Missouri, Cole County Circuit Court Case Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is In This Collection?
This collection contains digital images of case files primarily regarding disputed estates and divorces. It covers the years 1820 to 1927.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Court
 * Names of interested parties
 * Date of court proceeding or transaction
 * Details of the case
 * Amount of monies exchanged or paid
 * Names of relatives, neighbors, or witnesses
 * Residences
 * Occupations

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Search for vital records such as birth, marriage, and death
 * Search for the family in census records
 * Search for church and land records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Missouri.
 * Missouri Guided Research
 * Missouri Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Cole County, Circuit Court case files, 1823-1866
 * Cole County, Circuit Court case files, 1867-1899
 * Cole County, Circuit Court case files, 1900-1922
 * Cole County, Circuit Court case files, 1923-1927

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries and Osage counties, Missouri : from the earliest time to the present, including a department devoted to the preservation of sundry personal, business, professional and private records, besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, etc. Chicago, Illinois : Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1889
 * Joseph Jackson Gravely. The organization of the courts of Missouri. (1915)

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.