Kansas Historical Society connects thousands to their family history

KANSAS (KSNT) – The Kansas Historical Society is celebrating American Archives Month by connecting thousands of people to their family history.

Since 2006, American Archives Month has given archivists across the country an opportunity to tell the stories of items and information preserved in state archives. This, combined with Family History Month,

has created a very busy month for archivists and researchers at the Kansas Historical Society.

“We help genealogy researchers almost daily here at the archives,” said State Archivist Megan Burton. “Genealogists and family history research make up the majority of in-person researchers that visit us. We typically see about 2,500 to 3,000 research requests by phone or email every year, and I would say that at least a third of those are related to genealogy. That’s probably a really conservative estimate.”

Archivists like Burton spend their time collecting, preserving and providing access to the government record of Kansas, going as far back as 1855. She works with all executive branches of the Kansas government, all 105 counties and every city and municipality to offer support for records management. Her staff proves in-person training and consultation services to help agencies manage their records and establish records retention schedules, which are required to be in compliance with Kansas records laws.

“Beyond that, I help the Head of Reference Services, Adam Hodge, with research room operations, do outreach programs across the state (and sometimes beyond), and promote all our collections here in the archives,” said Burton. “We have a section within our State Archives Division devoted to special collections, which include the records, papers, photos and other materials of private individuals, businesses and groups. Our collections are diverse and provide excellent resources related to the rich history of Kansas.”

Burton wants the public to know that archives are for everyone. While her work may appear more academic in nature, she and her office can help anyone make a connection to anything related to Kansas history, and she encourages anyone interested to visit in-person, or make an online appointment to see what they have to offer.

The Kansas Historical Society recently created this genealogical research guide, if you or your family are interested in uncovering family history in the state.

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