Jackson County, Missouri Genealogy

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

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.

Records 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.

Neighboring Counties
Cass •  Clay  •  Johnson  •  Johnson County, Kansas  •  Lafayette  •  Ray  •  Wyandotte County, Kansas

Cemeteries

 * Blue Springs Cemetery (Find a Grave) 2800 Southwest Walnut Street Blue Springs, MO 64015-3321


 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Genealogy Cemeteries

Census

 * 1732-1933 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Catholic
Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish, Kansas City


 * 1834 - 1876 Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish, Kansas City, Baptism Index 1834-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1846 - 1876 Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish, Kansas City, Marriage Index 1846-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

St. Mary's, Independence


 * 1848 - 1876 St. Mary's, Independence, Baptism Index 1848-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1850 - 1883 St. Mary's, Independence, Marriage Index 1850-1883. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

St. Patrick's, Kansas City


 * 1869 - 1885 St. Patrick's, Kansas City, Marriage Index 1869-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

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


 * Independence Dist
 * Centropolis
 * Independence
 * Kansas City

Lutheran

 * Records of Grace Lutheran Church, Kansas City, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

City Directories

 * Fold3.com ($) has Kansas City Directories 1865-1923 (only 4 yrs. missing) available online.
 * Kansas City, Missouri City Directories, 1889-91 at Ancestry.com ($)

Court

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories
The History of Jackson county, Missouri containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens, Jackson county in the late war... history of Missouri, map of Jackson county ... (1881) 1006 pages, is available online free from Google Books.


 * Kansas City, Missouri : its history and its people, 1808-1908 at Ancestry.com ($)

Google Books has several books on Kansas City and its residents including:


 * Kansas City, Missouri its history and its people 1808-1908, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3 (1908) by Carrie Westlake Whitney.
 * Men who are making Kansas City a biographical directory (1902) by G. Creel and J. Slavens.


 * A civic history of Kansas City, Missouri at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Norman &amp; Robertson. Abstract of Mount Auburn, an addition to Kansas City : a subdivision of all of the S.W. 1-4 of the N.W. 1-4 of sec. 17 Township 49, Range 33, except two acres in the S. W. corner, situate in Jackson County, Mo., except that part thereof occupied by the Grand BoulevardKansas City, Mo. : Norman &amp; Robertson, [1886].
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * Sieben, Henry. Seven of 72 survive : voyages on Missouri River by Henry Sieben's Commodores sand bars. The Kansas City genealogist - v. 43-44 (2002-2004).
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)
 * Chiles, Mary Sue. "A brief history of the Six Mile Territory". The Kansas City genealogist - v. 43-44 (2002-2004) - v. 43, no. 2 (fall 2002).
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps



 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.


 * Map of Jackson County townships (Histopolis)


 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Jackson County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
 * Map of 1904 Jackson County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Jackson 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

Military

 * 1900 - 1941 at FamilySearch — images
 * Fold3.com ($) has Civil War and other military records available online.

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

Regiments

Service men in Jackson 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 Jackson County, Missouri:

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War Battles were fought in Jackson County:


 * August 11, 1862 = Independence I


 * August 15-16, 1862 = Lone Jack


 * October 21, 1864 = Little Blue River also known as Westport


 * October 22-23, 1864 = Byram’s Ford also known as Big Blue River


 * October 22, 1864 = Independence II


 * October 23, 1864 = Westport


 * Map showing Civil War battles in 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 $

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
 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1805 - 2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry.com $
 * 1826 Marriage licenses dating back to 1826
 * 1827 - 1860 Jackson County Marriage Index 1827-1860. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1827 - 1860 Jackson County, Missouri Marriages, 1827-60, Vol. 1 at Ancestry.com $
 * 1827 - 1872 Jackson County Marriage Index 1827-1872. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1865 - 1881 Jackson County Marriage Records, Citizens of African Descent, FHL book 977.841 V2ca
 * 1872 - 1881 Jackson County Marriage Index 1872-1881. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1881 - 1885 Jackson County Marriage Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 2002 - 2010 Jackson County, Missouri, Marriage Index, 2002-2010 at Ancestry.com $
 * The marriage records of Jackson County, Missouri. at Ancestry.com $

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

 * Jackson County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 2145 1111 West Pacific Street Independence, MO 64050 Phone: 816-252-8128


 * Midwest Afro-American Genealogy Interest Coalition (M.A.G.I.C.) c/o Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center 3700 Blue Parkway Kansas City, MO 64137


 * Heart Of America Genealogical Society & Library 311 East 12th St. Kansas City, MO 64106


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


 * Jackson County Historical Society P.O. Box 4241 Independence, MO 64051 Phone: History Center 816-461-1897; Archives 816-252-4754 Website Facebook

Libraries

 * The Kansas City Public Library 14 West 10th Street Kansas City, MO 64105 Phone: 816-701-3400 KCPL Website, databases

Family History Centers

 * Blue Springs Missouri Family History Center1416 SW 19th St, Blue Springs, MO 64051-5203 United State Location Map


 * Kansas City Missouri Family History Center 13025 Wornall Rd, Kansas City, MO 64145-1211 United States Location Map


 * Riverview Missouri Family History Center 2540 Brooklyn, Kansas City, MO 64127 United States Location Map


 * Platte City Missouri Family History Center 2700 Ensign Dr Platte City MO 64079 United States Location Map