Cape Girardeau County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Ensign Sieur Jean Baptiste de Girardot (also spelled Girardeau or Girardat) and a rock. The County is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cape Girardeau County Courthouse 1 Barton Square Jackson, MO 63755 Phone: 573-243-3547 Cape Girardeau County Website County Clerk has birth and death records 1883-1893 and land records 1821-1859. County Recorder has marriage records. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records. Probate Judge has probate records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Cape Girardeau 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:

Cemeteries

 * Cape Girardeau and Adjoining Counties, Missouri, Cemetery Records at Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Genealogy Cemeteries

Census Records

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Evangelical '''Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Jackson


 * 1884-1909 Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Jackson, Baptism Index 1884-1909. Batch  at FamilySearch.

St. James Evangelical Church, Tilsit


 * 1892-1973 St. James Evangelical Church, Tilsit, Baptism Index 1892-1973. Batch at FamilySearch.

Salem Evangelical Church


 * 1874-1898 Salem Evangelical Church Baptism Index 1874-1898. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1874-1895 Salem Evangelical Church Marriage Index 1874-1895. Batch at FamilySearch.

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
 * History of Southeast Missouri. 1888. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Online 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 Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * Map of 1904 Cape Girardeau County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)
 * Plat Book of Cape Girardeau County, Missouri at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - 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 Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County, Missouri:

Civil War Battle The following Civil War Battle was fought in Cape Girardeau County.
 * April 26, 1863 - Cape Girardeau.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

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

 * Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and 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 $

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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 $
 * 1866-1871 Cape Girardeau County Birth Index, Volume D, 1866-1871. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)

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
 * 1805-1868 Cape Girardeau County Marriage Books A thru C Index 1805-1868. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry $
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1868-1885 Cape Girardeau County Marriage Books D and E Index 1868-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images $
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1893 Cape Girardeau County Death Index 1883-1893. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * 1968-2022 Missouri, Death Index, 1968-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($); Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Archives
Cape Girardeau County Archive Center 112 E Washington St Jackson, MO 63755 Telephone: (573) 204-2331 Email: [mailto:archive@capecounty.us archive@capecounty.us] Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Cape Girardeau Missouri FamilySearch Center

Libraries

 * Riverside Regional Library Main Library: 1997 E. Jackson Blvd. P.O. Box 389 Jackson, MO 63755 Phone: 573-243-8141 Website

Societies

 * Cape Girardeau County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 571 Jackson, MO 63755 Email: [mailto:capegenealogy@gmail.com capegenealogy@gmail.com] Website Facebook


 * Cape Girardeau County History Center 102 S High St. Jackson, MO 63755 (573) 979-5170 Email: [mailto:cgchistorycenter@yahoo.com cgchistorycenter@yahoo.com] Website

Websites

 * Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Cape Girardeau MOGenWeb
 * Linkpendium
 * Cyndi's List
 * Missouri Genealogy
 * . 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.