Index of Landowners from the
1917
County land ownership maps and atlases, often called plat maps or plat books, began to appear in the eastern United States around 1850. Produced by commercial publishers, these maps identified local landowners and provided information about the topographic and cultural features of a county. Plat maps and atlases were compiled from local land records supplemented by the mapmakers' own surveys.
After the Civil War, the county atlas became more popular, though wall maps continued to be published. Atlases were smaller, easier to handle, and allowed the addition of many more profitable features for the publishers. Such features included lists of patrons, biographical sketches and portraits of local landowners, illustrations of farms and businesses, and city maps. These embellishments supplemented the all-important township maps, which showed the boundaries and acreage of farms, locations of churches, cemeteries, schools, quarries, cheese factories and other businesses. The township maps also showed roads and railways, and topographical features such as rivers, lakes, marshlands, and hills.
This index includes all surnames from the 25 townships in Norton County. Any errors in spelling that existed in the atlas were carried over to this surname index, so be sure to check alternate spellings. Please keep in mind that we try very hard to put accurate information on these pages, but errors do sneak in sometimes. If you find an error or omission, please let us know. The 1917 Atlas of Norton County Kansas is available online at ancestry.com, as black and white images, which are not searchable. This index will assist you in finding the exact location where your ancestors lived in the county.
Surnames
If you would then like a copy of the land deed or to find out more information such as who your ancestor bought the land from or when they sold it, you can contact Walta Russ, researcher for the society to get copies from the Norton Courthouse for a research fee.
Section Divisions |
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To the right is one section from the township T1S-R2E above . Within each section, land may be referred to as half sections, quarter sections, or quarter of a quarter section. (A one-sixteenth division is called a quarter of a quarter as in the NW1/4 of the NW1/4 in the example to the right.) 1/4 section = 160 acres 1/2 section = 320 acres 1 section = 640 acres |
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©2006 by Norton County Genealogical Society
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Last updated Saturday, September 13, 2008