Madison County, Missouri Genealogy

United States &gt; Missouri &gt; Madison County

History
Madison County, Missouri was organized 14 December 1818 by a legislative act which became effective 1 January 1819. The county was formed from parts of Cape Girardeau and Ste. (correct spelling) Genevieve Counties.

The county was named after President James Madison. Madison had been president until 1817, just shortly before the organization of the county, and was instrumental in facilitating the Louisiana Purchase, of which Madison County was a part.

Fredericktown is Madison County's county seat. The town is believed to have likely derived its name from the first name of one of the area's pioneer settlers, Capt. George Frederick Bollinger.

The earliest European settlement in Madison County was at Mine La Motte, located north of the county seat of Fredericktown. A primary motivation for early settlement was the potential for lead mining, and Mine La Motte became an early center for the manufacture of lead ammunition. Madison County is a part of the region of the state which is still referred to as the Lead Belt because of its intense mining activity in the past.

Another early Madison County settlement was the French Catholic village of St. Michaels, settled in 1799 and later absorbed into Fredericktown. German Reformed settlers from Bollinger County entered the area after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

The county's estimated 2004 population was 11,948.

For more on the history of Madison County, Missouri, see also:


 * Boundaries of Fredericktown (Genealogy Trails)
 * County Facts (Genealogy Trails)
 * County Seat: Fredericktown (Genealogy Trails)
 * First Settlers to County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Fredericktown, Missouri (Wikipedia)
 * Madison County Early History (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Mining (Genealogy Trails)
 * Old Names and Places (Genealogy Trails)
 * View of Madison County (Genealogy Trails)

Parent County
1818--Madison County was created 14 December 1818 from Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve Counties. County seat: Fredericktown

Populated Places

 * Cobalt: ePodunk page | Wikipedia page
 * Fredericktown (county seat): ePodunk page | Wikipedia page
 * Junction City: ePodunk page | Wikipedia page
 * Marquand: ePodunk page | Wikipedia page

Unincorporated:


 * Castor Station: Wikipedia page
 * Millcreek: Wikipedia page
 * Mine La Motte: Wikipedia page
 * Oak Grove: Wikipedia page
 * Saco: Wikipedia page
 * Zion: Wikipedia page

Neighboring Counties

 * Bollinger (east)
 * Iron (west)
 * Perry (northeast)
 * St. Francois (north)
 * Wayne (south)

General
Note that many Madison County records are available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City. For general information about Madison County records, see the following:


 * Madison County Genealogy, Facts, and Records Resources (n2genealogy)
 * Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf)

Cemeteries

 * Missouri Cemeteries Mailing List County Page: Madison County
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Cemeteries (MO Home Town Locator)

1876 State Agricultural Census

 * 1876 State Agricultural Census: The census book is in the courthouse, Fredericktown, MO, and has been microfilmed by the State Archives, although this record appears to perhaps be incomplete. This is the only Missouri state census that has survived for Madison County.

Church

 * Madison County Cultural Features: Churches (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Tong, H.F., Historical Sketches of the Baptists of Southeast Missouri. St. Louis: National Baptist Publishing Company, 1888. (Google Books link with complete text)

Coroner
Madison County coroner's records from 1821 to 1890 are available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City.

Court
One online source says that Madison County court records date back to 1827, but this is incorrect. Court records for the county as microfilmed by the State Archives are extant from as early as 1820, with territorial records dating back to 1810. See Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf).

Education

 * Fredericktown Schools (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Schools (MO Home Town Locator)

Land
Madison County land records date back to 1819. See Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf).

Local Histories

 * Douglass, Robert Sidney, History of Southeast Missouri, Vol. 1. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1912. Google Books (complete text)

Maps

 * Fredericktown: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Madison and Surrounding Counties (outline map) (Genealogy Trails)
 * Marquand: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Plats, 1873-1997, for Madison County are available via Missouri State Archives microfilm.

Probate
Madison County probate records date from 1821.

Taxation

 * Tax lien records 1959 to 1997 are on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives.

Birth

 * 1883-1900: Register of births and still births; permanent record of births. Transcriptions are also accessible via the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Birth &amp; Death Records Database, Pre-1910.

Marriage

 * County records: At least a couple online sources state that Madison County marriage records date back to 1821. Actually, the county's marriage records date as early as 1820, and are accessible on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson County. See Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf).
 * Fredericktown: Deaths, Marriages, and Town Facts and Trivia (Genealogy Trails)

Death

 * 1883-1900: The county has death records covering the period 1883 to 1900. Transcriptions are also accessible via the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Birth &amp; Death Records Database, Pre-1910.
 * 1910-1960: Online scans of Madison County death certificates for 1910-1960 can be accessed in the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Deaths Certificates database.
 * Fredericktown: Deaths, Marriages, and Town Facts and Trivia (Genealogy Trails)

Web Sites

 * Genealogy Trails: Madison County, Missouri
 * Madison County Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Madison County, Missouri (MO GenWeb)
 * Madison County, Missouri (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy, Facts, and Records Resources (n2genealogy)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Profile for Madison County, Missouri (ePodunk)
 * Profile for Madison County, Missouri (ePodunk)