Step-by-Step Missouri Research, 1850-1910

Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :


 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History at ThoughtCo.com
 * Creating Oral Histories at FamilySearch Wiki

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.





Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Missouri Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.



Death Indexes

 * 1850-1860 Missouri, Federal Census Mortality Schedules Index, 1850 and 1860 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1850-1931 Missouri, U.S., Death Records, 1850-1931 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1873-1976 Missouri, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1873-1976 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Secretary of State — index & images
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1960 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1910-1972 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1972 at Missouri Secretary of State — index & images
 * 1935-2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($); Picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off by providing information filed in the application or claims process
 * 1962-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1968-2015 Missouri, U.S., Death Records, 1968-2015 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1968-Onwards Missouri, Deaths at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Coroner's Inquest Database at Missouri Secretary of State — index

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
 * Where to Write for Missouri Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituary Collections

 * 1808-Onward Newspaper Collection at State Historical Society of Missouri — index
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Missouri Digitized Newspapers at Chronically America, Library of Congress — index & images
 * Missouri Newspapers and Obituaries at LDS Genealogy — index
 * Missouri Obits at Mackley Genealogy — index & images
 * Missouri Online Historical Newspapers at Online Historical Newspapers — index

Cemetery Record Collections

 * 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * BillionGraves — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Findmypast ($)
 * Cemeteries at Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society — index
 * FindaGrave — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries at I Dream of Genealogy — index
 * Missouri Cemeteries at USGenWeb Tombstones — index
 * Missouri Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy — index
 * Missouri Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy — index
 * Missouri Cemetery Transcriptions at Look to the Past — index
 * Missouri Death Records and Missouri Cemetery Records at Interment.net — index
 * Missouri Gravestone Photo Project at MissouriGravestones — index & images
 * Online Missouri Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index

For more information, see Missouri Obituaries and Missouri Cemeteries.

Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births at the state level started in 1910, and marriages in 1948. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.'''

Online Records
Births Marriages
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, U.S., Miscellaneous Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1847-2002 Missouri, U.S., Birth Registers, 1847-2002 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Secretary of State — index & images ($)
 * 1910-Onward Missouri Births at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1754-1850 Missouri, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1754-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1766-1983 Missouri, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1766-1983 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, U.S., Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Pre-1840 Missouri Marriages Before 1840 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1851-1900 Missouri, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * Missouri Marriages Before 1840, by Ormesher, Susan. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1982. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Missouri Counties.

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Missouri, see How to Find Missouri Birth Records, How to Find Missouri Marriage Records, and How to Find Missouri Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.

'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Missouri Military Records.
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration. Example of a christening record.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch Indexes

 * 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1827-2004 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Catholic

 * 1695-1954 U.S., French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Methodist

 * 1856-1970 Missouri, U.S., United Methodist Church Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * 1867-1933 Missouri, U.S., Quaker Records Index, 1867-1933 at Ancestry — index ($)

- For help with church records kept in Missouri, see Missouri Church Records. To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.

Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * 1750-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1766-1988 Missouri, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Missouri county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Missouri Counties

For more information, see Missouri Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Missouri Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records


 * 1500-Onward All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry — index & images; includes those with destination of Missouri ($); Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage — index & images; includes those with destination of Missouri ($)

Cultural Groups

 * 1812 British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1875-1895 Westliche Post Death Notice Index at St. Louis County Library — index
 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Missouri
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage  — index ($) ; includes those with destination of Missouri
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Missouri
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Missouri

Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)

Missouri Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records


 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1816-1955 Missouri Digital Heritage Naturalization Records, 1816-1955 at Missouri Secretary of State — index
 * 1830-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1840-1990 Missouri, U.S., Western District Naturalization Index, 1840-1990 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1856-1942 Missouri, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1942 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

For more information, see Missouri Emigration and Immigration and Missouri Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * 1777-1969 Land Records: 1777-1969 at Missouri Secretary of State — index ($)

For more information, see Missouri Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Missouri; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"


 * Google Books. Use keywords "Missouri" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * County and Town Histories
 * Internet Archive. Use keywords "Missouri" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Missouri and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections

 * 1901 Missouri History Encyclopedia, 1901 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1908 Missouri History, 1908 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * A History of Missouri : From the Earliest Explorations and Settlements Until the Admission of the State Into the Union at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Battles and Biographies of Missourians, or, the Civil War Period of Our State, by Webb, W. L. Kansas City, Missouri: Hudson-Kimberly Pub. Co., 1900. Online at: HathiTrust
 * Central Missouri Counties Biographies at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * County and Town Histories, Missouri at LearnWebSkills — index & images
 * Missouri Biographical Dictionary at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Missouri Biographies by County at My Genealogy Hound — index
 * Missouri Genealogy – Free Missouri Genealogy at AccessGenealogy — index

For more information, see Missouri Biography.

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Missouri, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Missouri, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Missouri Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Missouri Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Missouri Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Missouri Online Genealogy Records

Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Missouri.
This article focused more on Missouri state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Missouri. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.