Vernon County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Colonel Miles Vernon, state senator, and veteran of the Battle of New Orleans. The County is located in the western area of the state.

County Courthouse
Vernon County Courthouse 100 W Cherry Street Nevada, MO 64772 Phone: 417-448-2500 Vernon County Website County Clerk has birth and death records 1883-1904. Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records. Probate Court has probate records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Vernon County, MO, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTownLocator. 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

 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census Records

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

Where is present-day Vernon County, Missouri Found in the Federal Census? 1830: North of the Osage River: Jackson County, MO 1830: South of the Osage River: Crawford County, MO 1840: Van Buren County, MO except for the southern 1/4th of the county which was enumerated as Newton County, MO 1850: Bates County, MO 1860-present: Vernon County, MO

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

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

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

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 Vernon County, Missouri. 1887. St. Louis: Brown and Co. Online at: FamilySearch; and at Missouri Digital History
 * History of Vernon County, Missouri, Vol 2. 1911. by J. B. Johnson. Chicago, Illinois: C. F. Cooper and 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 Vernon 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 Vernon County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * Map of 1904 Vernon County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)
 * Plat Book of Vernon 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 Civil War Battles The following Civil War Battles were fought in Vernon County.
 * 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
 * September 2, 1861 - Dry Wood Creek, also known as Big Dry Wood Creek, Battle of the Mules.
 * October 25, 1864 - Marmiton River, also known as Shiloh Creek, Charlot’s Farm.
 * 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 ($)
 * 1855-1963 Vernon County Probate Index, 1855-1963. Index may be searched by surname of the deceased, the administrator or the heirs. Record copies may be ordered for a nominal sum. The index provides the following:

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 ($)
 * 1883-1897 Vernon County Birth Index 1883-1897. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)

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
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1855-1885 - Vernon County Marriage Index 1855-1885. Batches and  at FamilySearch.

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1897 Vernon County Death Index 1883-1897. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * 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.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Nevada Missouri FamilySearch Center

Societies

 * Vernon County Historical Society 212 West Walnut Nevada, MO 64772 Phone: 417-667-5841 Website

Websites

 * Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
 * Vernon County MOGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * 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 ($)