Clay County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Clay County History and Information

Clay County Facts

Clay County was organized January 2, 1822, from Ray County and named for Henry Clay, Kentucky congressman. The County Seat is Liberty. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Clay County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1823-1889; Deed records, 1822-1890; Warranty deeds, 1885-1887; Quitclaim deeds, 1868 and 1884-1886; Mortgage deeds, 1868-1871 and 1884-1887; Deeds of trust, 1876-1879 and 1883-1887; Index to marriage records, 1822-1877; Marriage records, 1822-1917; Marriage license applications, 1881-1916; Negro/colored marriage records, 1865-1891. Clerk of the County Court: Register of births and stillbirths, 1883-1884; Register of deaths, 1883-1884. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Circuit court records, 1822-1878. Clerk of the Probate Court: Guardian’s/curator’s records, 1860-1863. County Superintendent of Schools: Reports to the superintendent, 1915-1973. 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 Clay County are Clinton County (north), Ray County (east), Jackson County (south), Wyandotte County, Kansas (southwest), Platte County (west). Cities and Towns include Avondale, Birmingham, Claycomo, Excelsior Estates, Excelsior Springs, Gladstone, Glenaire, Holt, Kansas City, Kearney, Lawson, Liberty, Missouri City, Mosby, North Kansas City, Oaks, Oakview, Oakwood, Oakwood Manor, Oakwood Park, Pleasant Valley, Prathersville, Randolph, Smithville

Clay 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.

Clay 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 Clay County Courthouse located at P.O. Box 238, Liberty, MO 64069; Telephone: (816) 792-7641 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.claycogov.com/ . See also Courthouse History. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Clay County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1883-84.
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.”

Clay Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1822 and Land Records from 1822.
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.

Clay County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1821 .
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).

Clay County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1822.
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 Clay County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Clay County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Clay 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.

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

Clay County, Missouri Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Clay County Archives and Historical Library
P. O. Box 99, Liberty, MO 64069; Telephone: 816-781-3611, Fax: 816-781-3611
Street Address: 210 E Franklin, Liberty, MO 64068
Email: info@claycountyarchives.org or webmaster@claycountyarchives.org
Clay County Historic Sites, 21216 Jesse James Rd, Kearney, MO 64060; Phone: (816) 628-6065, [EMAIL
Clay County Museum and Historical Society, 14 North Main Street, Liberty, MO 64068 , [EMAIL
Smithville Historical Society
P.O. Box 270, 303 West Main Street, Smithville, MO 64089; Phone: (816) 532-0255
Thrailkill Genealogical Society, 2018 Gentry, North Kansas City, MO 64116
Excelsior Springs Historical Museum, 101 E Broadway, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024-2513
Phone: (816) 630-3712
Excelsior Springs Genealogical Society, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
Watkins Mill Association, P.O. Box 419038, Kansas City, MO 64183
Northland Genealogy Society
P.O. Box 14121, Parkville, MO 64152; Phone: (816) 741-3981, [EMAIL
Historic Liberty Jail, 216 North Main Street, Liberty, MO 64068; Phone: (816) 781-3188
Heart of America Genealogical Society and Library
c/o Kansas City Public Library, 311 East Twelfth Street, Kansas City, MO 64106
Partee Center for Baptist Historical Studies
500 College Hill, William Jewell College, Liberty, MO 64068; Phone: (816) 781-7700, ext.5490, [EMAIL]
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

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Clay County ] [ Missouri ] [ Main Page ]
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County History

LIBERTY, Missouri: A new mural is at the Clay County Administration Building, Courthouse Square, Liberty, Mo. The mural is a new addition to the historical depictions on the third floor of the Old Courthouse. The painted murals show a number of historical scenes from throughout Clay County. The newest mural features Lewis & Clark and the Multnomah Plantation.

LIBERTY, Missouri: An important book in Clay County history is about to take its place on the shelves of the Clay County Archives and Historic Library. On behalf of Clay County Recorder of Deeds Robert Sevier, the Clay County Commission will give the book, titled Book of Sales of Lands in Sec. 16, and a plat cabinet, circa 1920, to the Clay County Archives at its Business Session, Monday, Feb. 11, 2002. "The book and cabinet are both historically significant to the history of Clay County and should be preserved for future generations," Sevier said. "The book includes entries from the sale of land from as far back as 1832. The cabinet was used for the storage of plats from various areas of Clay County and was used for that purpose by the Recorder of Deeds Office until the late 1980s. Technology has brought us a long way, and the cabinet is no longer needed." The significance of the Book of Sales starts with the beginning of Clay County. In January 1822, Section 16 of each Township was set aside so that the sale of that land would help support education of the students in that township. The Book of Sales of Lands in Sec. 16 documents those land sales. Ware S. May was appointed by the Clay County Court in February 1831 to oversee the sale of the Section 16 land. Samuel Tillery was appointed as Commissioner and made Section 16 land sales up to the spring of 1834. The Book of Sales of Lands in Sec. 16 is available for review until February 11, 2002, in the office of the Clay County Recorder of Deeds.

Courthouse History
"This court having viewed with regret the inconvenience the citizens of the county labor under, as well as the great inconvenience the courts encountered for want of suitable buildings for the accommodations of the different courts, deem it necessary to make an effort to construct a courthouse upon the public square in the town of Liberty."

Although Clay County organized in 1822 and Liberty was chosen as the county seat, it was not until the May term of court in 1828 that this proclamation gave authority for building the first courthouse. Several plans or drafts were submitted for the court's consideration, but commissioners accepted the one Judge George Burnett submitted.

No known illustrations exist, but there is a complete description in the County Court Record for June 1829 which indicates a 44-foot-4-inch, square, brick courthouse, five bays wide with doors on the south, east and west, featuring decorative semicircular fanlights. The courtroom occupied the north part of the building, apparently on the first floor. A hip roof was first planned, but in 1829 changed to a square roof.

Joseph Bright was contractor for the building, but progress was slow. The brick floor on the first story was laid in 1831, so some of the rooms could be occupied; final work was not completed until 1833. Costs of approximately $1,770 came from the sale of county lots and public subscription. Subsequently enlarged by additions on the east and west, it was described as being in poor condition by 1847-48. Fire destroyed this courthouse March 27, 1857.

A Liberty Weekly Tribune editorial reported the advantages of relocating the courthouse off the square, but tradition prevailed, and in May 1857 the court authorized construction of the second courthouse on the site of the first. The court appropriated $35,000 for the new building and paid Peter McDuff $100 for one of two plans he submitted.

McDuff resided at Weston, Missouri, but was born in Scotland in 1813. Little is known of his background, training or interest that might have inspired either this unique design or the one for Clinton County in 1859. In 1866 McDuff designed the Platt County courthouse, which is the only surviving example of his courthouse work.

The court also appointed McDuff superintendent. Crump and Thompson were the contractors. The building was received by the court November 9, 1859, and the Tribune boasted, "Clay County now has the best courthouse in the state." This courthouse was sold to a St. Joseph wrecking firm for $330 and razed in 1934, as the square was prepared for the next and present courthouse.

By 1934 Clay County considered its courthouse 75 years behind the time. During the 1930s Public Works Administration projects encouraged public building applications, and after Clay County approved bonds in the amount of $200,000, P.W.A. approved a $75,500 grant.

Thomas and Edward Drewin Wight, of the Kansas City firm, served as architects. When a sketch of their proposed modern design appeared, an uproar ensued by those who favored a traditional design, which they had thought the court intended to build. However, the traditional design which had accompanied the grant application was the action of a courthouse committee, rather than the County Court.

The court retained Wight and Wight, who designed a white limestone building 117 by 87 feet and 60 feet high. The architects needed to rework their original plans to bring costs within the acceptable range. Bliss and Duncan, Kansas City, received the contract for $192,330; construction began March 27, 1935. The cornerstone ceremony was conducted September 19, 1935, and, in spite of labor problems, the building was completed in June 1936. Construction costs ultimately reached $263,410.

Acute space problems developed in the 1970s. An annex was built and several ideas for additions and enlargements have been considered since. This is an outstanding example of a government project of this period.

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