Madison County, Missouri Genealogy

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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 on the history of the Madison County courthouses, see the following:


 * 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)
 * First Settlers to County (Genealogy Trails)
 * Fredericktown, Missouri (Wikipedia)
 * 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)
 * 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: ePodunk page | Wikipedia page
 * Fredericktown (county seat): ePodunk page | Wikipedia page
 * Junction City: ePodunk page | Wikipedia page
 * Marquand: ePodunk page | Wikipedia page

Unincorporated:

 * Castor Station: Wikipedia page
 * Millcreek: Wikipedia page
 * Mine La Motte: Wikipedia page
 * Oak Grove: Wikipedia page
 * Saco: Wikipedia page
 * Zion: Wikipedia page

Neighboring Counties

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

Townships

 * Castor
 * German
 * Liberty
 * St. Michaels
 * Twelve Mile

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)

Cemeteries

 * Missouri Cemeteries Mailing List County Page: Madison County
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Cemeteries (MO Home Town Locator)

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.

1910

 * 1910 Census (Internet Archive)

Churches

 * Madison County Cultural Features: Churches (MO Home Town Locator)
 * 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
 * Tong, H.F., Historical Sketches of the Baptists of Southeast Missouri. St. Louis: National Baptist Publishing Company, 1888. Google Books

Coroner
Madison County coroner's records from 1821 to 1890 are available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City.

Court
One online source says that Madison County court records date back to 1827, but this is 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).

Education

 * Fredericktown Schools (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Schools (MO Home Town Locator)

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

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
 * Thompson, Henry Clay. A History of Madison County, Missouri. [no publication information: abt 1940]. (Originally published in installments in the Fredericktown Democrat News).

Maps

 * Fredericktown: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Madison and Surrounding Counties (outline map) (Genealogy Trails)
 * Marquand: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Plats, 1873-1997, for Madison County are available via Missouri State Archives microfilm.

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

Probate
Madison County probate records date from 1821.

Taxation

 * 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.

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).
 * Fredericktown: Deaths, Marriages, and Town Facts and Trivia (Genealogy Trails)

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)

Web Sites

 * Genealogy Trails: Madison County, Missouri
 * Madison County Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Madison County, Missouri (MO GenWeb)
 * Madison County, Missouri (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy, Facts, and Records Resources (n2genealogy)
 * Madison County, Missouri Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Profile for Madison County, Missouri (ePodunk)
 * Profile for Madison County, Missouri (ePodunk)