Online Resources
These are just a few of the online resources that I have used for research. Don’t forget to check your local libraries, historical societies, and museums for more!
Ancestry.com ($, or free access via Wichita Public Library) (genealogy research)
Cincinnati and Hamilton County Pubic Library Digital Archives
Dave Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Digital Archives of Warsaw Public Library (news articles)
Family Search (genealogy research)
Find a Grave (cemetery detail, grave detail, burial detail)
Gateway to Oklahoma History (photos)
Gilcrease Museum Online Collections (photos)
Genealogy for Kids: Building a Family Tree (thanks Ben!)
Genealogy Trails (death certificates)
General Land Office Records (land grants)
Google (general)
Gopher Records (fast military records)
Historic Preservation of Parks, Buildings, Landmarks, and Homes (thanks Ben!)
Internet Archive (books, maps, photos, general)
Kansas City Public Library, Missouri Valley Special Collections
Kansas Memory (maps, photos, Kansas history)
Mennonite Library and Archives, Bethel College
MyHeritage ($) (genealogy research)
Natural Readers ($) (reads text, generates AI voice content)
Newspapers.com ($, or free via Wichita Public Library) (general research) 35% off Newspapers.com Publisher Extra 6-month subscription
NewspaperArchive ($)
Randy Majors Research Hub (maps, township/section locater)
Researching Your Family’s History from Ships Passenger Lists (thanks Ben!)
Sedgwick County Mobile Land Records (property ownership records)
Sedgwick County Plats (original drawings)
Storied ($)
Virginia Chronicle Digital Newspaper Archive (general research)
Wichita Public Library – Local History & Genealogy (genealogy)
Wichita State University Special Collections (photos, historical documents)
Wikipedia (general)
Helpful Books
Books about Wichita can usually be purchased locally much cheaper than they can be found online. Always buy local if you can.*
Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography by Douglas Keister
Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries by Greg Melville
Peopling the Plains: Who Settled Where in Frontier Kansas by James Shortridge*
West of Wichita: Settling the High Plains of Kansas, 1865-1890 by Craig Miner*
Wichita: The Early Years, 1865-80 by Craig Miner*
Hunting and Trading on the Great Plains, 1859-1875 by James R. Mead*
Walking With the Wichita Pioneers by Barb Myers*
Soul in the Stone: Cemetery Art from America’s Heartland by John Gary Brown
The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy by Kimberly Powell
Genealogy Standards, Second Edition, Board Certification of Genealogists
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
*Check for these books at these places first before buying online