Douglas County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Douglas County History and Information

Douglas County Facts

Douglas County was organized October 29, 1857, from Ozark County and named for Stephen A. Douglas, Illinois senator and later presidential candidate. The County Seat is Ava. Courthouse Burned in 1886. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Douglas County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1860-1893; Deed records, 1858-1920; Index to marriage records, (no dates); Marriage records, 1877-1916. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Index to circuit court records, 1886-1931; Circuit court records, 1886-1909. Clerk of the Probate Court: Index to probate records, (no dates); Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1889-1892; Settlement records, 1886-1895; Will records, 1886-1928. 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 Douglas County are Webster County (northwest), Wright County (north), Texas County (northeast), Howell County (east), Ozark County (south), Taney County (southwest), Christian County (west). Cities and Towns include Ava, Brushyknob, Drury, Gentryville, Smallett, Squires, Vanzant

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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.

Douglas 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.
Vandals burned the Militia Springs courthouse, destroying many records in July 1872. On April 26, 1886 the store building used for courthouse purposes was destroyed by fire, and again all records were destroyed.

All Departments below are in the Douglas County Courthouse located at P.O. Box 249, Ava, MO 65608; Telephone: (417) 683-4713 , 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.

Douglas County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1886-94.
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.”

Douglas Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1877 and Land Records from 1858.
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.

Douglas County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1886.
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).

Douglas County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1886.
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 Douglas County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Douglas County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Douglas 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.

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

Douglas County, Missouri Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 986, 401 East Washington, Ava, MO 65608; Phone: (417) 683-5799
Ozarks Genealogical Society , P.O. Box 3945, 534 West Catalpa, Springfield, MO 65808; Phone: (417) 831-2773, [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

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

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County History

Vera Cruz, located on Bryant creek at the confluence of Hunter creek, about 18 miles southeast of Ava, was the first county seat of Douglas county.

Douglas county was organized by an act of the state legislature on October 29, 1857, from territory taken from Ozark county. It was named for Stephan A. Douglas, the United States Senator from Illinois whose debates with Abraham Lincoln constitute an epic in American history. Additional territory was taken from Taney and Webster counties in 1864, giving it a land area of 804 square miles and making it the eleventh largest county in the state.

The legislative act creating Douglas county named Arthur Rippee and John L. Tate, of Wright county, and James Ellison, of Webster county, as commissioners to locate the county seat. Meanwhile the new county was attached to the Fourteenth Judicial District, and the dwelling house of James A. Wilson was designated as the place for conducting both county and circuit court.

The three commissioners located the county seat at Old Vera Cruz, about a mile north of what is now know as Vera Cruz. Here the county established its first seat of government and transacted its business in a primitive log courthouse until 1869.

In that year, after three far east end townships were, by petition to the county court, cut loose from Douglas county and attached to Howell county, the county voted more than two to one to move the county seat to Arno. Vera Cruz was then considered to be about eight miles east of the center of the county, and Arno was considered a like number of miles west of the center. Considerable dissatisfaction developed over the Arno location. Vera Cruz was too far east, and likewise, Arno was too far west. Trouble followed and the matter was taken to court for settlement.

Finally, about a year later, the issue was settled by compromise. The court appointed commissioners, representing both the east and west ends of the county, to select more satisfactory site for the county seat (nearer the center of the county).

It was then that Ava was selected, being about a mile west of the center of the county. At that time the site of Ava was government land, and the county court selected H. M. Miller to go to the U. S. Land Office in Springfield and cash enter the forty acres of land where the business section of Ava now stands, for the county.

The "Reynolds Hardware" store building, a log structure located on what is now the east side of the public square, was taken over by the county and served as the first courthouse in Ava. In 1870 the building and all the county records were destroyed by fire.

The county then bought a store building located on what is now the northwest corner of the square, where the Citizens Bank now stands, and arranged it for use as a courthouse.

On April 26, 1886 the store building used for courthouse purposes was destroyed by fire, and again all records were destroyed. For the next two years the school house in Ava was used in which to transact the county’s business.

In 1888, a frame courthouse was erected in the center of the public square, largely from donations and from the sale of lots. This building served the county until 1937, when the present courthouse on the southeast corner of the square was completed. In January 1937, the old building was sold to F. F. Buck and E. R. Fletcher for $350, "to be removed by them from the center of the square within 90 days."

All that remains of the original county seat at Vera Cruz is a recently established youth camp under the promotion and supervision of the Rev. Oscar Cunningham of Ava, and an ancient Baptist log church, still in use on occasions.

At its peak the Vera Cruz community was the scene of two general stores, a lumber mill and grist mill operated by water power.

Courthouse History
Different accounts conflict concerning the history of Douglas County's courthouses. In addition to the published histories, a manuscript by Herbert Garton, based upon 1937-38 Work Projects Administration interviews with early settlers and county officials, provided more information about Douglas County's history.

After bitter quarreling over location of the county seat, Vera Cruz became the compromise choice. The first courthouse, made of logs by volunteer labor, was completed in six weeks. It had a puncheon floor and hand-crafted furnishings. County officials occupied the building December 27, 1857.

The county seat moved to Rome after a Civil War incident in which the courthouse in Vera Cruz was fired upon, but continued war activity in Rome prompted a return to Vera Cruz.

Beginning in 1866 a series of elections were held attempting to move the county seat to Arno. The elections failed but contributed to intensified rivalry between east and west. The struggle culminated with Arno advocates "stealing the courthouse" (i.e. county records) and moving them to the home of the circuit clerk in Arno on February 24, 1872. For two weeks no one knew where the records were.

Retaliation came when citizens of Militia Springs (called Ava since 1881) built a $350 courthouse in 1872, retrieved the records and place them in a log vault. Vandals burned the Militia Springs courthouse, destroying many records in July 1872, according to the Jefferson City People's Tribune. The paper's account carried a taste of cynicism:

" . . . who he is will probably never be found out, or if so, he would never be punished, as no crime committed in that county has been punished since the war, at least so far as we know."

Curry's A Reminiscent History of Douglas County mentioned an 1870 fire, which may have been a separate incident.

After the fire, citizens promptly began to rebuild a courthouse of hand-hewn lumber (the first not of logs) in Militia Springs, which was completed and occupied January 22, 1873. Precise location of this courthouse is not certain; it may have been in the center of the square, as Garton claims, or on a corner lot northwest of the central square, as another account reports.

Strong antagonism continued with repeated petitions presented to move the county seat. Again the courthouse was burned, this time by the county assessor-treasurer, destroying incriminating evidence of embezzlement. The court convicted him of arson and sentenced him to five years in prison. Date of the fire was about April 26 or 27, 1886. According to the Jefferson City Daily Tribune, it was May 2, 1886. Persistent attempts to move the county seat continued stirring dissension between sections of the county well into the 20th century.

A schoolhouse provided space for the courts to meet until a two-story, 40-by-70-foot, clapboard building with hip roof was built in 1888 on the square. This courthouse continued in use until 1937 when it was sold for $350.

Government talk of possibly funding about 50 percent of construction costs for a new courthouse prompted the Douglas County Planning Commission to assess needs. Their existing courthouse was a fire hazard and structurally weak; the building swayed, and doors could not be closed because of sagging timbers. The court hired Dan R. Sanford, who had experience with similar projects and government grants. The planning board recommended that the old site be turned over to the city and used as a park. Public opinion was divided, but the decision was made to move from the original square.

In September 1935 citizens voted a $50,000 bond issue, to be supplemented by a government grant of $33,545. Specifications that Sanford submitted included a $3,000 sum for purchase of a new site. The 185-foot square was too small to accommodate the new building. Then, too, a highway had been routed through the center of town in 1923; the noise from increased automobile traffic interfered with court business. An open central square in a county seat is rarely found in Missouri.

Contracts for building the new courthouse were awarded in December 1935 to Week's Construction Company, Kansas City. The red brick building is trimmed with "cast" stone, made with Carthage stone chips, crushed, mixed with cement, cast into blocks and polished to give the appearance of quarried stone. Work began in March 1936, and county officials moved into the completed building in January 1937.

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