Sullivan County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for John Sullivan. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Sullivan County Courthouse 109 N Main Street Milan, MO 63556 Phone: 660-265-3786 Sullivan County Website Recorder of Deeds has incomplete birth records 1867-1895, marriage and land records from 1845, death records 1883-1896. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1845. Probate Judge has probate records from 1845.

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

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 Missouri Digital Heritage


 * 1795 - The area now known as Sullivan County was claimed by the Missouris.
 * 1836 - The first white settlers came to the county.
 * 1842 - Settlements now existed along all the streams of the northern part of the County. These settlements were grouped according to the localities of the immigrants.
 * 1845 February 14 - Sullivan County was founded.
 * 1845 May 6 - Sullivan County was divided into townships.
 * 1849 - The Chariton Land District was established.

Cemeteries

 * Sullivan County, Missouri Cemetery Records, Volumes 1-5 at Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census Records

 * 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Catholic Milan


 * 1870-1872 Milan Catholic Church Baptism Index 1870-1872. Batch  at FamilySearch.

Court Records

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories

 * History of Adair, Sullivan, Putnam and Schuyler Counties, Missouri. 1888. Chicago, Illinois : Goodspeed Pub. Co. Available online at FamilySearch
 * The Milan Standard Souvenir Edition. By John N. Shepler. 1895. Milan, Mo. : [Milan Standard]. Available online at FamilySearch

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Family Maps of Sullivan County, Missouri Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Interactive map of Sullivan County townships (Histopolis)
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Sullivan County.
 * An illustrated historical atlas of Sullivan County, Mo. at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1900-1941 at FamilySearch — images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1911-1938  at FamilySearch — index and images

Regiments

Service men in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, Missouri:

World War II

 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1941-1946 at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1750-1988 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1849-1880 Sullivan County, Missouri Wills, 1849-1880 at Ancestry ($)

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.

Birth

 * Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index.
 * 1817-1939 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1885 Sullivan County Birth Index 1867-1884. Batches, , and at FamilySearch.
 * 1920-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index

Marriage

 * 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1776-1988 Missouri, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1845-1881 - Sullivan County Marriage Index 1845-1881. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1881-1885 Sullivan County Marriage Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * Marriage records of Sullivan County, Missouri at Ancestry ($)

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976  at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1883 - Sullivan County Death Index 1883. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.
 * 1968-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Death Index at Archive.org - images of index

Societies

 * Sullivan County Historical Society 117 North Water Street Milan, MO 63556-1023 Website

Websites

 * Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
 * 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 ($)