesEdit
ArchivesEdit
Family History CentersEdit
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
LibrariesEdit
- Goodall City Library
203 West A Street
Ogallala NE, 69153
Phone: 308-284-4354
- Goodall City Library
MuseumsEdit
SocietiesEdit
- Keith County Historical Society
Mansion on the Hill
1004 North Spruce Street
P.O. Box 5
Ogallala, NE 69153
Phone: 308-284-4215
- Keith County Historical Society
WebsitesEdit
- NEGenWeb
- USGenWeb
- FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research GuidesEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Nebraska.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Keith, Nebraska," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_County,_Nebraska" accessed 8/22/2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Keith County, Nebraska. Page 428-435 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 417-420.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Keith County, Nebraska," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_County,_Nebraska, accessed 2 February 2019.
- ↑ Jim Tompkins, "The Oregon Trail 1841-1848 Map II" in Oregon Trail Landmarks at
(accessed 18 July 2011).
- ↑ "Oregon California Trails Association" at http://octatrails.micromaps.com/ (accessed 18 July 2011).
- ↑ "The Pioneer Story: The Mormon Pioneer Trail" in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/pioneer-trek (accessed 18 July 2011).
