St. Louis County, Missouri Genealogy
Guide to St. Louis County, Missouri ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for St. Francis River. The County is located in the east central area of the state. [2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
St. Louis County Courthouse
41 S. Central Avenue
Clayton, MO 63105
Phone: 314-889-2041
St. Louis County Website
County Clerk has birth records 1877-1910.
Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records.[3]
St. Louis County, Missouri Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1877 | 1876 | 1883 | 1876 | 1876 | 1876 | 1830 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Missouri county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Missouri County Boundary Maps" (1804-1889) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website. |
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places in St. Louis County, MO, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator.
The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all 114 Missouri Counties.
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
- St. Louis Public Library (St. Louis City) owns a large collection of books, periodicals, maps, and other miscellaneous materials that deal with the history of St. Louis City, and Library staff have indexed many previously unindexed books and materials on that topic. They also own a large local history card file, and a large vertical file consisting of articles clipped from local newspapers and other local publications.
St. Louis Public Library Local History Indexes and Bibliographies - St. Louis County Library has a large collection of genealogical records for St. Louis City and St. Louis County in its Special Collections Department located at its main headquarters. The collection includes holdings from the St. Louis Genealogical Society as well as parish records from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. In addition to its holdings, the staff of the Special Collections Department has created indexes for many records including St. Louis newspapers as well as birth, naturalization, probate, and church records.
- Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center has a collection of books, manuscripts, periodicals, newspapers, maps, and photographs including: Biographies, yearbooks, business and trade catalogs and military records. Their website has a searchable genealogy index that covers many of these collections.
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- Search the Archdiocese of St. Louis Cemetery records for burials in seventeen Catholic cemeteries from the St. Louis area.
- New Mt. Sinai Cemetery records (Jewish) are available online.
- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has burial records for Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and other Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries around the country.
- List of St Louis Area Cemeteries with records on Cd available for purchase from the St. Louis Genealogical Society.
- Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 10,049 | — |
| 1830 | 14,125 | 40.6% |
| 1840 | 35,979 | 154.7% |
| 1850 | 104,978 | 191.8% |
| 1860 | 190,524 | 81.5% |
| 1870 | 351,189 | 84.3% |
| 1880 | 31,888 | −90.9% |
| 1890 | 36,307 | 13.9% |
| 1900 | 50,040 | 37.8% |
| 1910 | 82,417 | 64.7% |
| 1920 | 100,737 | 22.2% |
| 1930 | 211,593 | 110.0% |
| 1940 | 274,230 | 29.6% |
| 1950 | 406,349 | 48.2% |
| 1960 | 703,532 | 73.1% |
| 1970 | 951,353 | 35.2% |
| 1980 | 973,896 | 2.4% |
| 1990 | 993,529 | 2.0% |
| 2000 | 1,016,315 | 2.3% |
| 2010 | 998,954 | −1.7% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1732-1933 Missouri State and Territorial Census Records, 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
For tips on accessing St. Louis County, Missouri Genealogy census records online, see: Missouri Census.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Missouri denominations, view the Missouri Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Catholic
- Catholic resources at The St. Louis County Library.
Evangelical and United Church of Christ
- Evangelical resources at The St. Louis County Library.
Lutheran
- Lutheran resources at The St. Louis County Library.
Presbyterian
Fairmount Presbyterian Church, St. Louis
- 1871-1875 Fairmount Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Baptism Index 1871-1875. Batch C515742 at FamilySearch.[7]
- 1871-1879 Fairmount Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Marriage Index 1871-1879. Batch M515741 at FamilySearch.
North Presbyterian Church, St. Louis
- 1850-1857 North Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Baptism Index 1850-1857. Batch C515751 at FamilySearch.
Third Presbyterian Church, St. Louis
- 1842-1850 Third Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Baptism Index 1842-1850. Batch C515761 at FamilySearch.
- 1843-1846 Third Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Marriage Index 1843-1846. Batch M515762 at FamilySearch.
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Directories[edit | edit source]
- The St. Louis County Directory for 1893 is available on Google Books.
- St. Louis City and County Directories, The St. Louis County Library
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African Americans[edit | edit source]
- Emancipations, 1817-1865 - information taken from St. Louis Circuit Court Record Books at the Civil Courts Building at Tucker and Market Streets, and the examination of papers at the Missouri Historical Society
- Freedom Licenses Database, 1835-1865 - St. Louis City and County, records at Missouri Historical Society
- Freedom Suit Case Files, 1814-1860 - database and images by St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project
- Freedom Suits, 1804-1865 index - St. Louis Court records
- Urban life for African Americans during 1804-1865 - as taken from St. Louis court records
Germans[edit | edit source]
Jews[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
- Fold3.com ($) has Civil War and other military records available online. Some libraries including the St. Louis County Library provide free access to this database.
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Missouri Land and Property for information about records of land transfers from the government to private ownership. After that transfer, transactions were usually recorded and are currently housed at the county courthouse.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for St. Louis County, Missouri Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section Missouri Local Histories.
- The Annals of St. Louis and a Brief Account of its Foundation and Progress, 1764-1928. 1928. St Louis: Mound City Press. Available online at FamilySearch
- Annals of St. Louis in its Territorial Days, From 1804 to 1821 : being a continuation of the author's previous work the Annals of the French and Spanish period. By Frederic Louis Billon. 1888. St. Louis, Missouri : F.L. Billon. Available online at FamilySearch; InternetArchives
- The Early History of St. Louis and Missouri : from its first exploration by white men in 1673 to 1843. By Elihu H. Shepard. 1870. Saint Louis : Southwestern Book and Pub. Co. Available online at FamilySearch; GoogleBooks
- Heritage of St. Louis. 1964. St. Louis, Mo. : St. Louis Public Schools. Available online at FamilySearch
- History of Saint Louis City and County. By John Thomas Scharf. 1883. Philadelphia : L. H. Everts & Co. Vol 1 available online at FamilySearch; Vol 2 available online at FamilySearch
- A Souvenir of the Diamond Jubilee of St. Anthony Parish. by St. Anthony Parish (St. Louis, Missouri). 1938. St. Louis : Blackwell Wielandy Company. Available online at FamilySearch
- History of Missouri's Counties, county seats, and courthouse squares. by Marian M. Ohman. Missouri State Library : 1983. Online at Missouri Digital Heritage
- History of St. Louis County, Missouri. 1920. N.p. : Missouri State Library. Online at Missouri Digital Heritage
- History of St. Louis County, Missouri Volume 1. 1911. by William Lyman Thomas. N.p. : N.p. Missouri State Library. Online at Missouri Digital Heritage
- History of St. Louis County, Missouri Volume 2. 1911. by William Lyman Thomas. N.p. Missouri State Library. Online at Missouri Digital Heritage
- Missouri As It Is In 1867. 1867. by Nathan Howe Parker. N.p. : Missouri State Library. Online at Missouri Digital Heritage
- State of Missouri. 1904. by Missouri. Commission to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition; Williams, Walter, 1864-1935. Columbia, Mo. : Press of E.W. Stephens. Online at Missouri Digital Heritage.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
- Map of modern day St. Louis County townships (Histopolis) - also shows the locaton of cemeteries from the St. Louis area.
- The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including St. Louis County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
- Map of 1904 St. Louis County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)
- An Atlas of St. Louis County
- Pitzman's New Atlas of the City and County of Saint Louis, Missouri
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1861-1865 Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1865 Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1911-1938 Missouri, Confederate Pension Applications and Soldiers Home Applications, 1911-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Regiments Civil War service men from St. Louis County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed of men of St. Louis County; men from St. Louis County also served in Illinois companies, which are included in the below list.
World War II[edit | edit source]
- 1940-1945 Missouri, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- 1941-1946 Missouri, Reports of Separation Notices, 1941-1946 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- St. Louis County Library has created an Index to Naturalizationssite provides information on the various naturalization records from the U.S. Circuit Court.
Abbreviations found in the Naturalization Records of St. Louis Court records
- CCC for Court of Criminal Corrections
- CCCC for Criminal Court
- Cir for Circuit Court
- Com Pl for Court of Common Pleas
- Law for Law of Common Court
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- St. Louis Obituary index: Compiled from the St. Louis Post Dispatch Newspaper covering the years 1880-1930, 1942-1945, 1960-1969, and 1992-2009. Sponsored by the St. Louis Public Library.
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate records include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information, see United States Probate Records.
In Missouri, probate records have usually been recorded by the clerks of the probate courts, but in some counties the common pleas or circuit courts handled this function. They are frequently indexed.
- Missouri State Archives - Online access to St. Louis Probate records (original documents)
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1750-1988 Missouri Probate Records 1750-1998 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
- 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more information see the wiki page Missouri Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. For additional guidance on researching and using vital records, see United States Vital Records or How to order Missouri Vital Records.
St. Louis and Kansas City recorded births and deaths starting as early as 1850 for deaths and 1870 for births. The Missouri Department of Health began keeping birth and death records in 1909. County records vary by year and the county. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Missouri Vital Records State Department of Health, the County Clerk's office or order electronically online.
See St. Louis County, Missouri Vital Records for information on St. Louis County vital records and their indexes.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index.
- 1817-1939 Missouri Births, 1817-1939 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1827-1935 Missouri, Births and Christenings, 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
- Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index.
- 1920-2015 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
- 1920-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1750-1920 Missouri, Marriages, 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1776-1988 Missouri, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry ($)
- 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
- 1867-1976 Missouri, Deaths and Burials, 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1883-1930 Missouri Deaths, 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
- 1968-2015 Missouri, Death Index, 1968-2015 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
- 1968-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Death Index at Archive.org - images of index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in St. Louis County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Missouri Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in St. Louis County. For state-wide library facilities, see Missouri Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in St. Louis County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Missouri Societies.
- Florissant Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 298
Florissant, MO 63032
(314) 307-7222
Email: florissantvalleyhs@gmail.com
Website Facebook
- German American Committee of St. Louis
3652 S. Jefferson Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone: 314-221-1524
Email: dorris.keevenfranke@gmail.com
Website Facebook
- German Cultural Society of St. Louis
3652 S. Jefferson Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone: 314-771-8368
Email: germanstlmail@gmail.com
Website Facebook
- St. Louis Genealogical Society
#4 Sunnen Drive, Suite 140
St. Louis, MO 63143
Phone: 314-647-8547
Email: office@STLGS.org
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
- MOGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
- USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
- FamilySearch Catalog . Free. - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
- RootsWeb resources. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
- Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
- CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
- StateofUS. Free. family history resources and government records
- Missouri Genealogy. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "St. Louis County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_County,_Missouri, accessed 17 Sept 2018.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), St. Louis County, Missouri. Page 397-407 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 393-397.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "St. Louis County, Missouri," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, St. Louis County Missouri, accessed Dec 2019.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/f/f4/Igimissourir.pdf.
