Decatur County organization records
Creator: Kansas. Secretary of State
Date: 1879-1880
Level of Description: File unit
Material Type: Government record
Call Number:
Kansas. Secretary of State's Office, County Organization Files, ca. 1861-1912
Unit ID: 216693
Summary:
In order for an unorganized county to be recognized by the state of Kansas, a certain number of householders/legal electors had to petition the governor. The governor would appoint a census taker. Initially, unorganized counties were required to document that they had at least 600 inhabitants in order to be recognized as a county by the state legislature. Over time the number of residents needed to organize a county changed to 1500 and later to 2500 residents. The census was submitted to the governor who then issued a proclamation indicating that the requirements had been met, appointing county commissioners and a county clerk, and naming a county seat. Not all of these documents are available for each county.
Included in this file is the proclamation from the governor appointing county officials and designating Oberlin as the temporary county seat. Also, a letter certifying the county seat results between Decatur Center and Oberlin, with Oberlin having the most votes. A complete transcription is available by clicking "Text Version" below.
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Title (Main title): Decatur County organization records
Locators:
No Locators Identified
Index Terms
Creators and Contributors
Agency Classification:
-
Kansas State Agencies. Office of the Secretary of State.