Howell County, Missouri Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth records 1883-1895 and death records 1883-1893; Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Deeds has marriage, divorce, court and land records; Associate Circuit Court has probate records.

Parent County
1857 Howell County was created from Oregon and Ozark Counties. County seat: West Plains

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Missouri county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Missouri County Boundary Maps" (1804-1889) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1863 The courthouse was burned. Most records were destroyed.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog




 * The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all 114 Missouri Counties.

Neighboring Counties
Douglas •  Fulton County, Arkansas  •  Oregon  •  Ozark  •  Shannon  •  Texas

Cemeteries

 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Genealogy Cemeteries

Census

 * 1732-1933 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Howell County, Missouri Census, 1880 at Ancestry.com ($)

Court

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories
A history of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas being an account of the early settlements, the Civil War, the Ku-Klux, and times of peace (1907) by William Monks a resident of Howell County is available free online from Google Books.

Maps

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Howell County townships (Histopolis)


 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Howell County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.

Military

 * 1900 - 1941 at FamilySearch — images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * at FamilySearch — images
 * Community and Conflict: the Impact of the Civil War in the Ozarks, Howell County.

Regiments

Service men in Howell 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 Howell County, Missouri:
 * - 4th Regiment, Missouri Infantry - Confederate, Company B
 * - 4th Regiment, Missouri Infantry - Confederate, Company C
 * - 8th Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company C

World War II

 * 1941-1946 - at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1750 - 1988 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1766 - 1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Births

 * 1827 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1851 - 1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $

Marriages

 * 1750 - 1920 at FamilySearch.org — 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.com $
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1867 - 1881 Howell County Marriage Books A thru C Index 1867-1881. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1881 - 1885 Howell County Marriage Book 1 Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1885 Howell County Marriage Book 2 Index 1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Deaths

 * 1834 - 1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * 1867 - 1976 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries

 * List of Missouri Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * West Plains Missouri Family History Center 2800 Christie Dr, West Plains, MO 65775 United States Location Map
 * West Plains Missouri Family History Center 2800 Christie Dr, West Plains, MO 65775 United States Location Map