Missouri County Listings - County records are retained at the local county level. Note that in Missouri all marriage records are held by the recorder of deeds, even though they are listed here with other vital records sources. The year given is the earliest recorded, but there was no official requirement until 1881. Those birth and death records which do exist before statewide recording began in 1909 are held at the clerk of the county court in the county seat.
Dates given are the earliest one for which records are held in a particular category. The researcher should be aware this does not mean all records in that category are extant. For instance, there may be letters of administrations for a county as early as 1833, but the guardianships may not begin until 1845. Neither are all the early records indexed.
Correspondence may be addressed to the recorder of deeds, probate clerk, clerk of the circuit court, or clerk of the county court at the county courthouse as indicated below. Choose from the counties below to view the county information.
If you Cannot use, activate or see the map below then use the County Selection Table to select a County
Missouri State History - Missouri, state in the central United States. Missouri is bordered on the north by Iowa, on the west by Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, on the south by Arkansas, and on the east by the Mississippi River, which separates it from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. The name of the state is taken from the Missouri River and is an Algonquian name for a group that lived near the mouth of the river. The state’s most famous city, St. Louis, lies near the convergence of two great inland water routes, the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers. Jefferson City is Missouri’s capital. Kansas City is the largest city. The Official State website is at http://www.state.mo.us/
Located in the geographic heart of the nation, Missouri is one of the foremost agricultural states in the country and is one of the most important manufacturing states in the Midwest. Midwestern in its grain and cornfields, Southern in its cotton fields, Western in its cattle raising, and Eastern in its manufacturing, Missouri is today more than ever the Center State, as it is sometimes known, and a major transportation crossroads.
When it was admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821, Missouri was the nation’s western frontier. Soon, however, it became known as the Gateway to the West, because of the great overland routes that led from Missouri to California and Oregon. Still another nickname was added to the list in 1899, when Congressman Willard D. Vandiver said: “I come from a country that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I’m from Missouri. You’ve got to show me.” After that, Missouri became known as the Show Me State.
Missouri became the twenty-fourth state with its admission to the Union on 10 August 1821. Its central location, navigable waterways and variable terrain attracted settlers from every part of the country as well as from abroad. Missouri was settled by people from New England, the Ohio Valley, the Appalachian region, and the upper South, as well as from Germany and other European nations.
Four major migrations influenced Missouri's settlement. The first began during the Spanish and French control when each encouraged American settlement due to their fear of British encroachment. A colony came with Colonel George Morgan and settled near New Madrid. This is known as the first distinctly American settlement. In 1797 Moses Austin helped develop a sizeable settlement at Mine a Breton, and in 1798 Daniel Boone was offered 1,000 arpents of land if he would move to Missouri and bring new settlers with him. This group settled in 1798 in what is now the area of St. Charles County. That same year a group of German-Swiss from North Carolina settled near the Whitewater Creek bottoms in present-day Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties.
The second wave of settlers came with the acquisition of the territory by the United States in 1803. The population of the state grew from 10,000 people in 1804, to over 65,680 by 1821 when the state was admitted to the Union. During this time period, boundaries were changing rapidly, and the researcher will find it necessary to follow these changes in order to locate required records.
The third major wave was between 1820 through 1860 when the Ohio-Mississippi-Missouri river system and the extension of the Cumberland Road to the Mississippi River brought thousands of immigrants from the upper South and lower Midwest into Missouri, pushing the frontier to the Kansas border. Kentucky contributed the largest number of settlers during this period, followed by Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The mountaineers from middle or east Tennessee and North Carolina were especially attracted to the Ozarks. Many of the Missouri and Mississippi river settlements were established by Southerners who maintained their political sympathies, slavery and Democratic politics. They settled along the Mississippi River well north of St. Louis and across the Missouri Valley. Kentucky contributed a large proportion of settlers to the middle prairie regions, while the people from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois concentrated along the northern border and the Mississippi River. During this period, Germany also contributed a large number of settlers who settled in St. Louis and along the river counties west.
Much of the land purchased during this period was through the federal land offices located in strategic positions throughout the state. The first land offices were established in 1818 at Jackson, Franklin and St. Louis.
Immigration, for all intents and purposes, came to a stand-still during the Civil War; but with peace, the fourth wave of settlers arrived. With the help of the railroads, Europeans as well as pioneers from the prairie states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa provided the major portion of newcomers. Northerners outnumbered Southerners nearly two to one. They occupied most of the remaining land north of the Missouri River, along the Kansas border, and along the Osage and Springfield plains. During this period the cities of St. Louis, Kansas City, Joplin, Springfield, and Jefferson City also grew rapidly. By 1890 the population of Missouri had reached 2,679,185.
1673 During their voyage down the Mississippi River, Father Jacques
Marquette and Louis Joliet were the first Europeans to set
foot on land that would later become Missouri
1682 Explorer Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle took possession
of the Louisiana Territory area for France (Apr. 9)
1724 Fort Orleans built on the north bank of the Missouri River
by Etienne de Bourgmont in today’s Carroll County; it
was abandoned six years later
1750 Approximate date of the founding of Ste. Genevieve, the first
permanent white settlement
1762 Spain gained control of the Louisiana Territory in the Treaty
of Fontainebleau (Nov. 13)
1764 City of St. Louis was founded by Pierre Laclede Liguest (Feb.
15)
1769 City of St. Charles was established by Louis Blanchette as
a trading post
1770 The Spanish government officially assumed control of the Territory
of Louisiana (May 20)
1773 Mine au Breton (later Potosi) founded
1789 Colonel George Morgan established the city of New Madrid (Feb.
14)
1793 Louis Lorimer received trading privileges and authority to
establish a post at Cape Girardeau (Jan. 4)
1798 Lieutenant Governor Zenon Trudeau of the Spanish government
offered Daniel Boone 1000 arpents to settle in the Louisiana
Territory.
1800 Moses Austin made the first sheet lead and cannonballs manufactured
in Missouri; Spain returned the Louisiana Territory to France
(Oct. 30)
Fort Osage
1803 The Louisiana Purchase was signed (Apr. 30)
1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition set out from St. Louis (May
21)
1805 The Territory of Louisiana was established; the seat of government
was St. Louis (Mar. 3)
1808 The city of Ste. Genevieve was incorporated (June 18); Joseph
Charless founded the first newspaper in Missouri, the "Missouri
Gazette"; Fort Osage was established on the Missouri
River
1809 The Missouri Fur Company was organized in St. Louis. The abundance
of animal pelts in the Mississippi Valley region played a
key role in the development of the Upper Louisiana territory.
Prominent members of the Company included fur trader Manuel
Lisa, Auguste and Pierre Chouteau, and William Clark
1811 The first shocks of the New Madrid earthquakes, the worst
in US history, occurred (Dec. 16)
1812 A portion of the Territory of Louisiana became the Territory
of Missouri (June 4); The first general assembly of the Territory
of Missouri met (Oct. 1); the five original counties were
organized: Cape Girardeau, New Madrid, St. Charles, St. Louis,
and Ste. Genevieve
1816 Mid-Missouri’s first circuit court opened at Cole’s
Fort (July 8)
1817 The steamboat Zebulon M. Pike reached St. Louis, the first
steamboat to navigate the Mississippi River above the mouth
of the Ohio River (Aug. 2)
1818 The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives presented
the first petition to Congress from Missouri requesting statehood
(Jan. 8)
1820 The Missouri statehood controversy became a national issue
as the issue of slavery was debated. The "Missouri Compromise"
allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine
as a free state, thus keeping the balance of slave and free
states equal in Congress. Although Missouri was allowed to
enter as a slave state, the remaining portion of the Louisiana
Purchase area north of the 36° 30¢ line was to be
forever free of slavery; Missouri’s Enabling Act was
passed and approved by President James Monroe (Mar. 6)
Governor Alexander McNair; Missouri’s first Constitution
was adopted (July 19); Missouri’s first state elections
were held and Alexander McNair was elected Missouri’s
first governor (Aug. 28); Missouri's first General Assembly
began its first session at the Missouri Hotel in St. Louis
(Sept. 18)
1821 President James Monroe admitted Missouri as the 24th state;
the state capitol was located in St. Charles until a permanent
location was designated (Aug. 10); The Santa Fe Trail was
opened by William Becknell’s successful trading expeditions
to Santa Fe (Sept. 1); Governor Alexander McNair signed the
bill designating the site for the City of Jefferson (Dec.
31)
1822 A bill to create the Missouri State Seal was adopted (Jan.
11)
1825 William Beaumont began research observing the human digestive
system (Aug. 1)
1826 Jefferson City was designated Missouri’s permanent seat
of government; all state records, equipment, and the Great
Seal were moved to Jefferson City on October 1st.
1829 Missouri State Library established by law (Jan. 22)
1835 Writer Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) was born in Florida,
Missouri (November 30)
1836 Missouri State Penitentiary received its first prisoner (Mar.
8)
1837 President Martin Van Buren issued a proclamation which completed
the annexation of the Platte Purchase area to Missouri, establishing
the northwestern border of the state (Mar. 28)
The Gregory School, Bollinger Co, Mo. 1916; Missouri’s
first capitol in Jefferson City was destroyed by fire (Nov.
15)
1838 Governor Lilburn Boggs issued the "Extermination Order"
against Mormons living in Missouri, demanding that members
of the Mormon church leave the state (Oct. 27)
1839 The Geyer Act, the foundation of Missouri’s public school
system, was approved (Feb. 9)
1841 The University of Missouri, the first state university west
of the Mississippi River, opened (Apr. 14)
1843 Joseph Robidoux filed a plat of a town which he called St.
Joseph (July 26); Susan Elizabeth Blow, founder of the public
kindergarten movement, was born in St. Louis (June 7)
1847 Legislation was enacted to establish a hospital for care and
treatment of the insane; State Hospital No. 1 was established
in Fulton and began receiving patients in 1851; Boatmen’s
Bank, the oldest bank west of the Mississippi River, was established
(Oct. 18); St. Louis was connected to the East Coast by telegraph
(Dec. 20)
1849 U.S. Senator David Rice Atchison, from Missouri, was President
for a day (Mar. 4); With the discovery of gold in California,
the Missouri towns of St. Louis, Independence, Westport, and
St. Joseph became points of departure for emigrants bound
for California, making Missouri the "Gateway to the West";
The second, and most serious, cholera epidemic struck St.
Louis; over 4000 people died
1850 The town of Kansas (later Kansas City) was incorporated (Feb.
4); Poet Eugene Field was born in St. Louis (Sept. 3)
1851 Groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of the Pacific
Railroad were held in St. Louis; the line was to go from St.
Louis to Jefferson City and then to some point on the western
boundary (July 4)
Missouri Botanical Gardens
1854 President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act,
allowing the notion of "popular sovereignty" in
determining if a territory would be a slave state or a free
state. This act set the stage for the violent Kansas-Missouri
border wars where the Missouri "Border Ruffians"
and the Kansas "Jayhawkers" transformed a frontier
quarrel over slavery’s borders into a national issue
(May 30)
1857 The Dred Scott decision was handed down by U.S. Chief Justice
Roger B. Taney; the case originated in St. Louis. Under Missouri
statutes, in 1846 Scott was allowed to sue for his freedom
from slavery based on the fact that he had previously lived
in a free territory (Wisconsin) before his return to the slave
state of Missouri (Mar. 6); Work began on the Missouri Botanical
Gardens in St. Louis, established by Henry Shaw
1860 The short-lived Pony Express started its first run from St.
Joseph to Sacramento, California (Apr. 3)
1861 The Battle of Wilson’s Creek resulted in a Union retreat
and southwestern Missouri was left in Confederate hands until
the Battle of Pea Ridge (Aug. 10); President Abraham Lincoln
revoked John Fremont’s emancipation proclamation for
Missouri (Sept. 11)
Lincoln University, c1900; Missouri’s "Rebel Legislature"
adopted an Act of Secession (Oct. 28)
1862 In a three-day battle at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, the Union Army
forced the Confederates, excluding the state guard from Missouri,
to retreat; this battle effectively ended the threat of Confederate
military control in Missouri (Mar. 6-8)
1863 William Clarke Quantrill and his band of pro-Southern guerillas
raided the pro-Union town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing nearly
150 men and boys. This attack served to avenge the imprisonment
of their wives, mothers, and sisters in Kansas City (Aug.
21); Brigadier General Thomas Ewing issued General Order No.
11, requiring all people living in Jackson, Cass, Bates, and
northern Vernon counties to vacate the area unless their loyalty
to the Union could be proven (Aug. 25)
1864 George Washington Carver born near Diamond, Missouri
1865 Slavery was abolished in Missouri by an ordinance of immediate
emancipation, making Missouri the first slave state to emancipate
its slaves before the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the
US Constitution (Jan. 11); Missouri’s second Constitution
(Drake Constitution) was adopted. A group of politicians,
known as "Radicals," favored emancipation of slaves
and disfranchisement of persons who were sympathetic to the
Confederacy during the Civil War. The Radicals included an
"Ironclad Oath" in the new constitution to exclude
former Confederate sympathizers from the vote and certain
occupations, severely limiting their civil rights (Apr. 10)
1866 Lincoln Institute (later Lincoln University) was incorporated
(Apr. 6) as an institution for black students in Missouri;
The Missouri Historical Society was organized in St. Louis
(Aug. 11)
1867 The Missouri Woman’s Suffrage Club was organized in
St. Louis; the sole purpose of this organization was the political
enfranchisement of women, the first such organization in the
United States (May 8)
1868 Ragtime composer Scott Joplin was born in Sedalia, Missouri
(Nov. 24)
1870 M. Lemma Barkeloo was the first woman lawyer in Missouri (St.
Louis); She was the first woman trial lawyer in the United
States, and the first woman lawyer to try a case in federal
court.
1871 Phoebe W. Couzins of St. Louis became Missouri's first woman
law school graduate when she graduated from the Washington
University Law Department (May 8) Couzins later became the
nation's first Woman U.S. Marshal in 1887
1872 Governor B. Gratz Brown and family moved into the newly completed
Governor’s Mansion (Jan. 20)
Eads Bridge, St. Louis, Mo.
1873 The Missouri Supreme Court upheld a decision by the St. Louis
Circuit Court, denying Virginia Minor the right to register
to vote; Susan Blow opened the first public kindergarten in
the United States in St. Louis
1874 The first train robbery by the James Gang took place at Gads
Hill (Jan. 31); The Eads Bridge, spanning the Mississippi
River, was opened in St. Louis (July 4)
1875 Grasshopper plague in Missouri caused an estimated $15 million
worth of damages; Missouri’s third Constitution was
adopted (Oct. 30)
1881 Governor Thomas Crittenden offered a $5000 reward for the
arrest and conviction of members of the Jesse James gang (July
28)
1882 Jesse James was killed by Bob Ford in St. Joseph (Apr. 3)
1891 St. Louis’ Wainwright Building, one of America’s
first skyscrapers, was designed by Louis Sullivan.
1894 The American School of Osteopathy was incorporated by Dr.
Andrew Taylor Still in Kirksville (Oct. 30)
1898 Volunteers for the Spanish-American War began arriving in
St. Louis (May 4)
1899 The State Historical Society of Missouri was incorporated
in Columbia (Mar. 9)
Missouri Discontinued Counties - This section provides an list of Missouri counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states.
Missouri Burned Courthouses - The destruction of courthouses greatly affects genealogists in every way. No only are these historic structures torn from our lives, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are lost forever. Even if they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most heartbreaking side of this is the fact that many of our courthouses are destroyed at the hands of arsonist. However, not all records were lost.
Below is a list of Missouri Counties and the years the Courthouses were subjected to a disaster. This does NOT mean that ALL RECORDS were lost. Often, folks took their documents again in for recording after a disaster and later deeds will contain long chains of title, etc.
Bates County - Courthouse burned in 1861, some records destroyed
Bollinger County - The courthouse burned in 1866 and 1884
Barton County - Courthouse burned in November 1862
Caldwell County - Fire consumed most county records when suspected arsonists set the courthouse ablaze April 19, 1860. On November 28, 1896, fire once again consumed the Caldwell County courthouse.
Cape Girardeau County - Courthouse was destroyed by fire July 18, 1870
Crawford County - Courthouse burned February 15, 1873, and again on January 5, 1884.
Chariton County - A fire in the clerk's office, apart from the courthouse, destroyed all County Court records November 11, 1861, and fires set by Confederates on September 20, 1864, destroyed the courthouse. The brick courthouse, painted white in 1969, was destroyed by fire August 27, 1973, during a renovation project.
Christian County - Arsonists destroyed the building and all court records on August 20, 1865.
Dade County - The courthouse was destroyed in the Civil War, October 6, 1863. Some records were destroyed
Dallas County - Confederate troops burned the building October 18, 1863. Fire also destroyed two subsequent emergency quarters during 1864 and 1867, consuming most county records.
Dent County - Courthouse burned in 1864 The next courthouse, built in 1864, also fell victim to fire in May 1866. The fire destroyed county records.
DeKalb County - The Courthouse was destroyed by fire on Christmas night in 1878. Some early records were destroyed.
Douglas County - Vandals burned the Militia Springs courthouse, destroying many records in July 1872. On April 26, 1886 the store building used for courthouse purposes was destroyed by fire, and again all records were destroyed.
Dunklin County - Fire destroyed this courthouse during the Civil War. Courthouse burned again in April 1872; this was the fire that destroyed all records.
Gentry County - The Courthouse was destroyed by windstorm on July 13, 1883. Some Early records lost.
Greene County - A fire that destroyed the Courthouse on October 28, 1861
Harrison County - Fire destroyed the Courthouse January 7, 1874.
Hickory County - Fire destroyed the courthouse in 1852. A storm damaged part of the roof and upper story in April 1879; fire destroyed the building January 8, 1881. The 2 courthouse fires destroyed many records.
Holt County - Courthouse Fire in February 1965. Records saved.
Howard County - Fire destroyed the courthouse December 1, 1886. No recorde were lost.
Howell County - In the fall of 1863, guerrillas burned West Plains and the Courthouse. Most records were destroyed. The county reorganized in 1866.
Jasper County - Courthouse was destroyed by fire in October 1863. County records were saved by moving themto Neosho, Missouri
Knox County - fire destroyed the courthouse on Christmas Eve 1885. No records were destroyed
McDonald County - In 1856 a log courthouse, reportedly built in Rutledge, was demolished by Rioters. Bushwackers burned the courthouse in 1863, destroying most records; Deeds before 1863 recreated.
Mercer County - Fire destroyed the Courthouse March 24, 1898. Some Records were destroyed.
Morgan County - Courthouse burned in the general town fire of March 12th, 1887.
Mississippi County - Courthouse reportedly burned in 1891, Record loss unknown. The Courthouse burned, Monday, Feb. 10, 1997. Extensive damage done to records. Record loss is unknown at this time.
Maries County - A fire, believed to have been set intentionally, destroyed the courthouse and most records November 6, 1868
Montgomery County - Damaged by fire in the Civil War, the Courtgouse was later razed; The Courthouse burned April 12, 1901, destroying many county records. Copies of early original deds are in Jones Abstract Company in Montgomery City
Newton County - Courthouse burned in 1862, destroying many county records.
Oregon County - In October 1863 this courthouse was burned in a Civil War incident, destroying many county records.
Osage County - A fire on November 14, 1880, damaged the courthouse. Fire destroyed the courthouse October 30, 1922.
Ozark County - Courthouse destroyed by fire in 1858 or 1859, all early records were destroyed. 2nd Courthouse destroyed by fire sometime before February 1864., some records were lost. 3rd Courthouse destroyed by fire November 28, 1934.
Pemiscot County - Courthouse burned December 2, 1882, most records were destroyed; Deed index from 1833 survived
Pulaski County - Courthouse Fire destroyed most Pulaski County Court records June 13, 1903.
Randolph County - Courthouse burned on August 12, 1882, the fire began in the second story between the two towers, consumed the courthouse.; Some records were destroyed. Deed index from 1829 survived
Reynolds County - The courthouse has burned twice. The first time was in December, 1863, when the confederate army burned it. A new courthouse was built in the fall of 1867 on the same foundation as the prior one. This courthouse was burned in late November, 1871. Both times all records were destroyed. Temporary quarters again burned May 27, 1872, while a new "fireproof" courthouse was being built.
Ripley County - The courthouse burned during the Civil War and again January 1, 1898, some records were destroyed.
Saline County - In August 1864 the courthouse burned as a result of Civil War activity.
Stoddard County - During Price's raid in September 1864, the courthouse was burned by some stragglers, but fortunately the records had been removed.
Shannon County - Courthouse was burned by Federal soldiers in 1863 destroying this early courthouse along with all county records;, Fire destroyed the Courthouse December 31, 1871; An arsonist set fire to the courthouse and both clerks' offices in March of 1895. The courthouse was not seriously damaged, although all county records were destroyed; On May 23, 1938, fire destroyed the courthouse,
St. Clair County - The Courthouse apparently was burned in September 1861 by Gen. James Lane. One account claims that Lane's raid only partially destroyed the courthouse; by some accounts it was rebuilt and used until November 1864, when it was again burned in Civil War activity. Probate Court records were destroyed.
Sullivan County - Fire destroyed the Courthouse June 26, 1908.
Taney County - The courthouse was burned in 1863 by Union troops trying to keep the fortress out of the hands of Confederates. Fire destroyed the courthouse and most records December 19, 1885
Texas County - Courthouse was destroyed during the Civil War. February 12, 1881, fire damaged the courthouse. On December 14, 1930, fire destroyed the Courthouse.
Vernon County - Both the courthouse and clerk's office were destroyed when the town was burned in 1863, County Court records are missing from 1861-65.
Washington County - In 1906 the Courthouse burned, but before the building was completely destroyed the officials were able to carry the records out safely.
Wayne County - Courthouse burned in 1853 or 1854, destroying all records. The records in the courthouse were stolen in 1866. Courthouse damaged by fire December 14, 1892, some records destroyed. Few official county records prior to 1893 survive.
Webster County - Courthouse courthouse was accidentally burned by Federal Troops in 1863; The second story was damaged by a tornado on April 18, 1880. Minor record loss.
Worth County - Fire destroyed this Courthouse in February 1866. No records loss
Wright County - In 1849 courthouse was burned and partially destroyed in 1862. The courthouse burned, reportedly January 11, 1863. A tornado damaged the building in 1888 .County Court records for Wright County were destroyed in an 1896 fire. Courthouse burned in 1864 and 1897.
Missouri County Selection Table - Select a county from the table below to to view more information on genealogical information & records pertaining to each county.
