Records from Lyon County

Abstract: This collection contains microfilmed records from Lyon County, dated 1865-1980. The records include cemetery interment registers from the Memorial Lawn Cemetery, dated 1928-1980, and the Maplewood Cemetery, dated 1855-1980. Records from the Lyon County District Court include transcripts for the murder trial of Thomas P. Bird. Other records are from the county Superintendent of Public Instruction. These include scholastic records, treasurer, and clerk records from school district 42, collectively dated 1865-1904, and the same from the Boston School District number 62, dated 1898-1942.

Administrative History: Lyon County was established on February 05, 1862. Lyon County was originally known as Breckenridge County. Breckenridge County was organized in 1855. For a time, the new county was attached to Madison County for "Civil/Criminal and Military Purposes." Columbia was designated as the county seat, but no county business was transacted. On February 17, 1857, Waterloo was declared the county seat. About this same time, Breckenridge County was detached from Madison County. Also, about this time, Americus was established and was a candidate for the county seat. With the election in the autumn of 1858, Americus was voted to become the county seat.

The south county line of Breckenridge was originally located at Logan Avenue in Emporia. Emporia, with aspirations to become the county seat, secured the southern county line three miles north of the town of Madison. Thus, Emporia became nearer the geographical center of the county. In the year of 1860, it was voted and Emporia carried 155 votes over Americus, to become the new county seat of Breckenridge County. With the secession of the South, the residents of the county changed the name to Lyon in honor of Nathaniel Lyon, the first Union General killed in the Civil War. Lyon was killed during the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, on 10 Aug 1861.

The stone courthouse of Breckenridge County, located on the northwest corner of Third Avenue (the Santa Fe tracks) and Commercial Street, was built in the year of 1866 at a cost of $19,795.00. The plans for the courthouse were furnished by John Hammond. The contract for the building went to Dr. Thomas Armor and Perry B. Mazson. Peter B. Hughes and Richard Howl did the stonework. George Plumb burned the lime that was used for the mortar in the construction of the building. The stone courthouse was used until about 1902 when a new courthouse was erected on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Commercial Street.

Emporia is the largest city and county seat. Townships include Agnes City, Americus, Center, Elmendaro, Emporia, Fremont, Ivy, Jackson, Pike, Reading, and Waterloo.

[Kansas State Historical Society. "Kansas Counties - Lyon County, Kansas." http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/places/counties.php?county=LY (accessed June 25, 2009.)]

[Lyon County. "About Lyon County." http://www.lyoncounty.org/AboutLyonCounty.htm (accessed June 25, 2009.)]