Research

The Wyandotte County Historical Museum has a wide variety of archival research materials. If you are interested in researching a topic within Wyandotte County, please complete a research request form to get started. You may also be able to locate valuable information, including cemetery records, in the indexes and available below.

 

Research Request Form

Research Policy

  1. The Research Library is open by appointment Monday through Saturday.
  2. The holdings of the Library are non-circulating; researchers wishing to make use of materials are required to do so in the Archives.
  3. Food and drink are not permitted in the Archives collections or research areas at any time.
  4. Coats, bags, and other personal property not essential to research projects are not permitted at the researcher’s work area.
  5. Researchers may only take notes with pencil and paper or laptop computer.
  6. Materials are to be used only in the reading room under the supervision of staff. The quantity of materials provided for examination at any one time may be limited.
  7. The existing order of documents within each folder should be maintained. If there is any doubt as to the order or if there is apparent damage, the staff must be notified.
  8. When handling artifacts, researchers must wear gloves upon staff request.
  9. Permission to publish from any unpublished documents, beyond the bounds of "fair use", must be obtained from the holder of copyright. It is the researcher's responsibility to secure that permission.
  10. Parts of collections may be scanned or photocopied for the researcher's personal use; however,  staff will make the photocopies of the requested items. Staff also reserves the right to refuse to make copies due to the physical condition of the item(s).
  11. Due to the sensitive nature of the information in some of the Archives’ record groups, access may be restricted to specified persons only. Researchers requesting access to these collections will be advised by staff of the limitations and the extent to which the collections may be used.

Research Fees

First 15 minutes of research assistance is free, $10.00 for each additional 15 minutes
8x11 photocopies -$.25 each
11 x 17 photocopies - $.50 each
Digital Photographs
Personal Use - $2.00 each
Non-Profit Use - $5.00 each
For Profit Use - $10.00 each

 

 

Note sure where to start? Take a look at these finding aids to get started with your research.

Cemetery Maps & Indexes

The Museum holds the records for multiple non-active cemeteries in Wyandotte County. Many of these records are included in the finding aids below. To search these records it is helpful to know the cemetery name, the deceased full name, and birth and/or death date. Numerous graves in these cemeteries are unmarked. If you are looking for a loved ones unmarked grave, it is useful to look at the index organized by section, to find a marked grave nearby. The plot maps provided are intended to help navigate the cemeteries. If you are unable to locate your ancestor in our records, please contact us at 913-573-5002. If you are not sure what cemetery your ancestor was buried in we recommend starting with Find A Grave

Combined Cemetery Index: Includes Elm Park, Griffin, Oak Grove, Old Quindaro, Pleasant Ridge-Douglas, Prairie Township, Saylor, Shawnee Township, Wyandotte National Burial Grounds Sorted by Cemetery(PDF, 14MB)  or Sorted by Name(PDF, 13MB) ,  Plot Maps: Oak Grove(JPG, 2MB)  Old Quindaro(JPG, 1MB)

Additional Cemetery Indexes

Grinter Chapel(PDF, 6MB)

Maywood(PDF, 4MB)

Mt Hope - sorted by last name(PDF, 16MB) or sorted by section(PDF, 16MB)Mount Hope Plot Map(PDF, 1MB) 

Quindaro on Parallel - sorted by last name(PDF, 3MB) or sorted by section(PDF, 3MB)Quindaro Plot Map(PDF, 608KB)                        

Riverview(PDF, 2MB)

Stoney Point(PDF, 6MB)Stoney Point Plot Map(JPG, 1MB)

White Church(PDF, 3MB)

Westlawn;- sorted by last name(PDF, 14MB) or Westlawn sorted by section(PDF, 13MB)Westlawn Plot Map(JPG, 2MB)

Woodlawn -sorted by last name(PDF, 23MB) or Woodlawn sorted by section(PDF, 24MB) , Woodlawn Map(PDF, 3MB)

Wyandotte County Cemetery(PDF, 395KB) and Plot Map(PDF, 65KB)

Other Cemetery Resources

Highland Park - (913) 371-0667
Memorial Park - (913) 321-5100
Maple Hill - (913) 262-6610
Chapel Hill - (913) 334-3366
Mt. Calvary - (913) 371-4040
Find a Grave

Historical Indexes

The Museum has numerous research files organized by topic. Below are a few of these indexes.

Architects in KCK 1887-1940(PDF, 244KB)
Historic Churches KCK(PDF, 510KB)
Works Progress Administration - New Deal(PDF, 110KB)

 

Genealogy Indexes

The museum holds many resources to help with genealogical research. There are indexes to a few of these resources on this page. 

Naturalization Declaration of Intention 1888-1907(PDF, 9MB)

Naturalization Petition and Records 1880s-1940s sorted by name(PDF, 4MB) 

Birth Index (incomplete)
Indexed Newspaper Announcements 1871 - 1964

Marriage Licenses Index
Indexed 1859 - 1921 by year(PDF, 46MB)

Indexed 1859-1921 by groom(PDF, 52MB)

Obituary Index
Indexed to 1993

Will Index 1879-1938(PDF, 2MB)

Photograph Finding Aids

Each of these finding aids is filtered by keyword. As a result, some searches may include more than one topic. To view any of these photographs or for more information, please complete a research request form. Please include the corresponding catalog numbers with your request. If you do not find what you are looking for in these finding aids, please complete a research request, we have many additional photographs in our archives. 

1903 Flood(PDF, 2MB)
1951 Flood(PDF, 1MB)
7th Street(PDF, 1MB)
18th Street(PDF, 290KB)
Argentine(PDF, 422KB)
Armourdale(PDF, 462KB)
Bonner Springs(PDF, 940KB)
Bottoms(PDF, 219KB)
Churches(PDF, 465KB)
Edwardsville(PDF, 339KB)
Fairfax(PDF, 1MB)
Lakes(PDF, 556KB)
Minnesota Ave(PDF, 1MB)
Parades(PDF, 312KB)
Quindaro(PDF, 475KB)
Rosedale(PDF, 309KB)
(PDF, 3MB)Schools(PDF, 3MB)
Welborn(PDF, 194KB)