Pettis County, Missouri Genealogy

Guide to Pettis 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 Spencer Darwin Pettis. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Pettis County Courthouse 415 S. Ohio Avenue Sedalia, MO 65301 Phone: 660-826-5395 Pettis County Website Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records from 1833. Probate Court has probate records from 1833. Clerk of the Circuit Court has court records.

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

Biographies

 * Portrait and biographical record of Johnson and Pettis Counties, Missouri at Ancestry ($)

Cemeteries

 * Pettis County, Missouri Cemetery Records, Vol. 1 at Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census Records

 * 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Catholic St. John's, Bahner


 * 1846-1876 St. John's, Bahner, Baptism Index 1846-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch.
 * 1851-1885 St. John's, Bahner, Marriage Index 1851-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * St. Louis
 * St. Louis N.
 * St. Louis S.
 * Sedalia

Court Records

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Local Histories

 * History of Missouri's Counties, County Seats, and Courthouse Squares. 1983. by Marian M. Ohman. Missouri: Missouri State Library. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * The History of Pettis County, Missouri. 1882. By I. McDonald Demuth. n.p. : n.p. Online at FamilySearch; Hathitrust; Internet Archive; Google Books
 * History of Pettis County, Missouri. 1919. By Mark A. McGruder. Topeka, Kansas: Historical Publishing Company. Online at: FamilySearch; and at Missouri Digital History
 * History of Pettis County, Missouri, including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships .... 1882. n.p: n.p.. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Johnson and Pettis Counties, Missouri. 1895. Chicago: Chapman Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch; and at Missouri Digital History
 * State of Missouri: an autobiography. 1904. By Walter Williams. Columbia, Mo: Press of E. W. Stephens. Online at: Missouri Digital History

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Pettis County townships (Histopolis)
 * Missouri As It Is In 1867. 1867. by Nathan II. Parker. Philadelpia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Pettis County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * Map of 1904 Pettis County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)
 * Plat book of Pettis County, Missouri at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1900-1941 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1911-1938  at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Regiments

Service men in Pettis 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 Pettis County, Missouri:

World War II

 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1941-1946  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available online. Their database has Sedalia newspapers from the late 1800's and early 1900's that covered local news on Pettis County residents as well as residents from surrounding counties.
 * Sedalia Democrat, The (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry ($)
 * Sedalia Daily Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry ($)
 * Daily Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) at Ancestry ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1750-1988 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1833-1875 Pettis County, Missouri: Index to the General Probate Index, 1833-1875 at Ancestry ($)

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 - How to Use this Collection
 * 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1865-1874 Pettis County Birth Index 1865-1874. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1920-2015 Reclaim the Records: Missouri Birth Index at Archive.org - images of index

Marriage

 * 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1776-1988 Missouri, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1865-1884 Pettis County Marriage Index 1865-1884. Batch  at FamilySearch.
 * 1884-1885 Pettis County Marriage Index 1884-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch.
 * 1891 Pettis County, Missouri, Marriages, performed in 1891, listed in the Sedalia Weekly Bazoo Newspaper.

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * Missouri State Archives provides online 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

Family History Centers

 * Sedalia Missouri Family History Center

Libraries

 * Sedalia Public Library 311 West Third Street Sedalia, MO 65301-4399

Societies

 * Pettis County Historical Society/ Sedalia Public Library 311 West Third Street Sedalia, MO 65301-4399

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
 * genealogytrails.com. Free. data submitted by individuals
 * 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 ($)