Madison County, Missouri Genealogy

United States &gt; Missouri &gt; Madison County

County Courthouse
A courthouse was not erected until 1822. This was a brick building with a hip roof and a cupola. The cupola was removed in February 1838. This courthouse measured 50 by 50 feet and consisted of two stories, with the courtroom on the second floor. The main entrance was on the south, with a north-south hall and four rooms on the first floor.

The original courthouse was used until 1899, when it was demolished and replaced by the present structure. This was the result of a 5 Sep 1899 referendum, and cost the county $22,000. Madison County's second courthouse, which still stands, was constructed of red brick.

As was the case with the original courthouse, the main entrance is to the south. A 52-by-52-foot courtroom is located on the second floor.

The Madison County courthouse occupies a square in the heart of Fredericktown's downtown district.

For more information, see the following:


 * Madison County Courthouse (Landmark Hunter)
 * Madison County Courthouse (pdf; University of Missouri Extension)

History
Madison County, Missouri was organized 14 Dec 1818 by an act of the territorial legislature. That act became effective 1 Jan 1819. The county was formed from parts of Cape Girardeau and Ste. (correct spelling) Genevieve Counties.

The county was named after President James Madison. Madison had been president until 1817, just shortly before the organization of the county, and was instrumental in facilitating the Louisiana Purchase, of which Madison County was a part.

Fredericktown is Madison County's county seat. The town is believed to have likely derived its name from the first name of one of the area's pioneer settlers, Capt. George Frederick Bollinger.

The earliest European settlement in what became Madison County was at Mine La Motte, located north of the county seat of Fredericktown. A primary motivation for early settlement was the potential for lead mining, and Mine La Motte became an early center for the manufacture of lead ammunition. Madison County is a part of the region of the state which is still referred to as the Lead Belt because of its intense mining activity in the past.

A related early settlement in what became Madison County was the French Catholic village of St. Michaels, settled in 1799 or 1800 (sources differ) and later absorbed into Fredericktown. German Reformed settlers from Bollinger County entered the area after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

The Madison County Circuit Court first met on 12 Jul 1819 in the home of Theodore F. Tong. The County Court, separate from the Circuit Court, was then organized in 1821 and first met in the home of J.G.W. McCabe. Up until that point, Madison County had been divided into three townships: St. Michaels, Liberty, and Castor. The County Court added two additional townships in 1821. These were Twelve Mile and German.

The Battle of Fredericktown took place on 21 Oct 1861 when U.S. Grant ordered Col. Plummer, heading the 11th Missouri Volunteers, to go to Fredericktown in search of Confederate troops led by Jeff Thompson. The Confederates were found about a mile outside of town, and although they were not overtaken by the Union troops, they were forced to evacuate the area and the Union army took a number of prisoners.

The county's estimated 2004 population was 11,948.

For more on the history of Madison County, Missouri, see also:


 * Boundaries of Fredericktown (Genealogy Trails)
 * County Facts (Genealogy Trails)
 * County Seat: Fredericktown (Genealogy Trails)
 * A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets Past and Present of Madison County, Missouri (Springfield/Greene County Library)
 * First Settlers to County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Fredericktown, Missouri (Wikipedia)
 * In Depth History (Missouri's Madison County)
 * Madison County Courthouse (pdf; University of Missouri Extension)
 * Madison County Early History (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Mining (Genealogy Trails)
 * Old Names and Places (Genealogy Trails)
 * Thost, Frances. "History of Mine La Motte," The Democrat-News, Fredericktown, MO, 17 May 1934. Madison County Missouri Mining History (digital copy).
 * View of Madison County (Genealogy Trails)

Parent County
1818--Madison County was created 14 December 1818 from Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve Counties. County seat: Fredericktown

Populated Places

 * Cobalt AKA Cobalt Village: Cobalt Village Map (Maplandia) | ePodunk page | Histopolis page | Wikipedia page
 * Fredericktown (county seat): ePodunk page | Fredericktown Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Missouri Postal History page | Welcome to Fredericktown (official site) | Wikipedia page
 * Junction City: ePodunk page | Histopolis page | Junction City Map (Maplandia) | Wikipedia page
 * Marquand: ePodunk page | Histopolis page | Marquand Map (Maplandia) | Missouri Postal History page | Wikipedia page

Unincorporated:

 * Allbright: Allbright Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Beulah (not to be confused with Beulah in Phelps Co.): Beulah Map (Maplandia) Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Blush (Blush had a post office from 1898 to 1904): Landmark Hunter page - see also Oak Grove
 * Braddy Ford (historical location): Braddy Ford Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Buckhorn: Buckhorn Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Castor Station: Caster Station Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Wikipedia page
 * Catherine - see Catherine Place
 * Catherine Place AKA Catherine (Note: According to one source, Catherine Place is also known as Slabtown (one word). Slab Town (two words) is a separate community located elsewhere in the county.): Catherine Place Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Central: Central Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Cherokee Pass AKA Ebeneezer: Cherokee Pass Map (Maplandia) | Google Map | Histopolis page | Lampher Spring (Find a Spring) | Landmark Hunter page | Wikipedia page
 * Cornwall: Cornwall Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Creek Nation: Creek Nation Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Deguire (Deguire had a post office 1890-1897): Landmark Hunter page
 * Dillons Mine: Landmark Hunter page
 * Ebeneezer - see Cherokee Pass
 * Einstein Silver Mine - see Silver Mine
 * Faro: Faro Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * French Mills: French Mills Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Place Names page
 * Fryeberg: Histopolis page
 * Gordonton AKA Gordontown: Landmark Hunter page
 * Gordontown - see Gordonton
 * Hahns Mill: Hahns Mill Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunterpage
 * Higdon: Higdon Map (Maplandia) | Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page
 * Jewett AKA Leatherwood (had a 19th century post office): Histopolis page | Jewett Map (Maplandia) | Landmark Hunter page | MO HomeTown Locator page
 * Klendike (erroneously listed in Landmark Hunter as Klondike): Histopolis page | Klendike Map (Maplandia) | Landmark Hunter page | MO HomeTown Locator page
 * Lance: Histopolis page | Lance Map (Maplandia) | Landmark Hunter page
 * Leatherwood - see Jewett
 * Marsh Creek: Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Marsh Creek Map (Maplandia)
 * Mill Creek - see Millcreek
 * Millcreek AKA Mill Creek: Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Millcreek Map (Maplandia) | Wikipedia page
 * Mine La Motte (see History section, above): Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Mine La Motte Map(Maplandia) | Mine La Motte Mine | Missouri Postal History page | Wikipedia page
 * Oak Grove AKA Blush: Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Oak Grove Map (Maplandia) | Wikipedia page - see also Blush
 * Pickerville: Histopolis page
 * Roselle: Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Roselle Map (Maplandia)
 * Saco (north of Reed's Bend of St. Francis River; once had a general store and several other businesses; post office 1892-1979): Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Saco Map (Maplandia) | Wikipedia page
 * Shelton Ford (located at a ford on the St. Francis River): Histopolis page | Shelton Ford Map (Maplandia)
 * Silver Mine AKA Einstein Silver Mine AKA Silvermine: Landmark Hunter page
 * Silvermine - see Silver Mine
 * Simmstown: Histopolis page
 * Skrainka (Skrainka had a post office 1884-1897): Landmark Hunter page
 * Slab Town: Histopolis page
 * Sonderman Town: Histopolis page
 * Stacy - see Trace Creek
 * Stringtown: Histopolis page
 * Tin Mountain: Histopolis page | Tin Mountain Map (Maplandia)
 * Trace Creek AKA Stacy AKA Tracecreek: Landmark Hunter page
 * Tracecreek - see Trace Creek
 * Twelve Mile - see Twelvemile
 * Twelvemile AKA Twelve Mile: Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | MO HomeTown Locator page | Twelvemile Map (Maplandia)
 * Varsh Ford: Histopolis page | Varsh Ford Map (Maplandia)
 * Wide Ford: Histopolis page | Wide Ford Map (Maplandia)
 * Zion: Histopolis page | Landmark Hunter page | Wikipedia page | Zion Map (Maplandia)

See also:

 * Madison County Place Names 1928-1945 (State Historical Society of Missouri)
 * Post Offices in Madison County (historical chart; Missouri Postal History)

Neighboring Counties

 * Bollinger (east)
 * Iron (west)
 * Perry (northeast)
 * St. Francois (north)
 * Wayne (south)

Townships

 * Big Creek
 * Castor
 * Central
 * German
 * Liberty
 * Marquand: Complete Analysis (CityMelt) | Detailed Profile (City-Data.com) | Marquand Township (TravelingLuck)
 * Mine La Motte: Complete Analysis (CityMelt) | Detailed Profile (City-Data.com) | Mine La Motte Township (TravelingLuck)
 * Polk
 * St. Francois
 * St. Michael
 * Twelvemile: Detailed Profile (City-Data.com)

General
Note that many Madison County records are available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City. For general information about Madison County records, see the following:


 * Madison County Genealogy, Facts, and Records Resources (n2genealogy)
 * Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf)

General

 * Cemeteries of Madison County (Histopolis)
 * Madison County (Missouri Cemeteries Mailing List County Page)
 * Madison County Cemeteries (ePodunk)
 * Madison County Cemetery Listings (Find A Grave)
 * Madison County Cemetery Listings (RootsWeb)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Cemeteries (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Madison County, Mo. Cemeteries (Mackley Genealogy)

Specific

 * Mine La Motte Cemetery (Find A Grave)
 * Old Mount Pisgah Cemetery (All Cemeteries)
 * Shoemaker Cemetery in Jewett, Missouri (All Cemeteries)

1830

 * 1830 Census (GenWeb)
 * 1830 Census (Internet Archive)
 * 1830 Census Index (GenWeb)
 * 1830 Census Transcriber's Notes (GenWeb)
 * 1830 Madison County Images

1840

 * 1840 Census (Internet Archive)
 * 1840 Madison County Images

1850

 * 1850 Census (RootsWeb): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
 * 1850 Census Index (RootsWeb): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
 * 1850 Census Transcriber's Notes (RootsWeb)
 * 1850 Madison County Images

1860

 * 1860 Census (Internet Archive)
 * 1860 Madison County Images

1870

 * 1870 Census

1876 State Agricultural Census

 * 1876 State Agricultural Census: The census book is in the courthouse, Fredericktown, MO, and has been microfilmed by the State Archives, although this record appears to perhaps be incomplete. This is the only Missouri state census that has survived for Madison County.
 * Madison County State Census 1876 (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Miller, Michael G. 1876 State Census for Madison Co., Missouri: An Original Work. Fredericktown, MO: Foundation for Historical Preservation, 2001. WorldCat page

1880

 * 1880 Census (Internet Archive)

1890 Special Enumeration

 * 1890 Civil War Veterans Census (Genealogy Trails)

1900

 * 1900 Census (Internet Archive)
 * Madison County Federal Census 1900 (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website

1910

 * 1910 Census (Internet Archive)

1930

 * 1930 Census (Internet Archive)

Churches

 * Black River Baptist Association, Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Black River Baptist Association Minutes and Proceedings, 1871-1971 (manuscripts) (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Carter T. Graham: Baptist Pioneer of Southeast Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Madison County (Primitive Baptist Library)
 * Churches (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Association Proceedings, 1897, Missionary Baptist (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Churches (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Madison County Place Names 1928-1945 (includes churches) (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Providence Baptist Church, Madison County, Missouri, Record Book, 1813-1898 (microfilm; State Historical Society of Missouri)
 * Rothensteiner, John. Chronicles of an Old Missouri Parish: Historical Sketches of St. Michaels Church, Fredericktown, Madison County, Mo. St. Louis: Amerika Print, 1917. Google Books | Univ. of Mo. Digital Library
 * Tong, H.F., Historical Sketches of the Baptists of Southeast Missouri. St. Louis: National Baptist Publishing Company, 1888. Google Books

Court
At least one online source says that Madison County court records date back to 1827, but this appears to be incorrect. Court records for the county as microfilmed by the State Archives are extant from as early as 1820, with territorial records dating back to 1810. See Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf).


 * Chancery Court Records 1825-1853 (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Circuit Clerk Office, Madison Co., Mo., Index to Slave &amp; Free Blacks Cases Arranged by Plaintiff (RootsWeb)
 * Madison County Circuit Clerk Index to Circuit Court Criminal Cases 1821-1869 (RootsWeb)
 * Madison County Circuit Court Civil Files 1821-1869 (RootsWeb)

Education

 * 1900 Graduating Class of Fredericktown High School (RootsWeb)
 * Broderick, Gloria. Buckhorn School, Madison County, Missouri. Florissant, MO: Self-published, [2006?]. WorldCat page
 * Buckhorn School (RootsWeb)
 * Fredericktown Schools (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Schools (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Madison County Places Names 1928-1945 (includes schools) (State Historical Society of Missouri)
 * Madison County Schools Index (photos) (RootsWeb)

Genealogies and Biographies

 * Ancil Matthews, Confederate Soldier (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation
 * Carter T. Graham: Baptist Pioneer of Southeast Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Elijah Graham of Madison County, Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Emanuel M. Graham of Madison County, Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Lenoir-Nifong Family, Papers, 1813-1955 (State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO)
 * Madison County Bible Records, Vols. 1 and 2 (books). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Skaggs Family Research Site

Land
Madison County land records date back to 1819. See Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf).


 * Madison County Recorder of Deeds
 * Scanned Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (includes some deeds) (RootsWeb)

Local Histories

 * Douglass, Robert Sidney, History of Southeast Missouri, Vol. 1. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1912. Google Books digital text | Internet Archive digital text
 * Historical Madison: The History of Madison County, Missouri 1818-1988. Fredericktown, MO: Heritage and Landmarks Commission and Madison County Historical Society, 1989.
 * History of Southeast Missouri. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1888. Missouri State Archives digital copy
 * Memories of Fredericktown. Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Mills, James E. Geological Report on the Mine La Motte Estate: The Property of Hon. Rowland Hazard, Situated in Madison County, Missouri. [n.p.:] G.W. &amp; C.B. Colton &amp; Co., 1877. Google Books page
 * Thompson, Henry Clay. A History of Madison County, Missouri. [no publication information: abt 1940]. (Originally published in installments in the Fredericktown Democrat News).

Maps

 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Madison County, Missouri. Norman, OK: Arphax Publishing Co., 2005. WorldCat page
 * Detailed Map of Madison County and Neighboring Regions (Maplandia)
 * Fredericktown: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Libre Map Project contains detailed online topographic maps of Madison County
 * Madison and Surrounding Counties (outline map) (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County 2006 Plat Book. Marceline, MO: Marceline Mapping, 2006. WorldCat page
 * Marquand: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Plats, 1873-1997, for Madison County are available via Missouri State Archives microfilm.

Civil War

 * Ancil Matthews, Confederate Soldier (book). Info. in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Battle of Fredericktown (Wikipedia)
 * Battle of Fredericktown Site (Landmark Hunter)
 * CWSAC Battle Summaries: Fredericktown
 * Smith, Geraldine. Civil War Soldiers in Madison &amp; Surrounding Counties. Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website

Miscellaneous

 * Benjamin C. Cooper Account Book, 1856-1860 (microfilm) (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Justice of the Peace Records, 1841-1845, Madison County, Missouri: Records of Justice of the Peace Caleb Cox (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Madison County Courthouse Plans, 1992 (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Madison County, Missouri Mining History (ACOQQ)
 * Mine La Motte Estate, Madison County, Missouri, Records, 1875-1897 (miners' register; State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Missouri Farm Bureau Federation Reports, 1915-1922 (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Photos of Madison County (RootsWeb)
 * Records of the Valle Mining Company (includes Madison County) (pdf; Rolla Research Center, University of Missouri)
 * Scanned Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (RootsWeb)

Newspapers

 * Chronicling America list of historic Madison County newspapers
 * Democrat News, Fredericktown (currently in operation)
 * The Espial, established 1847, was Madison County's first newspaper
 * Missouri Newspapers on Microfilm at the State Historical Society [Columbia, MO]: Madison County (State Historical Society)
 * Obits (Madison and other area cos.) (Mackley Genealogy)
 * Obituaries (RootsWeb)

Probate
Madison County probate records date from 1821.


 * A List of Wills, Madison County, 1822-1855 (Genealogy Magazine)
 * Madison County Probate/Guardianship, 1800s-1900s (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Madison County Wills: Will Book "A" (Genealogy Trails)
 * Scanned Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (includes will of William M. Matkin) (RootsWeb)

Taxation

 * Madison County Tax Payers 1819-1826 (RootsWeb)
 * Scanned Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (includes some tax receipts) (RootsWeb)
 * Tax lien records 1959 to 1997 are on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives.

Birth

 * 1883-1900: Register of births and still births; permanent record of births. Transcriptions are also accessible via the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Birth &amp; Death Records Database, Pre-1910.
 * 187 Births from Mine La Motte (RootsWeb)

Marriage

 * County records: At least a couple online sources state that Madison County marriage records date back to 1821. Actually, the county's marriage records date as early as 1820, and are accessible on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson County. See Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf).
 * Elder William Elijah Coffer, Ordained Minister of the Gospel, Marriage Book . . . 1890-1913 (RootsWeb)
 * Fredericktown: Deaths, Marriages, and Town Facts and Trivia (Genealogy Trails)
 * Index to Marriage Books A-E (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Madison County Divorce Index 1870-1887 (RootsWeb)
 * Madison County Marriage Books A-E 1821-1881 (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website
 * Madison County, Missouri Divorces 1821-1869 (RootsWeb)

Death

 * 1883-1900: The county has death records covering the period 1883 to 1900. Transcriptions are also accessible via the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Birth &amp; Death Records Database, Pre-1910.
 * 1910-1960: Online scans of Madison County death certificates for 1910-1960 can be accessed in the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Deaths Certificates database.
 * Fredericktown: Deaths, Marriages, and Town Facts and Trivia (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Death Records, 1850-1885 (book). Info in Foundation for Historic Preservation website)
 * Madison County, Missouri Coroner's Inquests - 1825-1918 (RootsWeb)

Societies and Libraries

 * The Foundation for Historic Preservation, 1312 Madison 401, Fredericktown, MO 63645
 * Historic Madison County, 122 North Main Street, Fredericktown, MO 63645: Facebook page
 * Ozark Regional Library (has branch at 115 South Main Street, Fredericktown, MO, 573-783-2120)
 * River Heritage Association, New Madrid, MO (covers several counties including Madison)

Web Sites

 * Discover Southeast Missouri Photo Gallery: River Heritage Association Meeting - August 6th - Fredericktown, MO (River Heritage Association)
 * Fredericktown, Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot (Landmark Hunter)
 * The Fredericktown Railroad Depot
 * Genealogy Trails: Madison County, Missouri
 * Madison County Chamber of Commerce
 * Madison County Detailed Profile (City-Data.org)
 * Madison County Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Madison County, Missouri (eReference Desk)
 * Madison County, Missouri (MO GenWeb)
 * Madison County, Missouri (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy &amp; Family History Resources (Kindred Trails)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy, Facts, and Records Resources (n2genealogy)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Missouri's Madison County: History
 * Ozarks Watch: Discovering Fredericktown
 * Profile for Madison County, Missouri (ePodunk)
 * St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railroad Depot, Fredericktown (Landmark Hunter)
 * Silver Mine Dam (Landmark Hunter)
 * Silver Mine Dam (Landmark Hunter)