Resources for Family & Community History

County Records on Microfilm

Henry County Courthouse in the 1950s or 1960s; photograph by Gerald R. Massie

Records for all 114 Missouri counties are available on microfilm. These records vary from county to county. Many begin with the formation of the county and continue into the 20th century. Some counties have more extensive records than others.

Many of Missouri's courthouses were destroyed by fire or other disasters, resulting in numerous records being lost.

The information available on microfilm comes from the records of a number of county offices. These offices include the following:

Recorder of Deeds
County Clerk
Circuit Court
Probate Court
County Assessor
Court of Common Pleas
County Superintendent of Schools

The records contained within these offices are as follows:

Marriages, deeds, plat books - Recorder of Deeds
Birth and death records, tax books, county court records - County Clerk
Naturalization records, civil and criminal court case records, divorces - Circuit Court
Wills, settlements, inventories, probate records - Probate Court

A more detailed look at what is available from each county office can be found in the Guide to County and Muncipal Records on Microfilm, .

Records for births and deaths after 1910 are retained by the Missouri Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records, 930 Wildwood, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102. There is a fee per record requested from the Bureau of Vital Records.