Jefferson County, Missouri Genealogy

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



Description
The County was named for Thomas Jefferson. The County is located in the east central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse 300 2nd Street PO Box 100 Hillsboro, MO 63050-0100 Phone: 636-797-5478 Jefferson County Website Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records. Probate Court has probate records. Clerk of the Circuit Court has court records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Jefferson 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. Moser's Directory of Towns, Villages and Hamlets Past and Present of Missouri provides similar information on places in Jefferson County. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Jefferson County, Missouri (1888) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Deceased Physicians, Jefferson County Historical Society
 * Railroad Records, Jefferson County Historical Society

Cemeteries

 * A number of residents of Valle Township, Jefferson County, Missouri were buried across Big River in Masonic Cemetery in Washington County, near Blackwell.
 * Cemeteries in Jefferson County, Missouri, transcriptions, Jefferson County Heritage & Historical Society
 * Cemeteries of Jefferson County, in depth articles, Jefferson County Heritage & Historical Society
 * Jefferson County, Missouri Cemetery Inscription Sources, Genealogy in St. Louis
 * Missouri Cemeteries, Missouri Access Genealogy

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places


 * Church Records, Jefferson County Historical Society

Court Records

 * Court Records, Jefferson County Historical Society
 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Genealogies

 * Jefferson County Historical Society Family Histories

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Land Patents: 1831-1969, State Archives
 * Land Records, Jefferson County Historical Society

Local Histories



 * History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford, and Gasconade Counties, Missouri. 1888. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Company. Reprint Greenville, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press, 2001. Online at: Internet Archive - Jefferson County portion; and at Missouri Digital History
 * History of Jefferson Co. Baptists 1798-1949. by Etta Whipple. Index Online at: Jefferson County Historical Society
 * History of Missouri's Counties, County Seats, and Courthouse Squares. 1983. by Marian M. Ohman. Missouri: Missouri State Library. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * History of Southeast Missouri. 1912. by Robert Sidney Douglass. New York : Lewis Publishing Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Jefferson County, Missouri in Story and Pictures. 1956. by Mary Joan Boyer. Festus, Missouri: Tri-City Independent. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Our Jefferson County Heritage. by Zoe Booth Rutledge. Index Online at: Jefferson County Historical Society
 * State of Missouri: an autobiography. 1904. by Walter Williams. Columbia, Mo: Press of E. W. Stephens. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * Articles: Items of History (Jefferson County Historical Society)
 * Jefferson County, Missouri History Books, indexes, Jefferson County Historical Society

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * 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 Jefferson County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * Jefferson County 1876 map, Historic MapWorks
 * 1876 township map, Jefferson County Genealogical Society
 * Map of 1904 Jefferson County with numerous small settlements, My Genealogy Hound
 * Historical townships of Jefferson County, RootsWeb
 * Modern day townships of Jefferson County, Histopolis
 * Jefferson County, Missouri Township and Range Survey Maps, RootsWeb
 * Post Offices of Jefferson County, Missouri in 1876 and 1898, RootsWeb
 * An Illustrated historical atlas map of Jefferson County, Mo. at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1900-1941 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
 * Military Records, Jefferson County Historical Society
 * Union Provost Marshal's File of Papers Relating to Two or More Civilians, Jefferson County Genealogical Society
 * Union Provost Marshal's File of Persons Exempt from Serving in the Civil War, Jefferson County Genealogical Society
 * Jefferson County WWII Enlistments, Moose Roots - info provided by National Archives
 * Jefferson County WWII Army and Air Force Casualties, Rootsweb
 * Fold3.com ($) has Civil War and other military records available online. Some libraries including Jefferson County Library and the St. Louis County Library provide free access to this database.

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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, Missouri:
 * - 31st Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company A
 * - 35th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company K
 * - 6th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company B

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
 * 1843-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers
Historic newspapers from 1869 to 1952 are housed at the Jefferson County History Center at Jefferson College. The Center is located in the Jefferson College Library and is open by appointment.


 * De Soto Weekly Facts, 1895-1899 transcriptions
 * Jefferson Democrat, 1870-1888 transcriptions
 * Jefferson Leader, 1866-1868 transcriptions
 * Jefferson Watchman, 1883-1884 transcriptions
 * Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society
 * Various Newspaper Transcriptions, Jefferson County Historical Society

Obituaries

 * Jefferson County Obituaries
 * Jefferson County Obituaries (Newspaper Obituaries)

Other Records
Miscellaneous
 * Historical Postcards and Photos, Jefferson County Historical Society
 * Old Settlers' Association of Jefferson County, Missouri, Records, 1864-1951, Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
 * Passports - Early 1900s, Jefferson County Historical Society

Probate Records
The Jefferson County History Center, located in the Jefferson College Library and open by appointment, contains probate files dating from the 1820s.

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 & images ($)
 * Wills and Probate Records, Jefferson County Historical Society

School Records

 * Schools, Jefferson County Historical Society

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Real estate and personal property tax records from the 19th through the mid-20th centuries are located at the Jefferson County History Center in the Jefferson College Library. The Center is open by appointment.


 * 1862 Real Estate and Personal Property Tax, Jefferson County Genealogical Society
 * 1894-1901 Back Taxes for Real Estate; Personal Property, Jefferson County Genealogical Society

Vital Records

 * Vital Record Resources and Transcriptions, Jefferson County, Missouri GenWeb

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
 * 1827-1935  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1842-1861 Jefferson County Birth Index 1842-1861. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * Jefferson County Heritage and Historical Society
 * 1920-2015 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)

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 ($)
 * 1826-1878 Jefferson County Marriage Index 1826-1878. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1849-1885 Jefferson County Marriage Index 1849-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1871-1885 Jefferson County Marriage Index 1871-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * Marriage Records, Jefferson County Historical Society
 * Brian Oster Missouri Marriage Records Site (local area marriage records)

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1892 Jefferson County Death Index 1883-1892. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * 1968-2022 Missouri, Death Index, 1968-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($); Ancestry ($)
 * Funeral Home Records, Jefferson County Historical Society
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

FamilySearch Centers

 * St Louis Missouri South FamilySearch Center
 * Many of the older county records have been moved from the Jefferson County Courthouse to the Jefferson County History Center at Jefferson College. Old newspapers which were once housed at Roop Printing in De Soto have also been moved to the Jefferson County History Center. The De Soto Public Library has a large collection of vintage photographs of De Soto landmarks and businesses.

Libraries

 * List of Missouri Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * De Soto Public Library Website
 * Jefferson County Library Website

Museums

 * Jefferson County History Center Website
 * Kimmswick Historical Society Museum Website
 * De Soto Historical Society Museum Website

Societies

 * Arnold Historical Society and Museum 1723 Jeffco Blvd. Arnold, MO 636-282-2828 Website


 * The De Soto Historical Society P.O. Box 513 De Soto, MO 63020 Website


 * Herculaneum Historical Society Website


 * Jefferson County Genealogical Society PO Box 1342 High Ridge, MO 63049 (636) 212-5667 Email: [mailto:secretary-r@jcgsmo.org secretary-r@jcgsmo.org] Website Facebook


 * Jefferson County Historical Society First United Methodist Church of Festus-Crystal City 113 Grand Avenue Fesus, MO Website

Websites

 * 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
 * . 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
 * Jefferson County Heritage and Historical Society. Free. County history, school records, marriage, birth and death records, churches, adoptions, passports, photos, military, court records, family histories can be found here.
 * 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 ($)