Atchison County, Missouri Genealogy


 * This article is about a northwestern Missouri County. For other uses, see Atchison.

United States Missouri  Atchison County

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

County Courthouse
County Recorder has marriage and land records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records; County Clerk has birth records 1883-1893; Probate Judge has probate records

Parent County
1843--Atchison County was created 23 February 1843 from Holt County. County seat: Rock Port Atchison County was originally named Allen County when it was formed in 1843. It was renamed Atchison, County in 1845.

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
For a list of record loss in Missouri counties see: Missouri Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities

 * The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all 114 Missouri Counties.

Neighboring Counties
Fremont County, Iowa • Holt • Nemaha County, Nebraska • Nodaway • Otoe County, Nebraska • Page County, Iowa • Richardson County, Nebraska

Cemeteries

 * Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Fairfax BillionGraves
 * Cemeteris of Atchison County

Local Histories
A Biographical History of Nodaway and Atchison counties, Missouri compendium of national biography (1901) is available online free from Google Books. Part I contains biographies of national celebrities. Part II (starts on p.219) contains biographies of Atchison and Nodaway county residents.

History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from the History of Holt and Atchison Counties


 * The earliest inhabitants of what is now Missouri where Indians.
 * The first non indians to lay claim to what is now Missouri were the French
 * 1768 - Spain became the "owners" of the area.
 * 1800 October 1 - Spain ceded this area back to France
 * 1803 October 31 - France ceded this territory to the USA.
 * 1821 August 10 - Missouri became a state.
 * 1836 - The "Platte Purchase" was made with the Indians.
 * 1839 - The first white settler to settle in what is now Atchison County.
 * 1843 February 23 - Atchison County was organized.

Maps

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Atchison County townships (Histopolis)


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

Migration
Early migration routes to and from for European and African American settlers included:


 * Missouri River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Deaths

 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers