
Another type of genealogy record that provides tremendous value is tax records. Like city directories and voting registers, they provide information for us between federal censuses. They also can go back to colonial times.
Types of Taxes
- Income tax
- Federal direct tax
- Poll or head tax
- Real property, e.g., land
- Personal property, e.g., livestock, equipment, carriages, enslaved persons
- Other, such as special levies for roads, schools, etc.
Types of Information
- Date
- Residence address; property, license, or goods; value; tax amount; possibly profession, occupation, or trade
- Name of taxpayer, usually white adult males
- Town/township/city, county, and state of residence
- Owner and/or renter of the property
- Number of white adult males in the home
- Type and value of property
- Livestock owned
- Personal property owned
- Amount of tax owed
- Profession, occupation, or trade
- Number of school-aged children
- Number of enslaved persons
Derivative information, such as birth date, death date, and date of marriage can often be estimated or determined from the presence or absence of a person in a tax list.
Good primers regarding the genealogical value of tax records and more details can be found in these articles:
- The Genealogical Benefits of Tax Records
- Using Poll Tax Records for Genealogy
- Genealogy 101: Tax Records
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 1
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 2
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 3
- United States Taxation
- The Value of Using US Tax Records in Genealogy Research
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
(Updated December 2022)
Listed below are links to tax records that are available for free online for the state:
- Anderson County, Tax Lists
- Butler County, Tax Lists
- Chase County, Tax Roll,, 1860
- Decatur County, Tax Lists
- Dickinson County, Tax Rolls, 1873-1942
- Douglas County, Tax Lists
- Hiawatha Township, Assessors Ledger for 1919
- Johnson County, List of Lands in Kansas Territory, to be sold for Delinquent Taxes for the year 1859
- Kansas, Internal Revenue Lists for 1862-1866
- Manhattan, City Assessor’s Book, 1859
- Marshal County, Tax Lists
- Miami County, Tax lists
- Morris County, Tax Lists
- Osborne County, Alton City, Assessment Records, 1888-1936
- Osborne County, Bethany Township, Assessment Records, 1878-1936
- Osborne County, Bloom Township Assessment Records, 1878-1936
- Osborne County, Corinth Township, Assessment Records, 1880-1936
- Osborne County, Corinth Township, Tax Rolls, 1873-1941
- Osborne County, Covert Township, Assessment Records, 1881-1936
- Osborne County, Delhi Township, Assessment Rolls, 1880-1936
- Osborne County, Delhi, Assessment Records and Tax Rolls, 1881-1941
- Osborne County, Downs City, Assessment Records, 1888-1936
- Osborne County, Grant Township, Assessment Records, 1924-1936
- Osborne County, Hancock Township, Assessment Records, 1887-1936
- Osborne County, Hawkeye Township, Assessment Records, 1879-1936
- Osborne County, Independence Township, Assessment Records, 1880-1936
- Osborne County, Jackson Township, Assessment Records, 1880-1883
- Osborne County, Kill Creek Township, Assessment Records, 1878-1935
- Osborne County, Kill Creek Township, Tax Rolls, 1873-1941
- Osborne County, Lawrence Township, Assessment Records, 1879-1936
- Osborne County, Liberty Township Tax Rolls, 1829-1893
- Osborne County, Liberty Township, Assessment Records, 1878-1936
- Osborne County, Mt. Ayr Township, Assessment Records, 1880-1936
- Osborne County, Natoma Township, Assessment Records, 1889-1936
- Osborne County, Osborne City, Assessment Records, 1880-1936
- Osborne County, Penn Township, Assessment Records, 1876-1936
- Osborne County, Portis City, Assessment Records, 1908-1936
- Osborne County, Ross Township, Assessment Records, 1879-1934
- Osborne County, Sumner Township, Assessment Records, 1880-1936
- Osborne County, Sumner Township, Tax Rolls, 1873-1941
- Osborne County, Tax Lists
- Osborne County, Tilden Township, Assessment Records, 1878-1936
- Osborne County, Valley Township, Assessment Records, 1881-1936
- Osborne County, Victor Township, Assessment Records, 1882-1936
- Osborne County, Victor Township, Tax Rolls, 1879-1941
- Phillips County, Assessment Records, 1889-1901
- Phillips County, Tax Roll, 1876
- Pratt County, Tax Lists
- Riley County, Tax Book, 1861
- Sheridan County, Adell Township, Assessment Records, 1898-1940
- Sheridan County, Bloomfield Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1943
- Sheridan County, Bow Creek Township, Assessment Records, 1898-1941
- Sheridan County, East Saline Township, Assessment Records, 1909-1941
- Sheridan County, Hoxie Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1941
- Sheridan County, Kenneth Township, Assessment Records, 1898-1932
- Sheridan County, Logan Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1941
- Sheridan County, Moneys and Credits Assessment Records, 1929-1932
- Sheridan County, Parnell Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1941
- Sheridan County, Prairie Dog Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1941
- Sheridan County, Real Estate Assessment Rolls and Intangible Property Records, 1925-1949
- Sheridan County, Selden Township, Assessment Records, 1906-1941
- Sheridan County, Sheridan Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1932
- Sheridan County, Sheridan Township, Assessment Roll, 1912-1940
- Sheridan County, Solomon Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1941
- Sheridan County, Spring Brook Township, Assessment Records, 1896-1941
- Sheridan County, Tax Rolls, 1895-1912
- Sheridan County, Union Township, Assessment Records, 1898-1941
- Sheridan County, Valley Township, Assessment Records, 1900-1941
- Sheridan County, West Saline Township, Assessment Records, 1896-1941
- Thomas County, Colby, Tax Records, 1891-1949
- Thomas County, Tax Records, 1888-1930
- Woodson County, Partial Lists of: 1871 Tax Rolls, 1899 Property List, 1900 Tax Rolls
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