Payne Family History, Genealogy & Ancestry

The Payne Family

12,889 Payne records from public death, burial and census records and the old county histories, in all 12 Midwestern states we cover. Every name is a real person in the public record, and we follow set rules to leave living people out (how).

12,889Records in our database

1826Earliest birth

1Documented families

3Biographies

See the Payne family trees →547 Payne families pieced together from public birth and death records, county histories and old newspapers

At a glance

12,889 Payne records in our database

From public death, burial and census records across 12 Midwestern states. We follow set rules to leave living people out (how). Tap a state or a decade to narrow the list of ancestors below.

Where

fewer more

When they were born

Most records: Missouri (4,072 of 12,889)
Most common birth decade: the 1910s
Earliest birth in the database: Mary Jane Payne, born 1826, Kansas

Most common first names

William322 John320 James307 Mary305 Robert237 Charles189 George182 Ruth112 Donald110 Dorothy109 Helen101 Margaret89

Documented families

Payne families we have traced

Written from county histories and public records, every fact cited. We follow set rules to leave living people out (how).

Family histories, generation by generation (1)

The Payne family of Boone CountyIowaStarts: William B. Payne (b. 1826)Most recent: Lloyd D. Payne (b. 1856)

The earliest Paynes in the county histories

James PayneBorn 1804, Knox countyChild of Joseph Payne and Polly PayneCarroll County, Missouri Henry B. PayneBorn 1810Cuyahoga County, Ohio Edwin D. PayneBorn 1818Montgomery County, Ohio Benjamin P. PayneBorn 1822Child of B. C. Payne and Harriet (Hutchison) PayneBrown County, Ohio W. H. PayneBorn 1822Summit County, Ohio Parady PayneBorn 1830Child of Thomas B. Payne and Mary (Coffman) PayneClark County, Indiana

Family trees from the public record

547 Payne families: parents, brothers and sistersFrom state birth and death indexes, county histories and old newspapers, most recent deaths first

In old newspapers

31 Payne death notices, 1837 to 1925Obituaries and funeral notices from Midwest papers scanned by the Library of Congress, with the original pages

In the county history family index

45 Payne people in 32 countiesBirth years, birthplaces, parents and spouses, from the old county histories

Biographies from the county histories (3)

Henry C. PayneBorn 1834 · Boone County, Iowa Samuel Bert PayneBorn 1854 · Boone County, Iowa Lloyd D. PayneBorn 1856 · Boone County, Iowa

Done-for-you research

Trace your documented Payne family

Found your Payne? We trace your family back as far as the records go and write it up as a family history book, every source cited. No DNA test and no sales call: we take a free first look, then email you a plan and a flat price before you spend a dollar.

Common questions

Payne genealogy: FAQ

Where were Payne ancestors recorded?

Our database holds 12,889 Payne records from all 12 Midwestern states. The most are in Missouri (4,072), then Ohio (2,086) and Illinois (1,635).

How far back does the Payne family tree go?

The earliest Payne birth in our database is 1826: Mary Jane Payne, Kansas. We have pieced together 547 Payne family trees from public birth and death records.

Are living Payne family members listed here?

Not knowingly. We follow set rules to leave living people out of our public pages. If you find a living relative listed here, email us and we will take the record down.

Is this my Payne family?

Maybe. Many people share a name, so treat any match as a possible match until the dates and places line up with what you know about your family. Every person here links to their own page with the details, and we can trace your line for you.