Cedar County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Cedar County History and Information

Cedar County Facts

Cedar County was organized February 14, 1845, from Dade and St. Clair counties and named for its abundance of cedar trees. The County Seat is Stockton. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Cedar County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1845-1889; Deed records, 1845-1944; Index to marriage records, 1884-1929; Marriage records, 1845-1921; Negro/colored marriage records, 1867-1872. Clerk of the County Court: Register of births and stillbirths, 1883-1889; Permanent record of deaths, 1883-1886. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Index to circuit court records, 1871-1928; Circuit court records, 1845-1928. Clerk of the Probate Court: Probate records, 1845-1891; Probate minutes, 1875-1880; Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1846-1911; Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1850-1899; Proof of publication, notices and affidavits, 1874-1911; Will records, 1846-1919. 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 Cedar County are St. Clair County (north), Polk County (east), Dade County (south), Benton County (southwest), Vernon County (west). Cities and Towns include Caplinger Mills, El Dorado Springs (3,775), Jerico Springs, Stockton (1,960), Umber View Heights

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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.

Cedar 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 Cedar County Courthouse located at P.O. Box 126, Stockton, MO 65785; Telephone: (417) 276-3514 , 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.

Cedar County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1883-93.
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.”

Cedar Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1845 and Land Records from 1845.
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.

Cedar County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1845.
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).

Cedar County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1845.
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 Cedar County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Cedar County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Cedar 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.

Cedar 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 Cedar County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Cedar County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

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Cedar 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 Cedar County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Cedar County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Cedar County Historical Society, P.O. Box 111, Stockton, MO 65785; Phone: (417) 276-5570
Ozarks Genealogical Society , P.O. Box 3945, 534 West Catalpa, Springfield, MO 65808; Phone: (417) 831-2773, [EMAIL]
Tri-County Genealogical Society, (Vernon - Cedar - St. Clair Counties),212 West Walnut Street, Nevada, MO 64772, E-mail: tricountygenealogy@centurytel.net
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

Cedar 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 Cedar County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Cedar 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 Cedar County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Cedar 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.
Cedar County, Missouri Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Cedar 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 Cedar County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Cedar County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Cedar County ] [ Missouri ] [ Main Page ]
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Missouri Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
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County History

Organized February 14, 1845, from Dade and St. Clair counties and named for its abundance of cedar trees. With all of the counties in the surrounding areas being named for prominent state or national figures, one might wonder why a county would be named for a creek which had received its name for the evergreen trees which grew in abundance nearby. The theory has been advanced that the name Cedar carried no controversial issue in the political history of the country, and thus was agreeable to all concerned. The original county seat was called Lancaster. In 1847 the names was changed to Fremont, in honor of the "Pathfinder", but in 1856 Gen. Fremont became the Republican candidate for President, and the following winter the Democratic Legislature changed the name to Stockton, in honor of Commodore Richard Stockton, of the navy, who had arrested Fremont during the Mexican War, and sought to have him disgraced

Courthouse History
First courts of Cedar County met at Crow's Mill in May 1845. In February 1846 the court ordered the laying out of Lancaster the first county seat, in compliance with a plan filed with the clerk and approved by the court. Lancaster's name was changed to Fremont in January 1847 and again to Stockton in February 1859.

During the May court term of 1846, William G. Blake submitted a courthouse plan and was appointed to serve as superintendent of the building. The court appropriated $350, but construction never began. A new County Court, elected in 1846, rented meeting facilities. On February 17, 1847, the court bought a house and lot for $210 from Samuel Moore to use as a temporary courthouse. The house was west of the first considered courthouse site. The court requested possession on or before May 10, 1847.

For the permanent courthouse, the community favored a brick building. The court designated the center of the 220-foot square as the site of the 1852 brick courthouse, the first substantial brick building in town. In May 1852 the court appointed Benjamin H. Cravens superintendent and appropriated $5,500. Contracts were given to Dozier C. Gill, Isaac Ragan and A. M. Long in August 1852 in the amount of $5,500. Cravens soon resigned. Several subsequent superintendents also resigned.

In August a year later, a court ordered that the columns supporting the second floor be changed from round to square. Copper gutters, tin spouts and spout heads were put on in October 1853. The following month the brick and stone work was finished.

Although work was to have been finished by April 1, 1854, the work was not completed by June, endangering what work had been done; the court ordered the bid re-let. M. C. White offered the low bid of $3,000. Except for the railing that enclosed the judges' area, the courthouse was completed October 19, 1855; destruction came by fire in a Civil War incident October 5, 1863. No known illustrations of this building exist.

The clerk recorded no court meetings between May 19, 1863, and March 23, 1864. After the war, the clerk ordered the records of Cedar County, which had been stored in Springfield, to be returned by the first safe means. For four years following the destruction Cedar County had no courthouse.

In May 1867 the court appropriated $10,000 for rebuilding on the original site. B. Davis, sheriff, acted as superintendent. The following day the court approved the plan Davis presented two-story, brick building, 46 by 50 feet, six rooms below, two small rooms and courtroom above. Specifications called for fireplaces in the lower rooms, wall openings for stove pipes and a fireproof roof. Work proceeded quickly, and in December 1867 the court accepted the building.

Only two months later, in February 1868, the court issued orders to repair the leaking fireproof roof. In the following months several references indicate continued problems with leaking, and in May 1869 the court appointed James A. Cogle to superintend the repairs and put on an entire new roof, if necessary. Porches were added later. This courthouse continued in use until the 20th century courthouse was built. The court sold the building in 1939 for $100.

Cedar Countians voted down bond proposals to finance a new courthouse in November 1937, but when the opportunity came to apply for federal assistance, they approved a $60,000 indebtedness matched by a Public Works Administration grant of $49,050. James D. Marshall and M. Dwight Brown, an architect-engineering firm of Kansas City, presented a plan to the court.

The first site, with four streets entering in the center of the small block, proved inconvenient, so the city gave the county one block 160 feet square, plus one-half of the block to the west. The site was south of the original square and large enough for sufficient lawn on all sides. The slope of the land permitted a useful ground floor at the rear with full-length windows in one section. Marshall and Brown pointed out that the monolithic cement building would be fireproof in addition to other advantages.

W. F. Edgell and Son, Leavenworth, Kansas, contracted to build the courthouse for $94,104. Hare and Hare, landscape consultants, assisted with the plan. A cornerstone was not possible with the poured construction, so the copper box containing the traditional local memorabilia (coins, papers, pictures, bibles, etc.) was placed in the cement floor of the first story. Dedication took place January 4, 1940. Final costs amounted to $112,600. This was reported to be the first monolithic or architectural concrete public building in the state.

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