Norton County Resources
Abernathy, Charles. Devizes. Newell, IA: Bireline Publishing Co., ©1982. 86 p.
A short history of Devizes and the Abernathy family. NO INDEX
Almena Community Chamber of Commerce. Treasure the Memories: Almena, Kansas Centennial, 1893 – 1993. 464 p. NO INDEX Community endeavor containing early history, towns, churches, schools, cemeteries, businesses and more. Last 200 pages are family biographies.
Area Phone Book, Oct. 98-99
includes Norton, Phillispburg, Oberlin,Smith Center, Almena, Kirwin, Glade, Norcatur, Agra, Alma NE, Athol, Dresden, Edmond, Gaylord, Jennings, Kensington, Lenora, Logan, Long Island, Prairie View, Woodruff
Atlas of Norton County, Kansas. ©1972, Overland Cartographers, Grand Island,
Nebraska. unp. NO INDEX Contains alphabetical rural directory, histories of churches, brief family histories, photos.
Baughman, Robert W. Kansas Post Offices: May 29, 1828 – August 3, 1961 ©1961, Kansas Postal History Society, Topeka, Kansas. 256 p. Listings of Post Offices and First Postmasters for Kansas.
Blue, John S. History & Tales of a Pioneer. ©1980, Jasper County Abstract Company, Rensselaer, Indiana. 194 p. NO INDEX Historical narrative of the Blue family, who settled on Jones Creek in Rock Branch Township in 1878. 4 of the 30 chapters reference Norton County.
Bowers, D. N. Seventy Years in Norton County, Kansas, 1872 – 1942. ©1942, Norton County Champion, Norton, Kansas 238 p. Written and compiled from the records, newspaper files and personal interviews. Special articles contributed by local writers.
Boyd, Mrs. Frank W (Mamie). Rode a Heifer Calf Through College. ©1972, Pageant-Poseidon, Ltd., Brooklyn, NY. 253 p. NO INDEX Autobiography of Mamie Alexander Boyd, journalist and co-editor of the Phillips County Post and Jewell County Record.
Cameron, Roderick. Pioneer Days in Kansas. ©1951, Cameron Book Company, Belleville, Kansas. 145 p. NO INDEX Factual narrative of the Cameron family pioneer experience in the Prairie Dog Valley near the Norton Decatur county line.
Darling, Kenneth P. Norton, Kansas Cemetery. ©1982, Still’s Bookbindery, Houston, TX. 149 p. Available on microfilm from Family History Libraries.
Dieterich, Virgil C. A Story of Lenora, Kansas, 1873 – 1974 76 p. NO INDEX
Contains history, selected items from the newspapers, chronology of events, pioneer recollections and photos. Other communities included are Edmond and New Almelo
Ford, Don L. Abandoned and Semi-Active Cemeteries of Kansas, Volume II. ©1985, Higginson Books, Salem, Massachusetts Index to burials in Kansas cemeteries.
Grimes, Janice Brown. A Different World : Almena, Kansas, 1930-39. ©1998, Brandylane Publishers, White Stone, Virginia NO INDEX Novel about the Dust Bowl days in Kansas. Contains some factual information about events and people.
Lathrop, Amy. Tales of Western Kansas. ©1948, LaRue Printing Co., Kansas City, Missouri. NO INDEX A collection of stories the old settlers told.
Lockard, F.M. History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas. ©1894, Norton County Champion, Norton, Kansas. Contains a history of early county events including the organization of the county and the resulting county seat battle, brief biographies of many early settlers and the story the pursuit and capture of Black Kettle, a wild horse.
Merriam, Daniel and Goebel, Edward D. The Geology of the Norton Oil Field, Norton County, Kansas. 1954, Kansas Geology Survey Bulletin 109, Part 9, Lawrence, Kansas.
Miner, Craig. West of Wichita : Settling the High Plains of Kansas, 1865-1890. ©1986, University of Kansas Press, Lawrence, Kansas. NO INDEX
Norton Centennial Historical Committee; Mrs. Gilman Bishop,Chairman. From a Covered Wagon Ride to Community Pride: Norton Centennial, 1872-1972. ©1972? 100 p. NO INDEX Souvenir edition prepared for Norton Centennial Celebration, July 16 – 22, 1972.
Norton County News Historical Edition, 1870 – 1916. October 1916. Norton County News, Norton, Kansas. NO INDEX Contains historical sketches of Norton County towns, first events in the county, plus brief biographical sketches of residents.
Norton County’s 125th Anniversary Special Edition. 24 July 1997, Norton Daily Telegram, Norton County, Kansas. NO INDEX Contains excerpts from some of the aforementioned books & newspapers, plus recollections of some older citizens and historical photos.
Presbyterian Church (Norton, Kansas). Session Minutes, 1874-1913. Microfilm of original records at the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, PA. Available from Family History Libraries.
Russ, Walta. The Times of Edmond, Kansas & Some Densmore. ©1999, Pro Printers, Norton, Kansas. Partially indexed. Obituaries, newspaper extracts, history of the Edmond area
Temple, Ron, ed. A Time to Remember…Norcatur, Kansas, 1976. ©1976. 108 p. NO INDEX A community effort for the Bi-Centennial Celebration includes early history, photos, overview of town history, organizations, businesses, churches and more.
Temple, Ron & Schulze, Sharon, co-editors. Norcatur Centennial, 1886 – 1986. ©1986, Wilson Carter Printers, Norton, Kansas. 353 p. NO INDEX Not intended to be a sequel to the Norcatur Bi-Centennial book, but an expansion. Contains more photos, family biographies, in-depth school information, cemetery info, etc.
Wells, William M. The Desert’s Hidden Wealth. Privately printed. ©1934. NO INDEX William Wells was a settler first in Doniphan County, KS; moved to 3 1/2 miles east of Logan in Phillips County in 1872, then in 1878 homesteaded 15 miles northeast of Hill City near the defunct town of Roscoe in Graham County. He was a member of the Kansas State Legislature in 1907. This is his recollection of early Phillips, Norton and Graham counties.
Western Cartographers. Norton County Kansas: County Plat Ownership Maps. 1999, South Sioux City, Nebraska NO INDEX
Cemetery Indexes for Almena area cemeteries.
Mt. Hope Cemetery
Mt. Olive Cemetery
Calvert or Bieber Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery
Farmingdale Cemetery
Sheley Cemetery
Tellesen Carlson Cemetery
Zellmer Cemetery
Cemetery Indexes for Densmore area cemeteries
(includes ALL legible information on stone)
Calvary Cemetery (Catholic) aka Mt. Calvary or St. Mary’s
Yearbooks from Densmore Rural High School
1946-47, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965