Nebraska Counties records include a wide variety of genealogy topics that can guide you with your research, such as land ownership, courts, taxes, and naturalizations. Given that Nebraska court records cover a wide range of topics, they can help you in many different ways. For instance, they could allow you to identify ancestors’ residences, identify occupations, locate financial information, confirm citizenship status, or clarify relationships between people. It all will depend on on what kind of court records that your ancestors” names can be found in. For Definitions of all court terms see the Genealogy Encyclopedia.

Kansas Counties – Nebraska has 93 Counties. The capital is Lincoln and the official state website is nebraska.gov/.

The Genealogical Society of Utah and the Nebraska State Historical Society have a partnership, which they use to microfilm Nebraska county records. The microfilming of county marriage records have been completed. Deed records and naturalization records are now being microfilmed as well. The FHL and the Nebraska State Historical Society have the completed microfilms on file. Research Guides for Genealogical Data for most of the counties in the state have also been published by the Nebraska State Genealogical Society. New guides are expected to be published on an ongoing basis.

The website for the state of Nebraska has links to each county’s governmental offices. The county clerk’s office holds many genealogically useful records, including delayed birth registrations, county commissioners’ minutes, and notary records. Researchers may also find other records in those offices, including school registers, physician’s registers, marks and brands, voter registrations, military discharge papers, estray notices, and ranch and farm names. The Nebraska State Historical Society also has a few county commissioners’ minutes on file. The county clerk’s office holds marriage records, while the register of deeds holds deeds and land records. The county court clerk’s office holds probate records, as well as civil court records.

See also a list of links to county and county seat government run websites.

List of Nebraska Extinct Counties

Map of Nebraska Counties
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Map of Nebraska Counties

Nebraska contains counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial governing administration. A lot of these counties were established and disbanded during the 19th century; county boundaries have changed very little since Nineteen hundred in the great number of states. These counties needs to be investigated when doing genealogy and family tree research. Pay close attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was eliminated or consolidated with another county.

  • Blackbird County was created on March 16, 1855 from Nebraska Territory. It was abolished in 1889, area formed as Thurston in 1889.
  • Calhoun County was created on March 14, 1856 from Lancaster County. It was renamed to Saunders County in 1862.
  • Emmet County was created on 18 Feb 1867 renamed from L’Eau Qui Court, renamed Knox 1873
  • Forney County was created on March 23, 1854 from Nebraska Territory. it was renamed to Nemaha County in 1856.
  • Jackson County was created March 16, 1855 from Jones county. On January 26, 1856 the County lost all territory to the creation of  Filmore County.
  • Jones County was created November 23, 1854 from non-county area. On 16 March 16, 1855 the county lost area to creation of Clay County, Jackson County, Johnston County, Saline County, and York County. The County was eliminated on February 18, 1867 and remaining area merged into Jefferson County.
  • Greene County was created on 1855 from Cass and Pierce Counties. It was renamed to Seward County in 1862.
  • Izard County was created on November 23, 1854 from Nebraska Territory. It was renamed Stanton County in 1862
  • L’Eau Qui Court County was created on 10 Feb 1857 from Nebraska Territory and renamed Emmett County in 1867
  • McNeale County was created on 1855 from Burt County. It was abolished in 1856 and became part of Madison County
  • Old Pierce County was created on November 23, 1854, it was renamed to Otoe County in 1855.
  • Shorter County was created on January 7, 1860 Nebraska Territory renamed Lincoln 1861
  • West County was created on 13 Jan 1860 Nebraska Territory renamed Holt 1862

List of Nebraska Counties with Burned Courthouses

Nebraska burned county courthouse
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The harm to Nebraska courthouses significantly has a affect on family historians in each and every way. Not only are these historic buildings torn from our lifetimes, so are the files they kept: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are destroyed permanently. Despite the fact that they have already been put on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most heartbreaking side of this is the reason why nearly all of our courthouses are destroyed from arsonist. Though, not all records were destroyed. A number of Nebraska counties have endured a loss of records due to courthouse fires, floods, and theft.

  • Lincoln County Courthouse
  • Thomas County Courthouse
  • Thayer County Courthouse

List of Nebraska Counties

List of Nebraska Counties

CountyDate FormedParent CountyCounty Seat
Adams1867Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryHastings
Antelope1871Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryNeligh
Arthur1887 (1913)Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryArthur
Banner1888Formed from Cheyenne CountyHarrisburg
Blaine1885Unorganized landBrewster
Boone1871Unorganized landAlbion
Box Butte1887Formed from Dawes CountyAlliance
Boyd1891Holt County, and Unorganized area of the Nebraska Territory (Indian Territory)Butte
Brown1883Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryAinsworth
Buffalo1855Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryKearney
Burt1854One of Nine Original CountiesTekamah
Butler1856Formed from Greene CountyDavid City
Cass1854One of Nine Original CountiesPlattsmouth
Cedar1857Formed from Dixon County and Pierce CountyHartington
Chase1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryImperial
Cherry1883Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryValentine
Cheyenne1867Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritorySidney
Clay1855Formed from Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryClay Center
Colfax1869Formed from Platte CountySchuyler
Cuming1855Formed from Burt CountyWest Point
Custer1877Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryBroken Bow
Dakota1855Formed from Burt CountyDakota City
Dawes1885Formed from Sioux CountyChadron
Dawson1860Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryLexington
Deuel1888Formed from Cheyenne CountyChappell
Dixon1856Formed from Blackbird County, Izard County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryPonca
Dodge1854One of Nine Original CountiesFremont
Douglas1854One of Nine Original CountiesOmaha
Dundy1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryBenkelman
Fillmore1856 (1871)Formed from Jackson County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryGeneva
Franklin1867Formed from Kearney CountyFranklin
Frontier1872Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryStockville
Furnas1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryBeaver City
Gage1855Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryBeatrice
Garden1909Formed from Deuel CountyOshkosh
Garfield1884Formed from Wheeler CountyBurwell
Gosper1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryElwood
Grant1887Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryHyannis
Greeley1871Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryGreeley
Hall1858Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryGrand Island
Hamilton1867Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryAurora
Harlan1871Formed from Kearney CountyAlma
Hayes1877Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryHayes Center
Hitchcock1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryTrenton
Holt1862Unorganized area of the Nebraska Territory (Formerly- West County)O'Neill
Hooker1889Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryMullen
Howard1871Formed from Hall CountySaint Paul
Jefferson1855Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryFairbury
Johnson1855Formed from Nemaha County and Otoe CountyTecumseh
Kearney1860Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryMinden
Keith1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryOgallala
Keya Paha1884Formed from Brown County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska Territory (Indian Territory)Springview
Kimball1888Formed from Cheyenne CountyKimball
Knox1873Formed from Pierce County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska Territory (Formal names-L'Eau Qui Court (1857-1867) and Emmet (1867-1873))Center
Lancaster1855Formed from Cass County and Pierce CountyLincoln
Lincoln1861Unorganized area of the Nebraska Territory (Formerly Shorter County)North Platte
Logan1885Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryStapleton
Loup1855Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryTaylor
Madison1856Formed from Loup County and McNeale County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryMadison
McPherson1887Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryTryon
Merrick1858Formed from Polk County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryCentral City
Morrill1908Formed from Cheyenne CountyBridgeport
Nance1879Formed from Pawnee ReservationFullerton
Nemaha1856One of Nine original counties (Formerly Forney)Auburn
Nuckolls1860Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryNelson
Otoe1854One of nine Original Counties (Formerly Pierce)Nebraska City
Pawnee1855Formed from Richardson CountyPawnee City
Perkins1887Formed from Kieth CountyGrant
Phelps1873Formed from Kearney CountyHoldrege
Pierce1856Formed from Izard County, McNeale County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryPierce
Platte1856Formed from Greene County and Loup CountyColumbus
Polk1856Formed from York County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryOsceola
Red Willow1873Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryMcCook
Richardson1854One of Nine Original CountiesFalls City
Rock1857Formed from Brown CountyBassett
Saline1855Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryWilber
Sarpy1857Formed from Cass County and Douglas CountyPapillion
Saunders1865Formed from Douglas County and Lancaster County (Formerly Calhoun County (1856-1865))Wahoo
Scotts Bluff1881Formed from Cheyenne CountyGering
Seward1862Formed from Cass County and Pierce County (Formerly- Greene County)Seward
Sheridan1885Formed from Sioux CountyRushville
Sherman1871Formed from Buffalo County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryLoup City
Sioux1877Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryHarrison
Stanton1855; renamed 1862Formed from Burt County (Formerly Izard County)Stanton
Thayer1856Formed from Jefferson CountyHebron
Thomas1887Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryThedford
Thurston1889Formed form Blackbird County and Omaha ReservationPender
Valley1871Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryOrd
Washington1854One of Nine Original CountiesBlair
Wayne1871Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryWayne
Webster1867Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryRed Cloud
Wheeler1877Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryBartlett
York1855Formed from Cass County, Pierce County and Unorganized area of the Nebraska TerritoryYork