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Missouri Public Records
| How
To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
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Missouri Vital Records
Vital records were kept on a statewide basis beginning in August,
1909. The city of St. Louis, however, began recording deaths in 1850
and births in 1870. It is estimated that about 60% compliance was
met in these earlier recordings for that city. Marriage records are
recorded with the county Recorder of Deeds.
For birth and death records after August, 1909, write:
Missouri Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
For marriage records, and for birth and death records
before August, 1909, write to the recorder of deeds of the county
in question.
For earlier births and deaths in St. Louis, write:
St. Louis Vital Records
P.O. Box 14702
St. Louis, MO 63178
Missouri Land Records
Missouri is a federal-land state. Lands were generally bought from
the government or from other individuals. The original records of
the United States Land Sales have been microfilmed on seventeen
rolls and are located in Record Group 5 at the Missouri State Archives.
A complete name index is on each roll. Though the tract books for
the state are claimed "lost" by various sources, a duplicate
is found at the Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States Office
in Springfield, Virginia. Land-entry case files for government patents
are available at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.. Early
settlers in Missouri also received land under Spanish and French
governments. Case files for most private land claims (the settling
of property ownership by the government of the United States for
lands previously acquired under a different sovereign) are housed
at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and at the Missouri
State Archives.
The Missouri State Archives also holds other land records of interest
to the genealogical researcher, including an alphabetical index
to War of 1812 military lands of north Missouri. For transactions
between individuals, consult the county Recorder of Deeds. For further
reference:
United States Congress. Missouri Land Claims. Reprint. New Orleans:
Polyanthos Press.
Lowrie, Walter. Early Settlers of Missouri as Taken From Land Claims
in the Missouri Territory. 1834. Reprint. Easley, SC: Southern Historical
Press, 1986.
"Missouri's Public Domain: United States Land Sales, 1819-1922"
Archives Information Bulletin, Vol. II, No. 3 (July 1980) produced
by the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State.
Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the United States.
Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997.
Missouri Court Records
Court records entail probate records, guardianship, naturalization,
and a wide variety of other sources. It should be remembered that
there are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United
States, all of which should be considered for research under various
circumstances. Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court,
District Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court. See: "Research
in Court Records" by Arlene H. Eakle, found in Loretto Dennis
Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds., The Source: A Guidebook
to American Genealogy, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).
Missouri Military Records
Most military related records are now housed at the Missouri State
Archives, where service records are indexed and maintained for the
following wars: War of 1812, Indian Wars (1832-38), Seminole War
(1837) Mormon War (1838), Iowa or Honey War (1839), Mexican War
(1846-7), and Civil War—both Union and Confederate. Confederate
pension applications and application for admission to the Confederate
Homes are also among these holdings. Accumulated files number approximately
one-half of the reported 40,000 men who served from Missouri. Alphabetical
indexes for the Spanish-American War (1898) are also extant. Records
subsequent to 1917 including those from World War I (1917-19), Missouri
National Guard (1900-40) and World War II (1941-45) remain in the
Office of the Adjutant General.
For further information, consult:
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and
State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1994.
Eakin, Joanne Chiles. Confederate Records from the United Daughters
of the Confederacy Files. Independence, MO: Kathleen Wilham Research,
1995-. (Multi-volume)
Additional Sources
March, Daniel. The History of Missouri. 4 vols. New York: Lewis
Historical Publishing Company, 1967. (Volumes 3 and 4 contain personal
and family records.)
Meyer, Duane. The Heritage of Missouri. Columbia, MO: University
of Missouri Press, 1967.
(If there is room available, I need to get one more reference here
that is a brand new book.)
Missouri Vital Records:
Event: Birth or death
Cost of copy: $10.00
Address:
Missouri Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
930 Wildwood
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
Remarks: State office has had records since January
1910. Certified copies of most Missouri birth and death records
are also available from local county health department or the St.
Louis City or Kansas City Health Departments. For details, please
contact these offices directly. If event occurred in St. Louis (City),
St. Louis County, or Kansas City before 1910, write to the city
or county Health Department. Copies of these records are $10.00
each in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. In Kansas City, the
fee is $6.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy
ordered at same time. Computer issued copies containing the state
certification are $10.00 each.
Check or money order should be made payable to Missouri
Department of Health. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current
fees on birth and death records, the telephone number is (573) 751-6400.
Information on how to obtain certified copies is also available
via the internet at Missouri Department of Health.
Search All Missouri Records
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: No fee
Address:
Missouri Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
930 Wildwood
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
Remarks: Indexes since July 1948. Correspondent will
be referred to appropriate Recorder of Deeds in county where license
was issued.
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Event: Marriage (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Recorder of Deeds in county where license
was issued.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: No fee
Address:
Missouri Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
930 Wildwood
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570
Remarks: Indexes since July 1948. Certified copies
are not available from State Health Department. Inquiries will be
forwarded to appropriate office.
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Event: Divorce (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Clerk of Circuit Court in county where divorce
was granted.
Search All Missouri Records
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