Online Resources

Birth and Death Records

OFFICIAL RECORDS

Compulsory statewide registration of births and deaths was first required July 1, 1883. County clerks were provided four ledgers. Two of them, "Register of Births and Stillbirths" and "Register of Deaths," were used to record chronologically. At the end of each year, clerks transferred the information to ledgers called "Permanent Record of Births and Stillbirths" and "Permanent Record of Deaths," arranged alphabetically by surname. These record books may still be available from the County Court Clerk in individual county courthouses; but almost all of the birth and death records have been microfilmed and placed for easy access at the Missouri State Archives. For those who prefer to purchase or rent Missouri county records microfilm, Heritage Quest Genealogical Services can be of assistance. The 1883 law requiring counties to record births and deaths was repealed in 1893. The Bureau of Vital Records within Missouri's Division of Health has been recording births and deaths in this state since 1910.

The cities of St. Louis and Kansas City were keeping records of births and deaths before the 1883 law was put in place. In St. Louis, by ordinance, deaths were registered from 1850 through 1910, and births from 1863 through 1910. About 60% of births and deaths occurring within St. Louis were recorded during this time frame. Copies of these records are available from the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, City Hall, Room 127, 1206 Market Street, St. Louis, MO, 63103, phone (314) 589-6796. Kansas City has some birth and death records available for 1874-1909, from Vital Records, City Hall, 414 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64106, phone (816) 983-4110.

For more information on birth and death records in Missouri, including fees, addresses, frequently asked questions, and more, visit the excellent internet site called Vital Records Information--Missouri.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH IN OFFICIAL RECORDS

A non-compulsory birth registration law adopted in 1863 provided that county Recorders of Deeds could record births upon request. These births were recorded in the regular deed books and not indexed. This law is still in effect and is the only way a birth occurring outside the state of Missouri can be recorded in this state.

Although County Clerks were generally responsible for keeping birth and death records from 1883-1893, in some counties the Recorder of Deeds performed the task. In these counties, birth records are intermingled with land records in deed books.

Compliance with the 1883-1893 birth & death registration law was poor in some places. Some counties have birth and death records for only a fraction of the time that the law was in effect. Other counties have records which extend up to or past the date of repeal. A very few counties have records dated before 1883.

In most cases the birth records provide each parent's name, age, and place of birth. Death certificates made in 1910 and after included blanks for the same information. A death record from the 1883-1893 time period does not have the name of the spouse or parents, but does give the date of death, cause and place of burial.

ALTERNATE SOURCES FOR ESTABLISHING BIRTH OR DEATH

NEWSPAPERS

Birth notices seldom appear in newspapers prior to 1900. The printing of birth announcements was subject to the policies of individual newspaper editors. When they began printing them in the early 1900s, they most often took a form like this: "Born, to Mr. and Mrs. Thornton Smith, a girl." The child's name was seldom given.

Though death notices occasionally consist of only one sentence, longer obituaries can give birth and death dates of the deceased, occupation, residence, place of burial, names of surviving family members, mentions of family members who preceded him or her in death, and more. To use newspapers, the patron needs to know the place of death in order to begin the death, as there is no comprehensive Missouri newspaper index available. If the exact date of death is not known, indexed cemetery inscription lists and newspaper indexes can be helpful.

Be sure to look at the part of this Web site titled Newspaper Indexes for more information on our indexes, and links to online newspaper indexes run by other organiations.

CENSUS RECORDS

The Society has census records 1830-1880, 1900-1920 for Missouri, some indexed, and also some censuses for other states. Census records are also available at the several branches of the National Archives located around the country or at the National Archives, Washington, DC. Census records do not give exact birth dates, but in 1850 and thereafter, the age of each person is given, together with the state or country of his birth. The 1900 census gives the month and year of birth. For a census reading of 1940 or later, write to Personal Service Branch, Administrative Service Division, U.S. Bureau of Census, P.O. Box 1545, Jeffersonville, IN 47131 and request "Application for Search of Census Records." Specific information is required for each person and a separate form used for each person sought.

CEMETERY RECORDS

Headstones usually give the year or the complete dates of birth or death, which may assist in the location of obituaries in our Newspaper Library. The Society has an excellent collection of indexed cemetery inscriptions from all over the state, but not everyone who is buried in this state can be found in the books. Small family plots in remote places such as farmers' fields are easily missed even by the most dedicated cemetery book compilers. Of the cemeteries that were surveyed, some included headstones which had disintegrated into rubble years before. Other times, grave markers were not engraved headstones. We have one account of an old woman whose grave was marked by her cast iron kettle. Such unusual grave markers cannot always be recognized as such. Neverthess, most Society patrons make good progress by using our cemetery inscription book collection.

PROBATE COURT RECORDS

These include wills, estate settlements and guardianship records, which may be helpful in establishing family relationships as well as determining approximate birth and death dates. The Society has indexes to the early wills of some counties, most of them abstracts of the actual documents, but we do not have probate court records here. Copies of the original documents must be obtained from the Clerk of Probate Court where the will was filed, or from the Missouri State Archives.

OTHER RECORDS

The State Historical Society of Missouri does not have a strong collection of hospital or physician's records, undertaker records, baptismal or church records, records of fraternal organizations, school records, 20th century military records, family Bible records, employment records, or applications for insurance policies, but all of these materials can be helpful to the genealogist. Dates of birth and death can sometimes be found in biographies from county histories or in compiled family genealogies, some of which are in the Society. More online resources are becoming available, such as the Social Security Death Index. Check our Online Genealogy page for useful links.