Missouri, Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes an index to selected county birth records for the years 1817 to 1939 from Missouri. Some entries are from church records.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Birth records may contain:
 * The name of the child at birth
 * Birth date
 * Birth town, county, and state
 * Parents’ names, ages, and birthplaces
 * Gender
 * Race/nationality of ancestor
 * Registration date and place
 * Image number
 * Volume/Page/Certificate number

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of birth
 * The place where the birth occurred

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to find other records such as marriage, and death
 * Search for the family in census records
 * Search for land and property records
 * Search for military records
 * Search for other records in the state of Missouri, and county records where the family lived

I Can’t Find the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even used initials

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Missouri.
 * Missouri Guided Research
 * Missouri Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Saint Louis, Missouri registers of births, 1850-1910; index to register of births, 1910-1929
 * Texas County. Births and deaths, 1883-1895

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Missouri Births and Christenings, 1827-1935

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * prepared by the Missouri Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Guide to public vital statistics records in Missouri. St. Louis, Missouri : Historical Records Survey, 1941
 * compiled by Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry. Bible records of Missouri 8 volumes. (Typescript)
 * Sherida K. Eddlemon. Missouri, birth and death records, 1817-1939. 2 volumes. Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c1995, c1999, c2001 FHL 977.8 V22es

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.