Buchanan County, Missouri Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Register of Deeds has marriage records; Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce records; Probate Judge has probate records; Magistrate Court has court records; County Assessor has land records.

History
Buchanan County was added to the state of Missouri with the Platte Purchase, finalized in the year 1837. Prior to that it was part of the Indian lands and only a few white settlers and fur trappers occupied the region.

Parent County
1838 Buchanan County was created 31 December 1838 from the Platte Purchase. When originally formed in 1838, the county was named Roberts County, after settler Hiram Roberts; it was renamed in 1839 for James Buchanan, then a U.S. Senator and later President of the United States. County seat: St. Joseph

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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.

Populated Places

 * St. Joseph

Neighboring Counties
Andrew •  Atchison County, Kansas  •  Clinton  •  Dekalb  •  Doniphan County, Kansas  •  Platte

Biographies

 * Buchanan and Clinton Counties, Missouri Biographical Record at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Portrait and biographical record of Buchanan and Clinton Counties, Missouri : containing biographical sketches of prominent and at Ancestry.com ($)

Cemeteries

 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Genealogy Cemeteries

Census

 * 1732-1933 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Catholic
Cathedral, St. Joseph


 * 1856 - 1876 Cathedral, St. Joseph, Baptism Index 1856-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1846 - 1876 Cathedral, St. Joseph, Marriage Index 1846-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph


 * 1860 - 1876 Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph, Baptism Index 1860-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1885 Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph, Marriage Index 1860-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

St. Joseph's, Easton


 * 1868 - 1876 St. Joseph's, Easton, Baptism Index 1868-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1868 - 1885 St. Joseph's, Easton, Marriage Index 1868-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

St. Patrick's, St. Joseph


 * 1869 - 1876 St. Patrick's, St. Joseph, Baptism Index 1869-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1869 - 1885 St. Patrick's, St. Joseph, Marriage Index 1869-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

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


 * St. Joseph

German
Kesler Settlement, German Congregation


 * 1847 - 1876 Kesler Settlement, German Congregation, Baptism Index 1847-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

Lutheran
St. Joseph's Lutheran Church


 * Records of St. Joseph's Lutheran Church in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

City Directories

 * St. Joseph, Missouri Directories, 1887-90 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * St. Joseph, Missouri City Directory, 1890 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Buchanan County, Missouri Directories, 1902, 1904-06 at Ancestry.com ($)

Court

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1816 - 1955 Buchanan County Naturalization Records - Missouri State Archives.

Land
Deed records are available from 1839 to the present. They are archived at the Recorder of Deeds Office in the Courthouse.

Local Histories
A Portrait and biographical record of Buchanan and Clinton counties, Missouri containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens... (1893) is available online free from Google Books. The first part of the book contains biographies of the U.S. presidents. The second part, starting on p.111, contains biographies Buchanan and Clinton county residents.


 * Buchanan County, Missouri History at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Hodges, Nadine. Abstracts of wills and administrations from books "A" and "B", 1839-1857.Kansas City, Missouri : Hodges &amp; Woodruff, 1969.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * Rutt, Christian Ludwig. The Daily News' history of Buchanan County and St. Joseph, Mo., from the time of the Platte Purchase to the end of the year 1898, : preceeded by a short history of Missouri, supplemented by biographical sketches. [St. Joseph, Missouri] : St. Joseph Pub. Co., [1898].
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * History of Buchanan County and St. Joseph, Mo. : from the time of the Platte Purchase to...1915, preceded by a short history of Missouri, supplemented by biographical sketches. St. Joseph, Missouri : History Pub. Co., [1915?].
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Buchanan County townships (Histopolis)
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Buchanan County.
 * Map of 1904 Buchanan County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Buchanan County, Missouri for European and African American settlers included:


 * Missouri River
 * Oregon Trail 1830s to 1890s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon
 * California Trail 1846 to 1869 from western Missouri to northern California
 * Mormon Trail 1846 to 1869 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Military

 * 1900 - 1941 at FamilySearch — images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861 - 1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * at FamilySearch — images

Regiments Service men in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County, Missouri"

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 $

Taxation

 * Buchanan County, Missouri Taxpayers, 1887-90 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Buchanan County, Missouri Taxpayers, 1891-95, 1901 at Ancestry.com ($)

Births

 * 1827 - 1935  at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1837 - 1871 Buchanan County Birth Volumes A thru C Index 1837-1871. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1851 - 1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * Buchanan birth records, can be found also in the State Records.

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 $
 * 1839 - 1855 Buchanan County, Missouri Marriages: 1839-55 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1839 - 1874 Buchanan County Marriage Books A thru C Index 1839-1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1874 - 1883 Buchanan County Marriage Books D and E Index 1874-1883. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883 - 1885 Buchanan County Marriage Books F and G Index 1883-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * Buchanan marriage records, can be found also in the State Records.

Deaths

 * 1834 - 1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * 1867 - 1976 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1883 - 1893 Buchanan County Death Index 1883-1893. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.
 * Buchanan death records, can be found also in the State Records.

Census Records

 * 1840
 * 1850
 * 1860
 * 1870

Societies and Libraries

 * Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society 412 Felix Street Saint Joseph, MO 64501 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 382 Saint Joseph, MO 64502 Phone: 816-233-0524


 * Saint Joseph Historical Society P.O. Box 246 Third and Poulin Streets St. Joseph, MO 64502 Phone: 816-232-5861


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

Family History Centers



 * St Joseph Missouri Family History Center 7 N Carriage Dr, St Joseph, MO 64506 United States Location Map