Linn County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for Lewis F. Linn. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Linn County Courthouse 108 N High Linneus, MO 64653 Phone: 660-895-5417 Linn County Website County Clerk has incomplete birth and death records 1883-1888. County Recorder has marriage and land records from 1842. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce records from 1837. Probate Office has probate records from 1840.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Linn 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:

Biographies

 * Clay, Ray, Carroll, Chariton and Linn Counties, Missouri Index to Biographies at Ancestry ($)
 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Clay, Ray, Carroll, Chariton, and Linn Counties, Missouri at Ancestry ($)

Cemeteries

 * Linn County, Missouri, Cemetery Records, Vol. 2 &amp; 8 at Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census Records

 * 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories

 * Brookfield, Past and Present.. By Prunty. 1905? S.l. : s.n. Available online at FamilySearch
 * Compendium of History and Biography of Linn County, Missouri. 1912. Chicago : H. Taylor. Available online at FamilySearch
 * The History of Linn County, Missouri. 1882. Kansas City, Missouri : Birdsall &amp; Dean. Available online at FamilySearch; Internet Archives.
 * Linn County, Missouri. By Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry. Available online at FamilySearch

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Linn County townships (Histopolis)
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Linn County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.

Military Records

 * 1900-1941 at FamilySearch — images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1911-1938 at FamilySearch — index and images

Regiments

Service men in Linn 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 Linn County, Missouri:

World War II

 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1941-1946 at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index

Newspapers

 * The Archives of The Chillicothe Constitution Tribune (1889-2009) provides free access to their newspapers online. Their newspapers covered local news that included residents from Linn County communities.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1750-1988 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1820-1878 Linn County, Missouri Wills, 1820-78 at Ancestry ($)

Birth

 * 1817-1939 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1817-1907 Linn County Birth Index 1817-1907. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1857-1885 Linn County Birth Index, Volumes 2A and 2B, 1857-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1875-1887 Linn County Birth Index, Volume 1, etc., 1875-1887. Batch at FamilySearch.

Marriage

 * 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — 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 ($)
 * 1842-1857 Marriage records, 1842-1857, of Linn County, Missouri at Ancestry ($)
 * 1842-1870 Linn County, Missouri Marriages: 1842-70 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1857-1885 Linn County Marriage Books 2A and 2B Index 1857-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1881-1885 Linn County Marriage Book 1 Index 1881-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images ($)
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1883-1887 Linn County Death Index 1883-1887. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Museums

 * Linn County Historical Society Museum - The Tillman House 303 North Livingston Street P.O. Box 394 Brookfield, MO 64658 Phone: 660-258-7160 Facebook

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
 * 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 ($)