Hall Center Oral History Workshop

March 12, 2004

Genealogical Resources of the

Kenneth Spencer Research Library

Kenneth Spencer Research Library University of Kansas

Department of Special CollectionsKansas Collection

University Archives

Location: 1450 Poplar Lane (on the north side of Strong Hall near the center of the Lawrence

campus)

Web address: http://spencer.lib.ku.edu (with a website link to Spencer Library’s genealogical resources).

Availability: Open to the KU community and to the public

Oral History Holdings of Spencer Library

One of the session handouts shows selected tapes and transcripts from the Spencer Library holdings in the history of:

African-American women American homemakers Hispanics Kansans during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era KU faculty members (retiree interviews)

Depository Records of the Douglas County Courthouse in Kansas Collection Holdings

Marriages Indexes to marriage records, 1863 to 1920. Marriage records, September 1863 to April 1913.

Deaths Probate records dating from 1855. Probate Records Index, 1857 to 1965. Records of wills, 1873 to 1973 (no death certificates).

Adoptions Identified in the Probate Records Index.

Divorces Index to case files (1857 to 1861) and index to divorce petitions (1864 to 1884)—courtesy ofWatkins Community Museum of History.

Depository Records of the Douglas County Courthouse in Kansas Collection Holdings

(continued)

Deeds Records of deeds and indexes from 1855.

Tax rolls For Lawrence and Douglas County from 1863.

Naturalization Declarations of Intention (1867 to 1954); petitions and naturalizations from 1873 to 1954.

School records Public school reports dated 1904 to 1955. (Also in Kansas Collection holdings: archived records of Unified School District 497).

Genealogical Resources NOT Located in Spencer Library

Records of Douglas County Births None available prior to July 1, 1911. Records of births on and after that date are available from the State Division of Vital Statistics.

Census Records Records of the Kansas Territorial census (1855 through 1859) and of Kansas censuses through 1930 are available on microfilm at KU’s Anschutz Library (a U.S. government documents depository) and from the State Historical Society’s Kansas History Center, Topeka.

Marriage Records

in the Kansas Collection’s Douglas County Records and in its Published Holdings

Douglas County Marriage Records Index, v.1 (1863-1869)

Sample search: Joseph Griffis and Mary J. Piper

Douglas County Marriage Records Index, v.1 (1863-1869): Letter G of bridegroom surnames.

Detail of letter G surnames (Marriage Records Index, v. 1): Top entry for Griffis, Joseph and Piper, Mary J. shows the record of their marriage at page 1 of the Douglas County Marriage Records.

Douglas County Marriage Records, v. 1 (1863-1910), p. 1.

Detail of first entry in Douglas County Marriage Records, v.1, p. 1: Joseph Griffis and Mary J. Piper, married August 6, 1863; recorded September 5, 1863.

(Indexed by groom’s surname and by bride’s maiden name)

Douglas County, Kansas Marriages (1854-1910), p. 32: (listings E-H, including Griffis and Piper entry).

Douglas County, Kansas Marriages (1854-1884): Excerpts from page 32 (showing Joseph Griffis and Mary J. Piper)

Douglas County Death and Estate Records

Sample search: Julia Collamore, decedent (widow of George Collamore, 1863 Mayor of Lawrence, who was killed in the Lawrence Massacre, August 21, 1863).

Probate Records Index (1857-1965), p. 68 of letter C surnames. Columns left to right show date of entry, name of resident and circumstance (e.g. deceased, adoption), the related Court Docket page, and the probate file number.

Detail from Douglas County Probate Records Index, p. 68(Julia Collamore). The Collamore listing lacks date of entry, but shows related entries on page 14 of Court Docket C. (A Collamore probate file, number 447, appears at far right, but is hidden in the volume’s margin in this image.)

Probate Court Docket C, p. 14. First entry (March 25, 1873) shows Julia Collamore’s will admitted and recorded, followed by entries involving sale of decedent’s parcel of Douglas County real estate. Identifies related journal entries and will records.

Record of Wills, v. 1 (1873-1890), pages 48-49 of transcribed will of Julia A. Collamore, signed April 29, 1869 at Boston).

Detail of transcribed will of Julia Collamore. Denotes the will ‘proved and allowed’ in Massachusetts, June 10, 1872, following her death (specific date of death unidentified in the probate records).

From Douglas County Record of Wills, v.1, p. 49.

Further detail of Julia Collamore’s will, incorporating provisions for her children George W. Collamore, Peter Collamore, and Margaret Fuller Collamore.

Douglas County Probate file #447 (Julia Collamore) and document (enclosure) concerning debts and assets of her estate.

Detail of statement from probate file for Julia Collamore estate: debts due from the deceased and the amount necessary for support of her children as minors.

In the aftermath of Quantrill’s Raid, Alonzo Fuller (Lawrence Mayor in 1861) succeeded George Collamore as Mayor.

Alonzo Fuller died at Lawrence on January 24, 1886. Records of his estate appear in probate records of that year. Because he died intestate, the names of Fuller’s heirs cannot be found in records of Douglas County wills. Names of his heirs do appear, however, in his probate case file (its file number identified in the Douglas County’s Probate Records Index, 1857-1965).

Detail of p. 139, Probate Records Index, 1857-1965:(listing for Alonzo Fuller, deceased). Identifies related court records at p. 746 of Probate Court Docket C, and shows Fuller’s probate case file number (843).

Douglas Co. Probate File #843 (Alonzo Fuller) and enclosed citation.

Detail of citation from Alonzo Fuller probate file. Instructs heirs Lucy A. Fuller (widow) and Mrs. Anna Riggs (daughter) to appear before the Probate Court on December 2, 1886.

Within published holdings of the Kansas Collection:

Complete Tombstone Census of Douglas County, Kansas, Lawrence, Douglas County Kansas Genealogy Society, c 1987, 1989.

v.1(Lawrence city cemeteries, Oak Hill and Maple Grove).

v. 2 (all other Douglas County cemeteries and burial sites).

Complete Tombstone Census of Douglas County, v. 1, p. 79 (Oak Hill Cemetery: Alonzo Fuller)

Douglas County Tombstone CensusDetail of p.79, v.1 (Oak Hill Cemetery): Alonzo Fuller and family

Obituaries

The Kansas Collection’s microfilmed holdings of Lawrence and Leavenworth newspapers date from 1854 to the early 1900s. Lawrence newspapers from 1912 to the present are in holdings of KU’s Watson Library.

From the Lawrence Daily Journal, January 26, 1886, p. 1. (detail of Alonzo Fuller obituary)

Obituary detail concerning Alonzo Fuller’s wife and children. (Lawrence Daily Journal, January 26, 1886).

Obituary detail: Alonzo Fuller’s two terms as Mayor of Lawrence. (Lawrence Daily Journal, January 26, 1886).

City Directories

The Kansas Collection’s Lawrence city directories date from 1860. Early directories contain separate residential and occupational listings and—beyond their display of names and addresses—often identify occupations, students, non-whites, widows, and the status of individuals as residents or boarders.

Lawrence City Directory, 1860-1861

Lawrence City Directory, 1860-1861, p. 16: Detail of surnames at letter F (A. Fuller, physician, res. 35 Tennessee)

Lawrence City Directory, 1860-1861, p. 40: Detail showing Alonzo Fuller in occupational listings (35 Tennessee listed as both his occupational and residential address).

Lawrence City Directory, 1883

Lawrence City Directory, 1883: Detail lists both Alonzo Fuller and wife Lucy Ann Fuller (west side of Tennessee between Pinckney and Winthrop (later 6th and 7th streets).

Lawrence City Directory, 1886

Lawrence City Directory, 1886, p. 62: Detail from F surname listings in 1886 identifies Lucy A. Fuller as a widow, residing at 621 Tennessee Street.

Maps and Atlases

Among the Kansas Collection’s many maps and atlases are Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of many Kansas communities. Because these maps are exceptionally detailed, they are especially useful in genealogical research. The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for Lawrence date from 1883 to 1927.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Lawrence, Kans., 1883, Sheet 1

Property Records

Ownership of property in Douglas County can be found in Kansas Collection holdings of deeds, tax rolls, and property assessments, including a 17-volume index to deeds for the years 1855 to 1900. Kansas Collection holdings of tax rolls for Lawrence and Douglas County date from 1863 to 1967. Real estate entries in these volumes are in general by legal description or (in later years) by street address.

Douglas County Assessment Roll (Lawrence, 1873)

Douglas County Assessment Roll, 1873, pages 44 and 45 (Alonzo Fuller property listings appear at bottom of p. 45 in Lawrence’s Tennessee Street listings).

Douglas County Assessment Roll, 1873, p. 45: Detail of Tennessee Street listings (A. Fuller listings at bottom).

Douglas County Naturalization and Immigration Records

in Kansas Collection Holdings

Sample search name: Adam Schick

Index to Declarations of Intention, v. 2 (1907-1929):

Surnames at letter S

Detail of Index to Declarations of Intention, v.2 (1907-1929); surnames at letter S. The listing for Adam Schick shows his declaration (application) at p. 177.

Declarations of Intention (Naturalization), pages 76 and 77.

Declarations of Intention, p. 177 (applicant: Adam Schick, Vinland, Kansas, dated August 22, 1923).

Detail of p. 77 from Declarations of Intention (Adam Schick, Vinland, Kansas).

Spencer Library Manuscripts as Genealogical Resources

Kansas Collection Manuscripts

Personal papers (including correspondence, memoirs, diaries, travel journals, family bibles, scrapbooks, and photographs).

Records of businesses and organizations (including schools, churches, funeral homes, clubs, and historical and genealogical societies).

Photographs (over 1 million photographs of individuals, groups, and sites, including archived holdings of the Lawrence Journal-World).

Examples of Genealogical Resources in Records of the University Archives

Faculty morgue files (clippings, resumes, articles concerning current and past KU faculty).

Transcribed interviews of retired KU faculty. Faculty and student photographs (extensive holdings). Subject-indexed clippings from KU and area newspapers. Subject-indexed holdings of the KU Alumni Magazine, KU scrapbooks, and Jayhawker Yearbook. KU sports media guides and film footage. Faculty and student directories. Commencement programs (listing degree recipients). Records of faculty and student organizations.

Kansas Collection Manuscripts and Records of the University Archives

Subject: Martha Peterson Birthplace: Jamestown, Kansas, 1916.

A.B., University of Kansas, 1937. M.A., University of Kansas, 1943. Ph.D, University of Kansas, 1959.

University of Kansas: Mathematics Instructor, 1944-1952.

Assistant Dean of Women, 1947-1952. Dean of Women, 1952-1956.

University of Wisconsin: Dean of Women, 1956-1962.

Dean of Students, 1962-1967. President, Barnard College (New York City), 1967-1975. First woman named to boards of several large corporations, 1970s-1980s. President, Beloit College (Beloit, Wisconsin), 1975-1981. President Emerita, 1981-present.

A 158-page family history, compiled by Martha Peterson (1993), based on records of Martha Peterson’s mother, Gail French Peterson.

(From the Martha Peterson Papers, Kansas Collection)

Title page: “The French Family of Jamestown, Kansas, 1687-1945.”

(Martha Peterson Papers)

“The French Family of Jamestown, Kansas,” like many other unpublished family histories, contains not only the narrative text, but also copies of family photographs, maps of emigration and residency, genealogical charts, and other important family documents.

Copy of a birth record from “The French Family of Jamestown, Kansas.”

(Martha Peterson Papers)

“From Kansas to Oz; My Life as I Remember It” (a 52-page memoir by Martha Peterson, written at age 80.) (Martha Peterson Papers of the Kansas Collection)

“From Kansas to Oz,” by Martha Peterson. (excerpt)

As a KU student of the 1930s, Martha Peterson recalls in her autobiography that mathematics professor Wealthy Babcock was one of the teachers she most admired. Professor Babcock retired in 1966. In the University Archives is this 52-page transcript of her 1985 interview by the K.U. Retirees’ Club.

Wealthy Babcock, born in 1895 in Washington County, Kansas, received her first KU degree in 1919, and was a member of the KU mathematics faculty from 1920 to 1966. As shown by her 1985 interview, these interviews reflect lives and memories from many decades.

(University Archives)

Martha Peterson graduated from KU in 1937. Holdings of the University Archives include complete holdings of the KU Yearbooks.

Mortar Board, as pictured in the 1937 Jayhawker Yearbook. (Martha Peterson at bottom left) (University

Archives)

KU Commencement program, June 7, 1937.

(University Archives)

Martha Peterson, KU Commencement, June 7, 1937.

( Martha Peterson Papers)

Record of Martha Peterson’s KU appointments, from faculty index files of the University Archives.

Martha Peterson, KU Assistant Dean of Women (From faculty photograph files of the University Archives)

Articles regarding Martha Peterson in the KU Graduate (Alumni) Magazine. (From University Archives index files to the Graduate Magazine.)

Clippings regarding Martha Peterson in KU scrapbooks. (From University Archives index files to the KU scrapbooks.)

Martha Peterson photos and articles in KU’s Jayhawker Yearbook. (From University Archives index files to the Yearbook.)

KU Faculty and Students Newspaper Sources

University Archives’ holdings of the KU newspaper and of KU-related clippings from area newspapers are subject-indexed and searchable in an online database.

Search results for “Martha Peterson” in the University Archives’ online index to the University Daily Kansan.

Search results for “Martha Peterson” in the University Archives’ online index to its area newspaper clippings.

“New Dean of Women at K.U.,” Kansas City Star, March 30, 1952. (Martha Peterson Papers, Kansas Collection)

University Daily Kansan, March 12, 1956: Martha Peterson’s appointment as Dean of Women, University of Wisconsin, Madison. (Martha Peterson Papers)

Invitation to Inauguration of Martha Peterson as President of Barnard College, April 29, 1968.

(Martha Peterson Papers)

“First Lady of the Board,” Profile (magazine of the Exxon Corporation), April 1975, p. 6. (Martha Peterson Papers)

“First Lady of the Board,” Profile (magazine of the Exxon Corporation), April 1975, p. 7. (Martha Peterson Papers)

Martha Peterson, President of Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, 1975-1981.

(Martha Peterson Papers)

To explore these and many other resources for genealogical research,

visit Spencer Library!