Place:Shawnee, Kansas, United States

Watchers
NameShawnee
Alt namesShawneesource: Getty Vocabulary Program
SNsource: Wikipedia
TypeCounty
Coordinates39.05°N 95.767°W
Located inKansas, United States     (1855 - )
See alsoJackson, Kansas, United StatesAdjacent north
Jefferson, Kansas, United StatesAdjacent northeast
Douglas, Kansas, United StatesAdjacent southeast
Osage, Kansas, United StatesAdjacent south
Wabaunsee, Kansas, United StatesAdjacent west
Pottawatomie, Kansas, United StatesAdjacent northwest
Contained Places
Cemetery
Abram Burnett Burial Site
Auburn Cemetery
Bauer Cemetery
Beam Cemetery
Bennie Lee Graham Memorial Cemetery
Bethel Cemetery
Boles Cemetery
Chancy Jenkins Burial Site
Curtis Family Cemetery
Czech-Moravian Cemetery
Dover Cemetery
Elevation Cemetery
Emmanuel Cemetery
Foster Cemetery
Grace Episcopal Cathedral Columbarium
Green Cemetery
Half-Day Cemetery
Lynn Creek Cemetery
Mission Center Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Calvary Cemetery
Mount Hope Cemetery
Olive Branch Cemetery
Penwell-Gabel Cemetery and Mausoleum
Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Prairie Home Cemetery
Richland Cemetery
Ritchie Cemetery
Rochester Cemetery
Rossville Cemetery
Saint Bartholomew Cemetery
Saint Davids Episcopal Church Columbarium
Security Benefit Association Cemetery
Shawnee Center Cemetery
Silver Lake Cemetery
Simerwell Cemetery
Topeka Cemetery
Topeka State Hospital Cemetery
Uniontown Cemetery
Valencia Cemetery
Vawter Cemetery
Walnut Hill Cemetery
West Lawn Memorial Gardens
Westminster Presbyterian Church Memorial Garden
Yocum Cemetery
Zion Cemetery
Deserted settlement
Indianola ( 1855 - 1868 )
Richland ( 1854 - 1974 )
Uniontown ( 1848 - 1858 )
Inhabited place
Auburn ( 1860s - )
Belmont
Berryton
Cullen Village
Dover
Elmont
Grove
Highland Park ( 1861 - )
Kingsville
Kiro
Lindbloom Park
Mathews Park
Menoken
North Topeka
Oakland
Pauline
Rossville
Shorey
Silver Lake
Spencer
Tecumseh
Terra Heights
Topeka ( 1854 - )
Valencia
Wakarusa
Watson
Willard
Locality
Waveland
Township
Auburn (township) ( 1860 - )
Dover (township) ( 1867 - )
Grove (township) ( 1918 - )
Menoken (township) ( 1879 - )
Mission (township) ( 1871 - )
Monmouth (township) ( 1860 - )
Rossville (township) ( 1871 - )
Silver Lake (township) ( 1868 - )
Soldier (township) ( 1860 - )
Tecumseh (township) ( 1855 - )
Topeka (township) ( 1857 - )
Williamsport (township) ( 1860 - )


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Shawnee County (county code SN) is located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 178,909, making it the third-most populous county in Kansas. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county was one of the original 33 counties created by the first territorial legislature in 1855, and it was named for the Shawnee tribe of Native Americans.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Early history

For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

19th century

In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1855, Shawnee County was established.

Before the treaty of 1854, the Shawnee, Kansas, and Pottowatomie Indian tribes inhabited the area now known as Shawnee County. Westward expansion brought the country its first white settler in 1830 when Frederick Choteau opened a trading post on American Chief (now Mission) Creek. In 1855, Shawnee became one of the first counties established by the Kansas territorial legislature with a population of 250. General H. J. Strickler, of Tecumseh, a member of the council in 1855, and the joint committee on Counties, claimed Shawnee for the name of his county. At that time, Shawnee County borders were entirely south of the Kansas River and extended south to include Osage City and Carbondale. The legislature later desired to make Topeka the county seat and moved the borders of the county to their present locations to make Topeka centrally located in the county.

1855 also saw the first ever meeting of the Shawnee County Board of Commissioners. Tecumseh was the first county seat, and the first county courthouse was opened there in 1856. The building was 40x50 feet but was never finished. Topeka was made the county seat by popular vote in 1858, and a new courthouse was built at 4th Street and Kansas Avenue in 1867. In 1896, a new larger courthouse was constructed at 5th and Van Buren, with more than 50,000 residents then living in the county. That building remained in use until the current courthouse at 7th and Quincy opened in 1965.

Local etymologies

Concerning the origin of the names in this county, it is generally understood Shawnee County receives its name from that well known tribe of Indians.

Topeka
A good place to grow potatoes (Prairie potatoes).[1]
Wakarusa
River of big weeds.[1]
Shunganunga
The race course.[1]
Menoken
A fine growth.[1]
Half-Day Creek
Named after a Pottawatomie chief.[1]
Mission Creek
Named after an old Kaw mission on its banks.[1]
Blacksmith Creek
Named after a Kaw blacksmith shop.[1]
Soldier Creek
Its banks were a favorite camping ground for soldiers passing from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley.[1]

Timeline

Date Event Source
1855 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1855 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1856 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1858 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1859 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1860 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1870 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1894 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1860 3,513
1870 13,121
1880 29,093
1890 49,172
1900 53,727
1910 61,874
1920 69,159
1930 85,200
1940 91,247
1950 105,418
1960 141,286
1970 155,322
1980 154,916
1990 160,976

Adjacent Counties

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Shawnee County, Kansas, United States

Research Tips

Resources

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Shawnee County, Kansas. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.