Cole County, Missouri Genealogy

United States Missouri  Cole County

Guide to Cole County Missouri genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1821; Probate Judge has probate records from 1821; Recorder Deeds has marriage and land records from 1821

Parent County
1820--Cole County was created 16 November 1820 from Cooper County. County seat: Jefferson City

Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Cole County boundary changes at N2Genealogy.

Record Loss
Jefferson City, MO Cole County Courthouse Fire

Jefferson City, Mo., March 14. -- The Cole County courthouse was destroyed by fire this afternoon. The records which were in fireproof vaults were not damaged. The building was insured for $70,000. The cost of replacing the structure, it was stated today would be $100,000, though the original cost was $59,000.

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 15 Mar 1918 (source:GenDisasters)

Places/Localities
To see a list of places in Cole County, click on [Show], in the bar above.

The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all Missouri Counties.

Cemeteries

 * The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has burial records for Jefferson City National Cemetery and other Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries around the country.

Maps
Maps of townships (Histopolis)

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

Newspapers
Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Jefferson City newspapers from the early 1900's that covered local news on Cole County residents as well as residents from surrounding counties.

Births

 * 1865-1874 - Cole County Birth Index 1865-1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883 - Cole County Birth Index 1883. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883-1906 - Cole County Birth Index 1883-1906. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1885 - Cole County Birth Index 1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriages

 * 1821-1865 - Cole County Marriage Books A and B Index 1821-1865. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1865-1881 - Cole County Marriage Books C and D Index 1865-1881. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1881-1885 - Cole County Marriage Books 1 and 2 Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Deaths

 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.
 * 1883-1906 - Cole County Death Index 1883-1906. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Societies and Libraries
Cole County Historical Society 109 Madison Street Jefferson City, MO 65101 (573)-635-1850 Website: http://www.colecohistsoc.org/

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Jefferson City Missouri Family History Center

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.