Pettis County, Missouri Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records from 1833; Probate Court has probate records from 1833; Clerk of the Circuit has court records.

Parent County
1833 Pettis County was created 26 January 1833 from Cooper and Saline Counties. County seat: Sedalia

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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
Benton •  Cooper  •  Henry  •  Johnson  •  Lafayette  •  Morgan  •  Saline

Biographies

 * Portrait and biographical record of Johnson and Pettis Counties, Missouri : containing portraits and biographical sketches of p at Ancestry.com ($)

Cemeteries

 * Pettis County, Missouri Cemetery Records, Vol. 1 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census

 * 1732-1933 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Catholic
St. John's, Bahner


 * 1846 - 1876 St. John's, Bahner, Baptism Index 1846-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1851 - 1885 St. John's, Bahner, Marriage Index 1851-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * St. Louis
 * St. Louis N.
 * St. Louis S.
 * Sedalia

Court

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories

 * Demuth's The History of Pettis County, Missouri: Including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships, together with ... biographical sketches... (1882) is available on Google Books, and also at FamilySearch (Free)


 * Chapman Publishing Company (Chicago). Portrait and biographical record of Johnson and Pettis counties, Missouri : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States. Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co., 1895.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)


 * McGruder, Mark A. History of Pettis County, Missouri. Topeka, Kansas : Historical Pub. Co., 1919.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps



 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.


 * Map of Pettis County townships (Histopolis)


 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Pettis County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.


 * Map of 1904 Pettis County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)

Military

 * 1900 - 1941 at FamilySearch — images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * at FamilySearch — images

Regiments

Service men in Pettis 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 Pettis County, Missouri:

World War II

 * 1941 - 1946 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index

Newspapers

 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Sedalia newspapers from the late 1800's and early 1900's that covered local news on Pettis County residents as well as residents from surrounding counties.
 * Sedalia Democrat, The (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Sedalia Daily Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Daily Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry.com ($)

Newspapers

 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Sedalia newspapers from the late 1800's and early 1900's that covered local news on Pettis County residents as well as residents from surrounding counties.
 * Sedalia Democrat, The (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Sedalia Daily Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Daily Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry.com ($)

Probate

 * Pettis County, Missouri: Index to the General Probate Index, 1833-1875 at Ancestry.com ($)

Online Probate Records
 * 1750 - 1988 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1766 - 1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Births

 * 1827 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1851 - 1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * 1865 - 1874 Pettis County Birth Index 1865-1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriages

 * 1750 - 1920 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1776-1988 - Missouri, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1805 - 2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry.com $
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1865 - 1884 - Pettis County Marriage Index 1865-1884. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1884 - 1885 - Pettis County Marriage Index 1884-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1891 - Pettis County, Missouri, Marriages, performed in 1891, listed in the Sedalia Weekly Bazoo Newspaper.

Deaths

 * 1834 - 1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * 1867 - 1976 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries

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

Historical Society

 * Pettis County Historical Society/ Sedalia Public Library 311 West Third Street Sedalia, MO 65301-4399

Family History Centers

 * Sedalia Missouri Family History Center 1201 W Broadway, Sedalia MO 65301 United States Location Map