Monroe County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for the James Monroe. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse 300 N Main Street Paris, MO 65275-1399 Phone: 660-327-1019 Monroe County Website Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage, divorce and court records. Probate Judge has probate records. County Assessor has land records.

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

Cemeteries

 * 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

Catholic St. Stephen's Church, Indian Creek


 * 1833-1875 St. Stephen's Church, Indian Creek, Baptism Index 1833-1875. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1835-1885 St. Stephen's Church, Indian Creek, Marriage Index 1835-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch.

Court Records

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

African Americans

 * 1865-1881 Monroe County Colored Marriage Book 1 Index 1865-1881. Batch  at FamilySearch.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * 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 Monroe and Shelby Counties, Missouri. 1884. St. Louis, Missouri: National Historical Company. Online at: FamilySearch; and at Missouri Digital History
 * 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * An illustrated historical atlas of Monroe 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

Civil War
Online Naturalization Indexes and 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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

 * Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society
 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Moberly newspapers from the early 1900's that covered local news on residents from Monroe 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 & images ($)

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

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
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1865-1881 Monroe County Birth Index, Volume 1, 1865-1881. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)

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 ($)
 * 1831-1879 Monroe County Marriage Books 1 thru 3 Index 1831-1879. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1879-1885 Monroe County Marriage Books 4 and 5 Index 1879-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * Marriage records, Monroe County, Missouri at Ancestry ($)

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1885 Monroe County Death Index 1883-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 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 ($); Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Societies

 * Monroe County Historical Society PO Box 131 Paris, MO 65275 Phone: 660-327-1831 Website Facebook

Websites

 * Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
 * Monroe County Missouri genealogy research. Contains information for researching genealogy in Monroe 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 ($)