Madison County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for James Madison. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Madison County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Fredericktown, MO 63645 Phone: 573-783-2176 Madison County Website County Clerk has birth and death records 1883-1900 and local census 1876. Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce and court records from 1821 and military discharge records from 1943. County Magistrate has probate records from 1820. County Assessor has land records from 1821.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Madison 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
General
 * Cemeteries of Madison County (Histopolis)
 * Madison County (Missouri Cemeteries Mailing List County Page)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Cemeteries (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Madison County, Mo. Cemeteries (Mackley Genealogy)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census Records
1830
 * 1830 Census (Internet Archive)

1840
 * 1840 Census (Internet Archive)

1850
 * , book, images (FS Library)
 * 1850 Census (RootsWeb): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
 * 1850 Census Index (RootsWeb): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
 * 1850 Census Transcriber's Notes (RootsWeb)

1860
 * 1860 Census (Internet Archive)

1870
 * 1870 Census

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 may be incomplete. This is the only Missouri state census that has survived for Madison County.
 * , book and digital images of Missouri State and Territorial Census Records. (FS Library)
 * Miller, Michael G. 1876 State Census for Madison Co., Missouri: An Original Work. Fredericktown, MO: Foundation for Historical Preservation, 2001. Other Libraries

1880
 * 1880 Census (Internet Archive)

1890 Special Enumeration
 * 1890 Civil War Veterans Census (Genealogy Trails)
 * , book, images (FS Library)
 * , book, images (FS Library)

1900
 * 1900 Census (Internet Archive)

1910
 * 1910 Census (Internet Archive)

1920

1930
 * 1930 Census (Internet Archive)

State and Territorial Census Records
 * 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places


 * Black River Baptist Association, Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Black River Baptist Association Minutes and Proceedings, 1871-1971 (manuscripts) (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Carter T. Graham: Baptist Pioneer of Southeast Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Madison County (Primitive Baptist Library)
 * Churches (Genealogy Trails)
 * Churches of Madison County (RootsWeb)
 * Copper Mines Free Will Baptist Church, The First One Hundred Years, 1906-2006 (RootsWeb)
 * Greens Chapel Church Ledger (RootsWeb)
 * Madison County Association Proceedings, 1897, Missionary Baptist (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Churches (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Madison County Place Names 1928-1945 (includes churches) (State Historical Society, Columbia, MO)
 * Providence Baptist Church, Madison County, Missouri, Record Book, 1813-1898 (microfilm; State Historical Society of Missouri)
 * Bethany Baptist Church, Madison County, Missouri, Record Book, 1829-1992 (starts 1816) (microfilm R0725; Western Historical Manuscripts Collection, University of Missouri-Rolla) (While the collections has a restriction that reads:"RESTRICTION -- Written permission of Bethany United Baptist Church is required prior to the use of this collection. This restriction will expire on 1 January 2076." Access is available by simply writing the current pastor. He may not even be aware of the collection or its restriction.)
 * 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 | Univ. of Mo. Digital Library
 * Tong, H.F., Historical Sketches of the Baptists of Southeast Missouri. St. Louis: National Baptist Publishing Company, 1888. Google Books

Court Records
At least one online source says that Madison County court records date back to 1827, but this appears to be 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).


 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1821-1869 Madison County Circuit Clerk Index to Circuit Court Criminal Cases 1821-1869 (RootsWeb)
 * 1821-1869 Madison County Circuit Court Civil Files 1821-1869 (RootsWeb)
 * Circuit Clerk Office, Madison Co., Mo., Index to Slave &amp; Free Blacks Cases Arranged by Plaintiff (RootsWeb)

African Americans

 * Circuit Clerk Office, Madison Co., Mo., Index to Slave &amp; Free Blacks Cases Arranged by Plaintiff (RootsWeb)

Genealogies

 * Carter T. Graham: Baptist Pioneer of Southeast Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Elijah Graham of Madison County, Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Emanuel M. Graham of Madison County, Missouri (Genealogy &amp; History Notes)
 * Families of Madison County, Missouri (with photos) (RootsWeb)
 * Hovis, E.H.A. "Big Creek As It Was Fifty Years Ago," Democrat-News, Fredericktown, MO, 18 Jan 1922 (discusses a number of area families of the 1870s)
 * Lenoir-Nifong Family, Papers, 1813-1955 (State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO)
 * People of Madison County (RootsWeb)
 * Skaggs Family Research Site

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

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office (search for Madison County land patents; searching with no particular surname yields 124 pages of hits)
 * Index of Land Patents (RootsWeb)
 * Madison County Recorder of Deeds
 * Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (includes some deeds) (RootsWeb)

Local Histories

 * A History of Madison County, Missouri. By Henry Clay Thompson. Abt 1940. (Originally published in installments in the Fredericktown Democrat News).
 * Chronicles of an Old Missouri Parish : historical sketches of St. Michael's church, Fredericktown, Madison County, Mo. By John Ernest Rothensteiner. 1917. St. Louis, Mo. : "Amerika" Print. Available online at FamilySearch
 * Historical Madison: The History of Madison County, Missouri 1818-1988. Fredericktown, MO: Heritage and Landmarks Commission and Madison County Historical Society, 1989.
 * 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, Vol. 1. By Robert Sidney Douglass. 1912. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company. Available online at Google Books; | Internet Archive.
 * History of Southeast Missouri. 1888. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Online at: Missouri State Archives; 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)
 * Interactive map of Madison County townships. (Histopolis)
 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Madison County, Missouri. Norman, OK: Arphax Publishing Co., 2005. WorldCat page. Available online at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Detailed Map of Madison County and Neighboring Regions (Maplandia)
 * Fredericktown: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Libre Map Project contains detailed online topographic maps of Madison County
 * Madison and Surrounding Counties (outline map) (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County 2006 Plat Book. Marceline, MO: Marceline Mapping, 2006. WorldCat page
 * Marquand: Sanborn insurance maps (University of Missouri)
 * Missouri As It Is In 1867. 1867. by Nathan II. Parker. Philadelpia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * Old Geological Survey [map of Madison County] (RootsWeb)
 * Plat Book of Madison County, Missouri (about 1930; University of Missouri)
 * Plats, 1873-1997, for Madison County are available via Missouri State Archives microfilm.
 * Township Plat Maps, Madison County (RootsWeb)
 * Plat Book of Madison 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

Civil War Battle The following Civil War Battle was fought in Madison County.
 * October 21, 1861 - Fredericktown.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

World War I

 * Madison County veterans : World War I''Fredericktown, Missouri : Historic Madison County (Society), 2001 FS Library 977.891 M2h v. 1

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

 * Chronicling America list of historic Madison County newspapers
 * Democrat News, Fredericktown (currently in operation)
 * Madison County, Missouri Newspapers on Microfilm at the State Historical Society (Columbia, MO): Madison County (State Historical Society)
 * Miscellaneous Newspaper Articles (RootsWeb)
 * Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society
 * Obits (Madison and other area cos.) (Mackley Genealogy)
 * Scanned Newspaper Articles of Madison County (RootsWeb)
 * The Espial, established 1847, was Madison County's first newspaper

Obituaries

 * Obituaries (RootsWeb)

Probate Records
Madison County probate records date from 1821.

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 & images ($)
 * Madison County Wills: Will Book "A" - 1822-1855 (Genealogy Trails)
 * Scanned Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (includes will of William M. Matkin) (RootsWeb)

School Records

 * 1900 Graduating Class of Fredericktown High School (RootsWeb)
 * Broderick, Gloria. Buckhorn School, Madison County, Missouri. Florissant, MO: Self-published, [2006?]. WorldCat page
 * Buckhorn School (RootsWeb)
 * Fredericktown History (history of Fredericktown R-1 School District)
 * Fredericktown Schools (Genealogy Trails)
 * Madison County Cultural Features: Schools (MO Home Town Locator)
 * Madison County Place Names 1928-1945 (includes schools) (State Historical Society of Missouri)
 * Madison County Schools Index (photos) (RootsWeb)
 * Marvin College (RootsWeb)
 * Marvin College and Conservatory of Music Sixty-Ninth Annual Announcement 1915-1916 (RootsWeb)

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

Tax Records

 * Madison County Tax Payers 1819-1826 (RootsWeb)
 * Scanned Letters, Wills, Deeds, and Misc. Old Documents, Iron and Madison Counties (includes some tax receipts) (RootsWeb)
 * Tax lien records 1959 to 1997 are on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives.

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
 * 1835-1880 Madison County Birth Index, Volumes B thru E, 1835-1880. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1883-1900 Register of births and still births; permanent record of births. Transcriptions are also accessible via the Missouri State Archives website in its Missouri Birth &amp; Death Records Database, Pre-1910.
 * 178 Births from Mine La Motte (RootsWeb)
 * 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)

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 ($)
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1821-1835 Madison County Marriage Book A Index 1821-1835. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1835-1880 Madison County Marriage Books B thru E Index 1835-1880. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1881-1885 Madison County Marriage Book F Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1890-1913 Elder William Elijah Coffer, Ordained Minister of the Gospel, Marriage Book . . . 1890-1913 (RootsWeb)
 * Fredericktown: Deaths, Marriages, and Town Facts and Trivia (Genealogy Trails)
 * 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).

Death

 * 1825-1918 Madison County, Missouri Coroner's Inquests - 1825-1918 (RootsWeb)
 * 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
 * 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 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 ($); Ancestry ($)
 * Online scans of Madison County death certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910 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)

Divorce

 * 1821-1869 Madison County, Missouri Divorces 1821-1869 (RootsWeb)
 * 1870-1887 Madison County Divorce Index 1870-1887 (RootsWeb)

Archives

 * Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Madison County (pdf)

Libraries

 * Ozark Regional Library 115 South Main Street Fredericktown, MO Phone: 573-783-2120 Website Facebook

Museums

 * Historic Madison County 122 North Main Street Fredericktown, MO 63645 Facebook

Societies

 * Historic Madison County 122 N. Main St. Fredericktown, MO 63645 573-783-4085 Email: [mailto:raskaggs_2000@yahoo.com raskaggs_2000@yahoo.com] Facebook


 * River Heritage Association 437 Main St. New Madrid, MO 63869 573-748-5510 Email: [mailto:info@riverheritageregion.com info@riverheritageregion.com] Website

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 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
 * epodunk.com. Free. profile and links regarding Madison County
 * Missouri Genealogy. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)