Webster County, Missouri Genealogy

United States Missouri  Webster County

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has birth records 1883-1893 and death records 1883-1887; County Recorder has marriage and land records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records; Probate Judge has probate records

Parent County
1855--Webster County was created 3 March 1855 from Greene and Wright Counties. County seat: Marshfield

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.

Brief History
Webster County was organized on March 3, 1855 and encompasses 590 miles of the highest extensive upland area of Missouri's Ozarks. The judicial seat is Marshfield, which lies 1,490 feet above sea level. Webster County is the highest county seat in the state of Missouri. Pioneer Legislator John F. McMahan named the county and county seat for Daniel Webster, and his Marshfield, Massachusetts home.

Marshfield was laid out in 1856 by R. H. Pitts, on land that was given by C. F. Dryden and W. T. and B. F. T. Burford. Until a courthouse was built, the county business was conducted at Hazelwood; where Joseph W. McClurg, later governor of Missouri, operated a general store. Today's Carthage Marble courthouse was built in 1939-1941 and is the county's third.

During the Civil War, a small force of pro-southern State troops was driven out of Marshfield in February of 1862, and ten months later a body of confederates was routed east of town. On January 9, 1863, General Joseph O. Shelby's troops burned the stoutly built Union fortification at Marshfield and at Sand Springs, evacuated earlier. By 1862, the telegraph line passed near Marshfield on a route later called the "Old Wire Road."

In Webster County, straddling the divide between the Missouri and Arkansas rivers, rise the headwaters of the James, Niangua, Gasconade, and Pomme de Terre rivers. A part of the 1808 Osage Indian land cession, the county was settled in the early 1830's by pioneers from Kentucky and Tennessee. An Indian trail crossed southern Webster County and many prehistoric mounds are in the area.

The railroad-building boom of the post Civil War period stimulated the county's growth as a dairy, poultry, and livestock producer. The Atlantic &amp; Pacific (Frisco) Railroad was built through Marshfield in 1872, and by 1883 the Kansas City, Springfield, and Memphis (Frisco) crossed the county. Seymour, Rogersville, Fordland and Niangua grew up along the railroad routes. Early schools in the county were Marshfield Academy, chartered in 1860, Mt. Dale Academy, opened in 1873; and Henderson Academy, chartered in 1879. Today, education is still at the forefront of the county's foundation.

Astronomer Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953) was born in Marshfield and attended through the third grade in the public school system. A replica of the Hubble telescope sits in the courthouse yard and the Marshfield stretch of I-44 was named in his honor. The composition "Marshfield Cyclone" by the African-American musician John W. (Blind) Boone, gave wide publicity to the April 18, 1880 tornado which struck the town, killing 65 and doing $1 million worth of damage. The cyclone is still listed as one of the top ten natural disasters in the history of the nation.

Webster County also boasts the longest continuous county fair in the state of Missouri. Marshfield holds claim to the oldest Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi River. Former United States President, George Herbert Walker Bush and wife Barbara, visited the parade on July 4, 1991, while campaigning for the Presidency through Missouri.

The annual Seymour Apple Festival, established in 1973, has grown to one of Missouri's largest free celebrations, with estimated crowds of more than 30,000 congregating on the Seymour public square each second weekend of September.

The festival pays tribute to Seymour's apple industry, which began in the 1840s, leading the Seymour being called "The Land Of The Big Red Apple" around the turn of the 20th century, when Webster County produced more than 50 percent of the state's apple crop.

Featured at the annual three-day event are more than 10 musical acts, numerous competitions for people of all ages, as well as more than 150 craft vendors and food venues, featuring the festival's signature barbecued chicken. The festival is sponsored by the Seymour Merchants' Association and is staffed completely with volunteer labor from the community.

In 2006, the Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival became an annual spring tradition. The festival, which is held the last weekend of April, highlights American History and the community project of planting Cherry Blossom trees. During the festival, six famous Missourians are honored with stars on the Missouri Walk of Fame (which is located in historic downtown Marshfield in front of the Webster County Museum) and the Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative is presented annually as well.

The festival serves as a reunion for descendants of the American Presidents and a total of 26 Presidential administrations have been represented at one time. Booths, craftsmen, book signing, symposiums, music, lectures and numerous free historic events are featured throughout the Cherry Blossom weekend. Information about the festival can be obtained by visiting http://www.cherryblossomfest.com

Record Loss
1863 -- Courthouse accidentally burned by Federal troops.

1880 -- Courthouse heavily damaged by a tornado that struck Marshfield on April 18, 1880 killing 99 people and injuring 100. Second floor of courthouse demolished. Minor record loss.

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
These are incorporated cities in Webster County, Missouri: Diggins Fordland Marshfield NIagua Rogersville Seymour

Neighboring Counties
Christian •  Dallas  •  Douglas  •  Greene  •  Laclede  •  Wright

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Webster County, Missouri (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Cemeteries
BillionGraves:


 * Marshfield Cemetery, Marshfield
 * Mission Chapel Cemetery, Elkland
 * Pleasant View Cemetery, Jackson

Land
The Webster County Recorder compiles and maintains all county land records. The Count Recorder will process land document requests via email or phone and will only mail those copies. There is a nominal fee to process those record requests.

Webster County Recorder Contact Informaiton: PO Box 546 101 S Crittenden, Rm 16 Marshfield, MO 65706 phone: 417-859-5882 fax: 417-468-3843

recorder@webstercountymo.gov

Local Histories
History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, Pulaski, Phelps and Dent counties, Missouri.

Goodspeed. 1889. Available online and searchable at:

http://cdm.sos.mo.gov/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/mocohist&amp;CISOPTR=71191&amp;REC=20


 * Biographies from The History of Webster County, Missouri (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.


 * George, Floy Watters. History of Webster County, 1855-1955. [Springfield, Mo. : Roberts, 1956?].
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)


 * A History of Webster County : taken from History of Missouri - 1889 commemorating the celebration of Webster County's centennial. Seymour, Missouri : Webster County Citizen, 1955.
 * Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps



 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Map of Webster County townships (Histopolis)


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

Civil War

 * - 16th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry (Union), Company D :- 4th Regiment, Missouri Infantry - Confederate, Company I :- 6th Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company D :- 72nd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company L :- 72nd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company M :- 8th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry (Union), Company G :- 8th Regiment, Missouri Cavalry (Union), Company L

Newspapers
The State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSM) Newspaper Collection is the best resource for finding local newspaper articles, including obituaries. They have digitized all local newspapers across all years and all printings from Webster County. When you call a local paper (The Marshfield Mail is the oldest running paper in Webster County), they will refer you to this collection. The archives in the local papers are stored away and difficult to access.

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 $
 * 1877 - Worth County Birth Index 1877. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriages
The Webster County Recorder maintains all County Marriage records. The County Recorder will respond to email and phone calls, but records will only be mailed to requestors.

The County is the repository for recorded Marriage Records until 1910. It is important to note that some marriages may have occured in Christian and Wright Counties given the proximity of border cities to those counties.

Contact Information for Webster County Recorder

PO Box 546 101 S Crittenden, Rm 16 Marshfield, MO 65706 phone: 417-859-5882 fax: 417-468-3843

recorder@webstercountymo.gov

Online Records


 * 1802 - 1969 at FamilySearch.org — index/images
 * 1750 - 1920 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1805 - 2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at [http://home.ancestry.com/
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1855-1885 - Webster County Marriage Index 1855-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Deaths

 * 1867 - 1976 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1834 - 1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $

Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910. The database includes all counties and will allow you to search by county. Webster County appears to have had slow adoption to the 1910 state law requirement as the records are minmal in the earlier years of the period.

Genealogy Societies, Archives and Libraries

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

Historical Society

 * Webster County Historical Society, 219 South Clay, Marshfield, MO 65706, Phone: (417) 468-7407

Family History Centers

 * Marshfield Missouri Family History Center 1105 State Hwy CC, Marshfield, MO 65706 United States Location Map

Web Sites

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