Local Records Inventory Database
Local government records are a valuable source of historical and genealogical information. They provide documentation of the actions of county and municipal governments, local court systems, and the interactions these organizations have with citizens.
This database, produced by the Missouri Local Records Preservation Program, is a compilation of inventories of local government records identified as having permanent or enduring value and housed primarily in county and municipal offices, but includes some libraries, museums, and historical and genealogical societies that maintain government records. Not all Missouri offices have been inventoried. This database will be updated periodically as additional inventories are completed.
Information found in the database includes detailed listings of series titles and date spans of permanent records as well as the name of the office or organization that maintains the records. A description of some series titles is available. The database does not contain names of individuals found in these records.
Check the Microfilm Roll by Roll listing to determine if the records are available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives. Otherwise, the local government maintains the records.
Example:
When seeking Marriage Records, a keyword search for Marriage will show listings for all marriage records (Marriage Licenses, Marriage Applications, Marriage Registers, Indexes to Marriages, etc.) for all counties in the database.
By combining the keyword with a particular county name, the search can be narrowed significantly, e.g., marriage and Greene County.
Or, a researcher may browse through all of the records included for a specific county, by just searching the county name, e.g., Howard County and entering three question mark symbols (ex. ???) in the Keyword box.
NOTE:
Titles of records may vary from county to county. Efforts to standardize entries are ongoing.
To date, electronic inventories have been compiled for 107 of 115 county-level jurisdictions (including the City of St. Louis), however, the Missouri State Archives provides access to records from every county on microfilm. Currently, there are no electronic inventories available for local government offices in the following counties: