Welcome to Harper County, OKGenWeb! This site is a proud member of OKGenWeb and The USGenWeb® Project, dedicated to providing free genealogical resources. We hope you will find information in this site that will help you learn more about your Harper County family history.
If you live in Harper County, or have family history in Harper County, please consider adopting this site, or contributing your family history to help make this a valuable resource for future family researchers. Contact the State Coordinator today to find out how you can help!
County Seat: Buffalo
County Government
District Court
See Places for towns past and present.
The Harper County land was originally part of the Cherokee Outlet. The land run in September 1893 opened the Cherokee Outlet for settlement. When Oklahoma prepared for statehood (November 16, 1907), Harper County was carved out of Woodward County and created on July 16, 1907. The county was named for Oscar Greene Harper, who was a resident, school teacher, and the clerk of the 1907 Oklahoma Constitutional Convention.
To learn more about the history and formation of Harper County, see The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture: Harper County on the Oklahoma Historical Society website.
Important records for Harper County include birth and death records (beginning in 1908), marriage licenses (1907), land and property records (1895), probate files (1907), court records (1907), newspapers, and cemetery records. Federal census schedules beginning in 1910 can help identify households, while earlier census records may place families in the surrounding area before statehood. Church registers, school records, obituaries, and local histories can provide additional details about family relationships and community life.
The Harper County Courthouse in Buffalo is an important starting point for original records. The County Clerk holds land records and historical school records, while the Court Clerk maintains marriage, divorce, probate, and civil court records.
For ancestors living in the area before November 1907, also search Woodward County records and historical land records. For birth and death events before 1908, use census schedules, church records, family Bibles, newspapers, cemetery inscriptions, probate files, and records related to the 1893 Cherokee Outlet Opening to establish dates and family relationships.
Page updated:
State Coordinator: Linda K. Lewis
Asst State Coordinator: Rebecca Maloney
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