CENSUS RECORDS

Federal censuses are available for Missouri as early as 1830. They were taken every ten years, and are available through 1920, with the exception of the destroyed 1890 census. All are indexed in one format or another. 1810 and 1820 territorial censuses were lost or destroyed, though the 1820 has been reconstructed from census fragments, tax lists, petitioners lists and other records. Others were taken in 1814, 1817, and 1819, but only statistical summaries remain. Fragmented Spanish censuses exist for select towns or settlements.
Although Missouri conducted a number of state censuses, most of the individual schedules are lost; only statistical abstracts remain. The state did compile a census corresponding to the 1840 U.S. census, for which nine counties survive; New Madrid, Newton, Pike, Randolph, Ray, Shelby, Stoddard, Warren, and Rives (now Henry). A few listings remain for the state censuses of 1844, 1852, 1856, and 1868, but most are statistical abstracts only. The state census of 1876 exists for Benton, Butler, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Christian, Franklin, Greene, Holt, Howard, Iron, McDonald, Montgomery, Osage, Phelps, Reynolds, St. Francois and Texas counties. The originals remain in the county, but microfilmed copies have been made by the Missouri State Archives and are also available at the FHL.

Missouri Research Sources

March, Daniel. The History of Missouri. 4 vols. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1967. (Volumes 3 and 4 contain personal and family records.)
Meyer, Duane. The Heritage of Missouri. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1967.
(If there is room available, I need to get one more reference here that is a brand new book.)

Archives, Libraries and Societies.
Missouri Historical Society
Jefferson Memorial Building
225 S. Skinker
P.O. Box 11940
St. Louis, MO 63112

State Historical Society of Missouri
1020 Lowry Street
Columbia, MO 65201

Missouri State Archives
600 West Main Street
P.O. Box 778
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Missouri Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records
930 Wildwood
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson, MO 65102
Tel: 573-751-6400
Births - 1910 to present
Deaths - 1910 to present

Certified copies of most Missouri birth and death records are also available from local county health departments or the St. Louis City or Kansas City Health Departments. Depending on the agency, these records may predate the records at the Missouri Department of Health.
Marriages - July 1, 1948 to present
Divorces - July 1, 1948 to present
Information prior to this date may be obtained for marriages from the Recorder of Deeds of the county that issued the license and dissolution of marriages from the Circuit Clerk of the county that issued the decree.

Missouri State Archives
600 West Main Street
P.O. Box 778
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Tel: 314-751-3280
Email: archref@mail.sos.state.mo.us

Missouri State Library
600 West Main Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Tel: 573-751-3615

Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence
Genealogy and Local History Department
317 West 24 Highway
Independence, MO 64050
Tel: 816-252-0950
Email: ge@mcpl.lib.mo.us
http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/ge/

State Historical Society of Missouri
Ellis Library Building
1020 Lowry Street
Columbia, MO 65201
Tel: 573-882-7083
Fax: 573-882-4950
Email: shsofmo@ext.missouri.edu

Missouri Historical Society
Jefferson Memorial Building
225 S. Skinker
P.O. Box 11940
St. Louis, MO 63112
Tel: 313-746-4510

Missouri State Genealogical Association
Dept. W
P.O. Box 833
Columbia, MO 65205-0833
http://www.umr.edu/~mstauter/mosga/

Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society
Buchanan County Research Center
412 Felix Street
P.O. Box 382
St. Joseph, MO 64502
Tel: 816-233-0524

Genealogical Society of Central Missouri
P.O. Box 26
Columbia, MO 65205
Tel: 573- 443-8936

Ozarks Genealogical Society/Library
534 West Catalpa
P.O. Box 3945 G.S.
Springfield, MO 65808
Tel: 417-831-2773

Missouri USGenWeb Project
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mogenweb/mo.htm