Linn County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Lewis F. Linn. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Linn County Courthouse 108 N High Linneus, MO 64653 Phone: 660-895-5417 Linn County Website County Clerk has incomplete birth and death records 1883-1888. County Recorder has marriage and land records from 1842. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce records from 1837. Probate Office has probate records from 1840.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Linn 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:

Biographies

 * Clay, Ray, Carroll, Chariton and Linn Counties, Missouri Index to Biographies at Ancestry ($)
 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Clay, Ray, Carroll, Chariton, and Linn Counties, Missouri at Ancestry ($)

Cemeteries

 * Linn County, Missouri, Cemetery Records, Vol. 2 &amp; 8 at Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census Records

 * 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes


 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Local Histories

 * Brookfield, Past and Present.. n.d. by Prunty. S.l.: s.n. Online at: FamilySearch
 * Compendium of History and Biography of Linn County, Missouri. 1912. Chicago: Henry Taylor & Co. Online at: FamilySearch; and at Missouri Digital History
 * The History of Linn County, Missouri. 1882. Kansas City, Missouri : Birdsall &amp; Dean. Online at: FamilySearch; Internet Archives.
 * History of Missouri's Counties, County Seats, and Courthouse Squares. 1983. by Marian M. Ohman. Missouri: Missouri State Library. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * Linn County, Missouri. by Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry. Online at: FamilySearch
 * State of Missouri: an autobiography. 1904. by Walter Williams. Columbia, Mo: Press of E. W. Stephens. Online at: Missouri Digital History

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Linn County townships (Histopolis)
 * Missouri As It Is In 1867. 1867. by Nathan II. Parker. Philadelpia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Linn County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * An illustrated historical atlas of Linn County, Mo at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * Standard Atlas of Linn County, Missouri at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1900-1941 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection

Civil War
Online Records


 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1911-1938  at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Regiments

Service men in Linn County, Missouri served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Linn County, Missouri:

World War II

 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1941-1946  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

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 Linn County communities.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1750-1988 at FamilySearch — images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1820-1878 Linn County, Missouri Wills, 1820-78 at Ancestry ($)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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.

Birth

 * Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index.
 * 1817-1939 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1817-1907 Linn County Birth Index 1817-1907. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1827-1935  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1857-1885 Linn County Birth Index, Volumes 2A and 2B, 1857-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1875-1887 Linn County Birth Index, Volume 1, etc., 1875-1887. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1920-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index

Marriage

 * 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1776-1988 Missouri, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1842-1857 Marriage records, 1842-1857, of Linn County, Missouri at Ancestry ($)
 * 1842-1870 Linn County, Missouri Marriages: 1842-70 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1857-1885 Linn County Marriage Books 2A and 2B Index 1857-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1881-1885 Linn County Marriage Book 1 Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1887 Linn County Death Index 1883-1887. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.
 * 1968-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Death Index at Archive.org - images of index

Museums

 * Linn County Historical Society Museum - The Tillman House 303 North Livingston Street P.O. Box 394 Brookfield, MO 64658 Phone: 660-258-7160 Facebook

Websites

 * Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
 * Linn County MO Genealogy Research. Contains information for researching genealogy in Linn County MO, Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
 * 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
 * . 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 ($)