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Missouri Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Taxation
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
PROBATE RECORDS Probate Copies of many of the records are available at the Family History Library. The library's records generally date from the creation of the county to about 1925. For example, the library has 71 films for Jackson County that include:
For many counties, abstracts of the earliest wills have been published, and copies are available at major archives and the Family History Library.
Many tax assessment books of Missouri counties have been preserved. The original records are generally at the county courthouses. Some of these are on microfilm at the Family History Library. For example, the library has Osage County tax books for 1844, 1856 to 1862, and 1865.
Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1863, but registration was not compulsory. Missouri has required registration in each county only during the years 1883 to 1893 and since 1909. The state did not achieve 90 percent registration of births until 1927 and of deaths until 1911.
Write to the appropriate county clerk for records before 1910. Those from 1883 to 1893 are also available from the Missouri State Archives.
The Family History Library has copies of most of the existing civil vital records in Missouri from about 1883 to the early 1900s. For example, records of Jefferson County births, stillbirths For St. Louis city records from 1870 to the present, write to:
Although the files are not open for public inspection, you can obtain copies of the state's births and deaths registered after 1 January 1910 by writing to:
Marriage records have been kept by Missouri county clerks from the earliest days of each county. Some records date from the early 1800s when the area was a territory without counties. Statewide registration of marriage began in 1881, and the files are mostly complete after that date. You can obtain copies of these documents from the various county clerks.
The Family History Library has copies of marriage records from each county. These often date to the 1920s. For St. Louis, for example, the library has 147 microfilms from the city recorder (index for 1806-1965, records from 1808-1920, licenses from 1881-1966), and 14 films from the county recorder (index for 1877-1928, licenses from 1881-1933). The Missouri State Archives has copies of the same films available at the Family History Library.
Most pre-1850 marriages in Missouri have been transcribed in publications such as the following:
Brooks, Linda Barber. Missouri Marriages to 1850. 3 vols. St. Louis: Ingmire Pub., 1983-. (FHL book 977.8 V2bm.)
Ormesher, Susan. Missouri Marriages Before 1840. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982. (FHL book 9777.8 V2o; fiche 6051425.)
The Bureau of Vital Records (see address above) has an index to marriage records from July 1948 to the present.
Divorce proceedings have been filed with a court of common pleas, a circuit court, or the state legislature. Most divorce records can be obtained by contacting the appropriate circuit court clerk in the county where the plaintiff resided. The Family History Library has some of these court records, which include divorce information. The Bureau of Vital Records has divorce records from 1948 to the present.
A published list of early divorce records is Lois Stanley, Divorces and Separations in Missouri, 1808-1853. Missouri: 198-. (FHL book 977.8 P2sd.) This volume includes notices from newspapers.
To learn more about the history and availability of vital records, see Guide to Public Vital Statistics Records in Missouri (St. Louis: Historical Records Survey, 1941; FHL book 977.8 V2h; film 928021 item 10).
For more detailed information about research and records of Missouri, see:
Parkin, Robert E. Guide to Tracing Your Family Tree in Missouri. St. Louis: Genealogical Research and Productions, 1979. (FHL book 977.8 D27pr.) This guide lists the published and microfilmed records available for each county.
Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992. (FHL book 973 D27rb 1992; computer number 594021.) Contains bibliographies and background information on history and ethnic groups. Also contains maps and tables showing when each county was created.
The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:
Paper publication: Second edition July 1997. English approval: 7/97.
©1998, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
matters in Missouri have usually been recorded by the clerks of the probate courts, but in some counties the common pleas or circuit courts handled this function. The records include wills, administrator bonds, and estate inventories. They are frequently indexed. You can obtain copies by contacting the probate judge in each county.
records (1871-1898)
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TAXATION
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VITAL RECORDS
County and City Records of Births and Deaths
, and deaths from 1883 to 1892 are available.
Division of Health
The library also has 16 microfilms of the registers of the St. Louis City Hospital for 1846 to 1900.
634 No. Grand Boulevard
P.O. Box 14702
St. Louis, MO 63178
Telephone: 314-658-1132
State Records of Births and Deaths
Bureau of Vital Records
The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces (Hyattsville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993. (FHL book 973 V24wv.) Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and many Family History Centers.
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
Telephone: 314-761-6387 (births)
Telephone: 314-751-6376 (deaths)
Marriage Records
Divorce Records
Inventory of Vital Records
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FOR FURTHER READING
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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Publications Coordination
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3400
USA
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Version of Data: 6/9/2001]