Carter County, Missouri Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Zimri A. Carter, a pioneer settler who came to Missouri from South Carolina in 1812. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Carter County Courthouse 105 Main Street Van Buren, MO 63965-0517 Phone: 573-323-4527 Carter County Website Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records. Probate Court has probate records from 1859.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, 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:

Cemeteries

 * Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Genealogy Cemeteries

Census Records

 * 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes


 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * History of Missouri's Counties, County Seats, and Courthouse Squares. 1983. by Marian M. Ohman. Missouri: Missouri State Library. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region. 1884. Missouri: Missouri State Library. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * State of Missouri: an autobiography. 1904. By Walter Williams. Columbia, Mo: Press of E. W. Stephens. Online at: Missouri Digital History

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
 * Interactive map of Carter County townships (Histopolis)
 * Missouri As It Is In 1867. 1867. by Nathan II. Parker. Philadelpia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Online at: Missouri Digital History
 * The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Carter County.
 * Plat Book of Carter County, Missouri at Missouri Digital Heritage
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1900-1941  at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection

Civil War
Online Records


 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1911-1938  at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

World War II

 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1941-1946  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * Carter County, vital record abstracts from Carter County newspapers (Missouri State Historical Society)
 * Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1750-1988 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index and images $

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index.
 * 1817-1939 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1827-1935  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index/images $
 * 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)

Some Pre-1910 Birth Records are available online at Missouri State Archives. Birth Records - Over 250 reels of microfilm containing birth and death records from 1883 to 1893 are available at the Archives for research. To learn more about researching birth and death records from this period, contact the Archives using email: [mailto:archref@sos.mo.gov archref@sos.mo.gov]

Marriage

 * 1750-1920  at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1776-1988 Missouri, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1800-1991  at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry $
 * 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index $
 * 1861-1885 - Carter County Marriage Book A Index 1861-1885. Batch at FamilySearch.

Death

 * 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index/images $
 * 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index and images.
 * 1968-2022 Missouri, Death Index, 1968-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($); Ancestry ($)
 * Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.

Societies

 * Carter County Genealogy Facebook


 * Carter County Missouri Historical Society Facebook


 * West Carter County Genealogy Society P.O. Box 309 Van Buren, MO 63965 Phone: 573-323-4315

Websites

 * Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
 * Carter County Mo Genealogy Research. Contains information for researching genealogy in Carter County MO, Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
 * 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
 * Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * Missouri Genealogy. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)