Caldwell County, Missouri Genealogy

United States Missouri  Caldwell County

Guide to Caldwell County, Missouri ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Recorder Office has marriage and land records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records; Circuit Court division 2, has probate records; Circuit Court, division 1, has court records

Parent County
1836--Caldwell County was created 29 December 1836 from Ray County. County seat: Kingston

Boundary Changes
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.

Record Loss
For a list of record loss in Missouri counties see: Missouri Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog


 * The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all Missouri Counties.

Neighboring Counties
Carroll • Clinton • Daviess • Dekalb • Livingston • Ray

Cemeteries
Brown Cemetery is a small old, but well kept cemetery in Kingston Township which is located about two miles south and 1 3/4 mile west of Kingston, Missouri. (The turn to head west had us on an unpaved road for awhile.)

Cox Cemetery is also known as Spring Valley Cemetery.It is located 3 miles north of Kingston to U Highway, 5 1/2 east to New York School (along this road you will pass Pleasant Ridge Cemetery and maybe even Pleasant Ridge Road), then south 2 1/4 miles, then turn right onto Pleasant Ridge (which is just before you would cross the railroad track). (Prior to your right turn onto Pleasant Ridge, if you look carefully through the trees on the right there is a small white sign with red letters saying "Cox Cemetery" and an arrow pointing to go right.) Then go about 1 mile. The cemetery will be on your right. 39 degrees 29 minutes 17 North 93 degrees 56 minutes 3 West. It is kept mowed.

Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather, comp.. Cemetery Records of Breckenridge, Caldwell County, Missouri. Chillicothe, MO, USA: Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, c1965. Available on Ancestry.com.
 * Caldwell County, Missouri, Cemetery Records, Vol. 6 at Ancestry.com ($)

Baptist
"Church and Family History Research Assistance for Caldwell County, Missouri" Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois. ''First link is to article is about the Primitive Baptist Log Creek Church. Includes member surnames.''

Court
The Caldwell County Courthouse is located at 49 E. Main St., Kingston, Missouri. They have an bound volume containing an index to estate packets, and the staff will get individual estate packets for you to look at, after you locate the estate packet number in the index. They charge $1.00 for copies, but will let you use your flash-off digital camera. The index and associated estate packets are NOT on microfilm at the FHL. Found original tombstone orders complete with what was to be inscribed on the tombstone in the estate packet we looked at that was for an individual who died in 1858. Also original tax receipts and original newspaper clippings of public notice in these estate packets.

Local Histories

 * Bullock, W. P.  Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri. Caldwell, Missouri : Caldwell County Historical Society (Missouri), 1983.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * Caldwell County Historical Society (Caldwell, Missouri). Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri 1917.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * McGlumphy, William Harvey Sheridan. Directory tax-payers Caldwell County. Kingston, Missouri : [s.n.], 1906.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * Booth, Bertha Ellis. A short history of Caldwell County. 1936.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Caldwell County townships (Histopolis)
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Caldwell County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Caldwell 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 from men of Caldwell County.

Union Units 

- 6th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union) - Regimental roster - 33rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Companies E, F, and G - Regimental roster - 44th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Companies C, F, and H - Regimental roster - Caldwell County, Missouri Home Guard (Union), - Regimental roster


 * - 4th Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company B

Confederate Units

- Hughes' Regiment, Missouri State Guard - Confederate, Company D, first known as the Caldwell Minute Men, then the Caldwell Light Infantry Company


 * Vilmer, J. D., comp. The Civil War and Caldwell County, 1861-1865. (s.l.: Caldwell County Historical Society, c2011).


 * - 12th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry (Union), Company E
 * - 2nd Battalion, Enrolled Missouri Millitia, 6 months (Union), Company B
 * - 44th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company C
 * - 44th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company F
 * - 44th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company H
 * - 6th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company B
 * - 6th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company C

Newspapers

 * The Archives of The Chillicothe Constitution Tribune (1889-2009) provides free access to their newspapers online. Their newspapers covered local news that included residents from Caldwell County communities.

Births

 * 1827 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1851 - 1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * [1817-1868] Caldwell County (Missouri). Recorder's Office. Record of births, 1817-1868. ((Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2009) Microfilm of original records at the Caldwell County Courthouse in Kingston, Missouri. FamilySearch Catalog states: "Microfilm of original records at the Caldwell County Courthouse in Kingston, Missouri." FHL US/CAN Film 2438664 Item 1.
 * [1885-1886] Births &amp; Stillbirths - 1885/6 USGenWeb Caldwell county, Missouri.

Marriages

 * 1802 - 1969 at FamilySearch.org — index/images
 * 1750 - 1920 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1805 - 2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at [http://home.ancestry.com/
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * [1845-1871] Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather, compiler. Marriage records of Caldwell County, Missouri, 1845-1871. FHL US/CAN Book 977.8185 V25e. Searchable on Ancestry.com.
 * [1845-1872] Index to Marriage Records, Book A, 1845-1872 USGenWeb Caldwell county, Missouri.
 * Caldwell County Missouri Marriage Records
 * 1860-1885 - Caldwell County Marriage Books A thru C Index 1860-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * [1860+] FHL has microfilm of original records at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri and at the Caldwell County Courthouse in Kingston, Missouri. Records filmed include indexes, applications, license, colored, etc. See FHL catalog.
 * [1872-1881] Marriage Records, Book B, 1872-1881. USGenWeb Caldwell county, Missouri.
 * [1896-1897] Marriage Records, Book F, 1896-1897 USGenWeb Caldwell county, Missouri.
 * [1905-1907] Marriage Records, 1905-1907 USGenWeb Caldwell county, Missouri.
 * Caldwell County, Missouri Marriages, 1845-71 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Marriage records of Caldwell County, Missouri at Ancestry.com ($)

Deaths

 * 1867 - 1976 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1834 - 1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * Caldwell County, Missouri Mortality Records of 1850 &amp; 1860USGenWeb Caldwell county, Missouri.
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Societies and Libraries

 * List of Missouri Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies

Caldwell County Historical Society, Inc. 89 West Main P.O. Box 32 Kingston, Missouri 64650 Website in process


 * Holdings:


 * Caldwell County historical records
 * Historical artifacts
 * 1831–1838 Mormon era cabin room
 * Pre-1860 original home (museum)

Family History Centers



 * Cameron Missouri Family History Center 1100 E Grand St,Cameron, MO 64429 United States Location Map