Barry County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Barry County History and Information

Barry County Facts

Barry County was organized January 5, 1835, from Greene County and named for U.S. Postmaster General William T. Barry.. The County Seat is Cassville. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Barry County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1870-1887; Deed records, 1835-1903; Mortgage deeds, 1872-1897; Index to marriage records, 1837-1877 and 1902-1919; Marriage records, 1837-1916. Clerk of the County Court: Register of births, 1883-1885; Register of deaths, 1883-1885. Clerk of the Probate Court: Probate records, 1853-1891; Probate minutes, 1867-1923; Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1835-1893; Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1856-1909; Settlement records, 1 867-1893; Guardian’s/curator’s records, 1867-1885; Records of descendent and heirs, 1908-1917; Will records, 1871-1923. The Health Department has Birth & Death Records from 1910-Present. See Court Records for more details on whats available from the courthouse.

Counties adjacent to Barry County are Lawrence County (north), Stone County (east), Carroll County, Arkansas (southeast), Benton County, Arkansas (south), McDonald County (southwest), Newton County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Arrow Point, Butterfield, Cassville, Chain-O-Lakes, Eagle Rock, Emerald Beach, Exeter, Golden, Jenkins, Monett (7,396), Pleasant Ridge, Purdy, Seligman, Shell Knob, Viola, Washburn, Wheaton, Wheelerville, Yonkerville

Barry County, Missouri History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Barry County Court Records

See Also Missouri Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

All Departments below are in the Barry County Courthouse located at 700 Main, Suite 6, Cassville, MO 65625; Telephone: (417) 847-2914 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at ? . See also Courthouse History. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Barry County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1883-85.
In this office in each county is located an index to common pleas, records of all extant proceedings, chancery minute books, records of births and deaths, county court records, right-of-way and road records, as well as surveyor's records (including field notes and plats made by the county surveyor). This office usually holds the county treasurer's notes, bonds and commissions, records of marks and brands, wolf scalps, stray notices, real estate assessments, and tax books. In some counties, early terms for this court included “Chancery” or the “Court of Common Pleas.”

Barry Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1837 and Land Records from 1835 .
The Office of Recorder of Deeds records and files instruments of writing affecting real property or personal property, subdivision plats, federal and state tax liens, and other instruments of writing. Also, the Recorder’s Office issues marriage licenses, and in accordance with the Uniform Commercial Code files termination statements. All recorded instruments are available for public research.

Barry County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1835 .
In the smaller counties, probate matters are handled in the same office as the associate circuit court office. (In larger counties, there will be a separate probate court clerk's office and separate probate judges/commissioners).

Barry County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1872.
This office holds the direct index to records such as divorces, debt, dissolution of partnerships, adoptions, judgment, and tax fee books including direct and indirect indexes. They also retain the index to criminal records and criminal files of the circuit court. Adoptions are under the jurisdiction of the circuit court. Naturalization records, including petitions, declarations of intention, certificates, and certificates of allegiance, and granting of citizenship are also located in the clerk's office, as well as an index to civil case files. Some naturalization records have been found with the deeds.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include:Missouri Marriages, 1766-1983, Missouri Marriages to 1850, Missouri Marriages, 1851-1900. You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Land Patents: 1831 - 1969. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.

Click Here to Search Missouri Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Barry County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Barry County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Barry County, Missouri Court Books at Amazon.com
Missouri Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Barry County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

The Missouri Historical Society has some original tax records; others can be found in the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri, but most extant records remain in the office of the clerk of the county court. The Missouri State Archives has microfilmed some tax records for the counties of Boone, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Chariton, Clay, Cooper, Franklin, Howard, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Charles, St. Francois, and Ste. Genevieve.

Prior to 1850, purchasers of the federal lands in Missouri were exempt from land taxes for five years after purchase. If one finds an ancestor on a Missouri tax list with livestock, etc., but no land being taxed, the individual may have purchased his land from the government within the preceding five years.
Some early delinquent tax lists were sent to the state auditor's office and are now located in the Capitol Fire Documents held by the Missouri State Archives

Below is a list of online resources for Barry County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Barry County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Barry County, Missouri Tax Books at Amazon.com

Barry County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Missouri Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Barry County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Barry County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Barry County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 291, Cassville, Missouri 65625
Barry County Historical Society, P.O. Box 291, Cassville, Missouri 65625
Local Missouri Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Missouri State Archives, Missouri State Information Center, [EMAIL]
P.O. Box 1747, 600 West Main Str, Jefferson City, MO 65102; Phone:(573) 751-3280, Fax: (573) 526-7333
State Historical Society of Missouri, 1020 Lowry Str., Columbia, MO 65201-7298; (573) 882-7083, [EMAIL]
Missouri State Genealogical Association, P.O. Box 833, Columbia, MO 65205-0833
Missouri Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
See the Society page for more statewide Societies and archives
Missouri Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Barry County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Missouri Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Barry County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Barry County Tombstone Transcription Project.

The Missouri State Archives has published A Brief Guide to Church Records on Microfilm which is a county by county listing, but it is currently out of print. The available church records can be located by using the Archives' Manuscript Register. Church microfilm rolls are not available for purchase, without written consent of the individual church, and must otherwise be used at the Missouri State Archives. The Western Historical Manuscript Collection on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus holds some church records. These can be located by using their descriptive catalogue or microfiche guide. Most church records in Missouri are scattered and remain in private hands

There is no central registry for cemeteries located in Missouri. The following national cemeteries are located in Missouri:

Springfield National Cemetery, 1702 E. Seminole Street, Springfield, Missouri 65804. All known soldiers buried there, including those transferred from towns throughout southwest Missouri were published in Ozar'kin
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 101 Memorial Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63125. There is a card file reference to persons interred there. Inquiries may be made by phone or mail.
Jefferson City National Cemetery, 1024 E. McCarty Street, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101. The researcher may phone or write the Jefferson Barracks for information.

Below is a list of online resources for Barry County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Barry County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Missouri Bible Records, Volume 1: The database is the first volume in a series of Bible records that includes such information as births, marriages, probate information, and deaths of individuals who settled in Missouri.
Barry County, Missouri Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Barry County, Missouri Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Missouri Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Barry County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Barry County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Barry County, Missouri Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

In Feb, 1835, Barry Co began operation as a political subdivision of Missouri. The newly formed county contained the present counties of Barry, Lawrence, Dade, McDonald, Newton, Jasper, Barton and a part of Cedar Co. The first county seat was at Mount Pleasant, located on Clear Creek just west of the present day Pierce City. By 1840 Barry Co had been pared down to what is the present day Barry Co and the southern half of Lawrence Co. Also in 1840 the county seat was moved to McDonald (now McDowell) where it was housed in the residence of Samuel G Phariss, until 1845. By 1845 Lawrence Co was formed and the county seat was no longer in the geographic center of Barry Co, so the new seat was formed in what is now Cassville and housed in the William Kerr residence. William Kerr owned the 50 acres which encompassed the town of Cassville in 1845.

Courthouse History
Mount Pleasant served as Barry County's first county seat. A County Court Record description of the 1837 courthouse suggests a log or frame building with one door and one window.

As continued county division reduced Barry County's boundaries, Mount Pleasant was no longer centrally located. In 1839 commissioners were ordered to locate the county seat within six miles of the new geographic center. First, they selected McDonald (later called McDowell), where the site was ordered surveyed and laid out in September 1840. But county residents were dissatisfied with the choice. After several more abortive attempts, the seat was finally permanently located in Cassville during June 1845.

The house of William Kerr served as the meeting place for the first courts in Cassville, and the town was laid out soon after by Nathan Richardson, surveyor. Kerr's plan for the first courthouse in Cassville was filed in December 1845, and the court appropriated $510 for construction.

John O. Burton was appointed superintendent in March 1846. After permitting several time extensions, the court finally accepted the building in September 1847. It, too, was either a log or frame courthouse. A decision in the county record concerning altering the upper story by moving the partitions to create a room for rent indicate that the building was either one and one-half or two stories. Originally on the square, the courthouse was later removed; it was burned in the Civil War.

Arrangements for the second courthouse, a two-story brick, began in June 1854. W. G. Townsend, M. L. Wyrick and L.J. Blankenship comprised the committee responsible for obtaining a plan and estimates. A year later the plan was filed and $5,500 appropriated. The contract was given to William Young and Abner Neely for $4,995 in September 1855. The new building was to be on the square, upon a good foundation, with two brick stories and a tin roof. While construction was in progress, the court gave qualified permission for a civic group, the Sons of Temperance, to add a third story, but, apparently, the group did not proceed. Workers completed the building, and the court accepted it September 8, 1858.

Within a few years this courthouse figured prominently in the Civil War as a group of Missourians considered secession. On July 9, 1896, G. C. Vest, who after the Civil War served as U.S. senator from Missouri, recounted the early Civil War events in the Cassville Republican:

"The ordinance of Secession passed by the Missouri Legislature in 1861 was drawn by me and adopted at Neosho. [The] Legislature adjourned from Neosho, after passing the Act of Secession, to Cassville. In the northeast room of the courthouse at the latter place, we elected delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederacy."

Federal troops occupied the courthouse during the Civil War, inflicting extensive damage. The court ordered repairs in 1872, for which the county later received government compensation of more than $1,800. County Court records describe a two-story building with a courtroom on the second floor. The only known photograph which has been identified as this courthouse was probably made after the 1872 repair. The third story dates from an extensive 1884 remodeling.

The county vacated the three-storied courthouse in 1907 when it was condemned. County officials moved to other quarters, and the building was razed in 1910. The county held numerous elections before one succeeded on July 6, 1912, when Barry County residents voted for a $40,00 bond issue. Cassville residents donated $10,000 toward the $50,000 goal to help keep the county seat in Cassville; Moneta had hoped to secure the site.

The judges traveled to inspect courthouses in other counties, and in November, gave the contract for plans and specifications to C. E. Hair and Co. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. One judge voted disapproval, and citizens complained that the construction contract had not been sufficiently advertised; the judges rescinded the order, but the following month readopted the Hair plan. Disagreements continued until the court appointed a new superintendent, who selected another architect, Henry H. Hohenschild. Hambley and Hanson of St. Louis contracted to build the reinforced concrete, stone-veneer structure for $45,720. Cornerstone ceremonies were conducted in August 1913.

The building measures 84 by 100 feet. Ionic columns flank the main entrance on the south. The courtroom is on the first floor, with entry from the lobby. The courtroom, which seats 380 on the lower floor and 200 in the gallery, features an inclined floor; it originally measured 35 by 55 feet, extending outward on the north with a five-window bay. Now almost 70 years old, the courthouse continues to serve Barry County.

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