Addresses | Books | Microfilm | Newspapers | Periodicals

(This was written by the former Kingfisher County Coordinator, Rhonda Brymm.)

Note: In January 1997, I visited Kingfisher County and stopped in at Kingfisher Memorial Library. Gary Williams, who is in charge of special collections, showed me the books and microfilms available. I also visited Hennessey Public Library. Mary, the librarian there, showed me the local history room. Both of these people went out of their way to assist me in my effort to create this list of local resources.

In late June 1997 I again visited Kingfisher County and stopped at the Hennessey Clipper office, the County Courthouse, and Kingfisher City Hall. Everyone was very friendly and helpful.

If you visit Kingfisher County to research your family, be sure and visit the local libraries, as well as the museum in Kingfisher. They are well worth your time. Kingfisher has two motels (see below), numerous restaurants, a hospital, and ATM machines.

A Reminder: Since so little county information has been filmed by the LDS, long distance research can be difficult, and often requires writing to public and private entities in Kingfisher County. In order to preserve access to these records in the future, please be as thoughtful and respectful as possible in your requests, so that future researchers will enjoy the same friendly and helpful assistance.

Useful Kingfisher County Addresses

Kingfisher County Courthouse
P.O. Box 328
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-3813

Copies are $1 each. The courthouse has tax records from 1901 to present. Earlier records are reported as burnt, but I have heard they may actually have been transferred elsewhere. Land records are indexed by description (Range, Township, and Section), so if you don't know the description, you must first check the tax records to get the description, and then check the indexes, which finally, lead you to the deed books. Birth and Death records are not available at the courthouse. They are maintained by the state. Researcher Mary H. writes: "The ladies there are very helpful and nice."

Kingfisher Cemetery Department
Telephone: (405) 375-4223
Kingfisher City Hall maintains a computer database of burials in Kingfisher Cemetery, however they do not necessarily have the associated dates.

Kingfisher Memorial Library
505 W. Will Rogers
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-3384

This is a very nice library with a wonderful microfilm reader printer. Microfilm copies are 10 cents.

Hennessey Public Library (in Town Hall Building)
25 S. Main
Hennessey, OK 73742

Hennessey Library has a rare book room worth seeing. Researcher Mary H. writes: "In the town hall is a large diagram of Hennessey Cemetery. I was told not everyone's name is on it."

Kingfisher Times and Free Press Newspaper
323 N. Main
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-3220

Est. 1889 Oklahoma's oldest continually published paper.

Hennessey Clipper Newspaper
117 S. Main
Hennessey, OK 73742
Telephone: (405) 853-4888

Closed on Thursdays. The newspaper office has microfilm of many issues back to the 1890's. They have a very old microfilm reader printer available, and copies are 10 cents.

Sander's Funeral Service, Inc.
124 E. Broadway
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-4131

This Kingfisher funeral home has been in business since 1899.

Kingfisher Monument Company
322 1/2 W. Broadway
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-5109

I have heard they maintain records of some burials in local cemeteries.

Cordry-Gritz Funeral Home
500 S. Main
Hennessey, OK 73742
Telephone: (405) 853-2364

This is Hennessey's funeral home. Their early records are arranged in a handwritten ledger by date, and may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Date of death
  • Cause of death
  • Place of burial
  • Age or Birthdate

Researcher Mary H. writes: "I scooted across to the funeral home, and searched for funeral records and by pure fortune, found the record for my ancestor's husband."

IOOF Grand Lodge
123 N. Main
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-3167

Many early settlers were members of fraternal organizations.

Masonic Temple
1605 S. Main
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone (405) 375-3472

Perhaps your ancestor was a Mason.

Chisholm Trail Museum
605 Zellers Ave.
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-5176

Kingfisher Chamber of Commerce
Memorial Hall
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-4445

Cattleman's Inn
224 W. Broadway
Kingfisher, OK 73750
Telephone: (405) 375-3181

This small local motel has been in business for a long time. Rooms were $29 per night when I visited. Located one block west of the courthouse.

Payless Inn
Telephone: (405) 375-9000

This new motel is on the highway south of downtown. It looked very nice, but had no vacancy when I checked. Researcher Mary H. writes: "Checked into the PayLess Inn in Kingfisher (found a place by calling the Chamber of Commerce) as its a new place and not listed yet in phone directory or on line. Anyways, clean and reasonable. The room was a little small but I was happy just being there."

Books and Where to Find Them

KF - Kingfisher Memorial Library
H - Hennessey Public Library
LDS - Available on microfilm throught the LDS Family History Library

  • Pioneers of Kingfisher County 1889-1976 by the Kingfisher County Historical Society pub. 1976 (KF, H)
  • 75th Anniversary Edition of the Kingfisher Free Press 1964 (KF)
  • Kingfisher Panorama by the Kingfisher Free Press 1957 (KF, H)
  • Old and New Calvary Catholic Cemetery of Hennessey by Georgianna Taborsky compiled 1989 (looseleaf binder of cemetery records and obituaries) (KF)
  • Lyon Valley Cemetery in Kingfisher County by Doris Schulz (looseleaf folder) (KF)
  • Misc. Records of Columbia Township Kingfisher County Oklahoma by the DAR (KF, LDS)
  • 1941 County Directory (a phone book, basically) (KF)
  • 1906 Kingfisher County Atlas (includes landowner maps & some photos) (KF, H)
  • On the Banks of Turkey Creek by Martha Toot (Reminisces of Dover) (KF)
  • Run of '89 Souvenir Anniversary Program (H, LDS)

Microfilm

Unfortunately for the long distance researcher, the LDS Family History Library Catalog has filmed very little for Kingfisher County. Here is a partial list of available records:

Newspapers

These Kingfisher County Newspapers are available on microfilm at the Kingfisher Memorial Library. You might be able to borrow some of these on Interlibrary loan from the Kansas State Historical Society or other institutions. The Oklahoma State Historical Society has extensive holdings for additional years, but doesn't participate in InterLibrary Loan. The last time I checked, they charged $15 to research and copy an obituary.

More about Newspaper Research

  • Cashion Advance 1901-1908
  • Cashion Citizen 1909
  • Cashion Independent 1908-1939
  • Cherokee Chieftan 1893
  • Dover News 1904-1918
  • Dover Times 1894
  • Downs Democrat 1894-1897
  • Hennessey Clipper 1892-1895
  • Hennessey Democrat 1893-1895
  • Hennessey Eagle 1901-1905
  • Hennessey Kicker 1896-1899
  • Hennessey Press 1894-1895
  • Hennessey Press Democrat 1912-1914
  • Kiel Herald 1909-1910
  • Kiel Press 1900-1904
  • Kiel Record 1915-1916
  • Kingfisher County News 1927
  • Kingfisher Daily Free Press 1913-1923
  • Kingfisher Daily Midget 1908-1913
  • Kingfisher Daily Star 1902-1907
  • Kingfisher Daily Times 1892-1922
  • Kingfisher Free Press 1891-1908, 1947-1949
  • Kingfisher Journal 1893-1893
  • Kingfisher Midget 1908
  • Kingfisher Reformer 1893-1903, 1905
  • Kingfisher Times 1892-1916, 1925-1933, 1936-1960
  • Kingfisher Weekly Free Press 1916-1920, 1924-1935, 1937-1946, 1950-1961
  • Kingfisher Weekly Star & Free Press 1909-1915
  • Kingfisher Weekly Star 1905
  • Kingfisher Weekly Times 1916-1918, 1924-1925
  • Oklahoma Pilot 1904
  • Press Democrat 1895-1911
  • Reformer (Kingfisher) 1904
  • Tenant Farmer 1912-1915

Periodicals

Cemetery Records

This is a partial list of articles about Kingfisher County in Genealogical Periodicals. Check with your local genealogical library for copies of these issues, or order copies of the articles from Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Notice of special offer: In order to provide a greater number of lookups and online information, I'm making this offer (I hope) you can't refuse: If you have a copy of any article below that I don't have, I will send you a copy of any article I do have in exchange. E-mail me at brymm@flash.net for details!

  • "Cimarron Valley Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 1 No. 2 Mar 1956
  • "Grimes Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 1 No. 2 Mar 1956
  • "Mt. Zion Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 1 No. 4 Sep 1956
  • "Spring Creek Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 2 No. 4 Dec 1957
  • "Mt. Pisgah Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 15 No. 1 Mar 1970 (I have a copy)
  • "OakVale/Rigdon Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 25 No. 3 Sep 1980 (I have a copy)
  • "Maple Grove Cemetery" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 39 No. 3 1994
  • "Grimes Cemetery Plot Map and Lot Owners" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 39 No. 4 1984 (I have a copy)
  • "Lacey Cemetery" Tulsa Annals Vol. 5 No. 1 Jan 1970 (I have a copy)

Naturalization Records

  • "Partial Index to Naturalization Records" Garfield County Roots and Branches Vol. 7 No. 3 Summer 1984

Newspaper Records

  • "Reformer News Excerpts 1898-1900" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 30 No. 1 1985 (I have a copy)
  • "Reformer News Excerpts 1900-1901" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 30 No. 2 1985 (I have a copy)

School Records

  • "School Enumeration Report 1900-1909" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 22 No. 2 Jun 1977 (I have a copy)

Other Records

  • "German Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Association 1899" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 21 No. 2 Jun 1976 (I have a copy)
  • "Early Residents" Tulsa Annals Vol. 4 No. 3 Sep 1969 (I have a copy)
  • "Train Derailment near Dover 1906" Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 34 No. 2 1989
  • "Cherokee Rain-Making Train, Hennessey, 1872" Arkansas Railroader Vol. 27 No. 2 Feb 1996

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Thanks Mary H., for your contributions to this page!

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