Mercer County, Missouri Genealogy

Guide to Mercer 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 1883-1894 and death records 1883-1891; Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court, land records; Circuit Court, division 2, has probate records

History

 * A brief history of Mercer County, Missouri : its wealth, resources, &amp;C., together with biographical sketches of many of its leading citizens
 * Mercer community Mercer centennial, 1872-1972.

Parent County
1845 Mercer County was created 14 February 1845 from Grundy County. County seat: Princeton

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
1898  Fire burned the courthouse on March 24, 1898, destroying some records.

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
Decatur County, Iowa •  Grundy  •  Harrison  •  Putnam  •  Sullivan  •  Wayne County, Iowa

Cemeteries

 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy

Census

 * 1732-1933 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Catholic
Princeton


 * 1871 - 1876 Princeton Catholic Church Baptism Index 1871-1876. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

Court

 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images

Local Histories

 * History of Mercer County, Missouri. [n.p., 1911?]. Online at FamilySearch (Free)


 * The crime of Ira Sexton : containing Life history and last statements by Himself. [S.l. : s.n., 1898?]. Online at FamilySearch (Free)


 * Mercer County Genealogical and Historical Society. Mercer centennial, 1872-1972. [Princeton, Missouri] : Mercer County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society (MO), 2002. Online at FamilySearch (Free)

Maps



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


 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Mercer County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.

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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 $

Births

 * 1827 - 1935 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1851 - 1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry.com — index/images $
 * 1883 - 1894 Mercer County Birth Index 1883-1894. Batches and  at FamilySearch - free.

Marriages

 * 1750 - 1920 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1800 - 1991 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1805 - 2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry.com $
 * 1844 - 1885 - Mercer County Marriage Book A Index 1844-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1898 - 1932 Mercer Co. Missouri index of marriage books A, G, H, I and J listed by grooms and by brides

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.
 * 1883 - 1894 Mercer County Death Index 1883-1894. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * ?-2008 Cemetery records of Mercer County, Missouri by cemetery and by surname

Census

 * Index of Mercer County, Missouri census records 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 censues of Mercer County. Includes 1922 Atlas/Plat book Mercer Co. Mo. : with index of landowners.

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

Mercer County Genealogical and Historical Society c/o Mercer County Library 601 Grant Street Princeton, MO 64673 Phone: 660-748-3725