Miller County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Miller County History and Information

Miller County Facts

Miller County was organized February 6, 1837, from Cole and Pulaski counties and named for John Miller, governor of Missouri. The County Seat is Tuscumbia. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Miller County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1871-1944; Deed records, 1837-1944; Index to marriage records, 1837-1917; Marriage records, 1837-1917; Register of marriage licenses, 1887-1928. Clerk of the County Court: Permanent record of births, 1883-1891; Register of births and stillbirths, 1883-1891; Permanent record of deaths, 1883-1902; Register of deaths, 1883-1904; Record of brands and marks, 1837-1899; Register of state board of health certificates, 1883-1914; Roll of physicians and surgeons, 1883-1915. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Circuit court records,1837-1888. Clerk of the Probate Court: Probate records, 1837-1889; Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1837-1902; Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1855-1886; Proof of publication, notices and affidavits, 1868-1885; Settlement records, 1849-1886; Will records, 1840-1931. 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 Miller County are Moniteau County (north), Cole County & Osage County (northeast), Maries County (east), Pulaski County (south), Camden County (southwest), Morgan County (west). Cities and Towns include Bagnell, Brumley, Eldon, Etterville, Iberia, Kaiser, Lake Ozark, Lakeside, Olean, Osage Beach, St. Elizabeth, Tuscumbia, Ulman

Miller 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.

Miller 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 Miller County Courthouse located at P.O. Box 12, Tuscumbia, MO 65082; Telephone: (573) 369-2731 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://millercountymissouri.org/ . See also Courthouse History. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Miller County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1883-1904.
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.”

Miller Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1837 and Land Records from 1837.
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.

Miller County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1837.
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).

Miller County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1837.
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 Miller County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Miller County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Miller 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.

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

Miller County, Missouri Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Miller County Historical Society, P.O. Box 57, Highway 52 West, Tuscumbia, MO 65082
Seeking ‘N Searching Ancestors, 270 Brushy Creek Road, St. Elizabeth, MO 65075; Phone: (573) 793-6998
Mid-Missouri Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 715, Jefferson City, MO 65102
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

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Miller County ] [ Missouri ] [ Main Page ]
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Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
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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.
Miller County, Missouri Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Here in Missouri's central Ozarks, Miller County was originated 1837, and named for Missouri Governor
John Miller. In territory ceded by Osage (French pronunciation for Wazhazhe Indians) 1808, the county
was first settled 1807, by Wiliam West. Early pioneers were from Kentucky., Tennessee, and Virginia.
Two major Indian trails ran through the county.

Tuscumbia, the county seat, was laid out 1837, and named for Tuscumbia (Chickasaw for Warrior Who
Kills), Alabama. The town site, given by J. B. and J. P. Harrison, had been an Indian trading camp. On
scenic osage river bluffs, below Bagnell dam, the town was once a noted Osage Riverport and a number
of steamboats were built there.

In the Civil War, minor skirmishes and guerrila raids halted county growth. From the 1870's to early
1900's, lead mining first begun in 1850's, was carred on and the vast timber resources were harvested.
In 1882, a branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built to Bagnell, then a leading railroad tie shipping
point. In 1903, today's Chicago, Rock Island and Paciifc Railroad was built through northern Miller County.

Miller County, through which flows the Osage River, is a resort, farm, and lumber area. Frenchman
Charles Du Tisne, on an exploring trip in 1719, crossed the county south of the Osage, and in 1806,
Zebulon M. Pike's Southwest expedition camped along the river. Bagnell Dam, forming Lake of the
Ozarks, was built on the Osage in the county by Union Electric Company of Missouri, 1929-31.

Iberia, south of the Osage, laid out 1860, was the home of Iberia (Congregational) Academy, later a junior
college. 1890-1951 established by G. Byron and mable (White) Smith. Other county towns include
Ulman, settled in 1840's; Brumley and Saint Elizabeth, founded in 1870's; Olean and Eldon, resort town
and railroad center, 1882; Etterville and Kaiser, early 1900's; Lake Ozark 1932. Early schools were
Miller County Institute at Spring Garden, 1870; Miller County Academy at Aurora Springs, 1881; Eldon
Academy, 1886.

Of interest are Bagnell Dam, Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Miller and Camden counties, found 1935;
Aurora Springs, noted Spa of late 1800's and Stark Caverns, born near Eldon; and Wilson's Cave near
Iberia.

Courthouse History
Miller County attempted to build a courthouse in Tuscumbia in 1838. In February judges appropriated $400 and advertised for construction, but received no bids. The court tried again in 1839, appropriating $250 and appointing Hardin M. Williams superintendent. This time they succeeded when John Davis, one of the judges, submitted a low bid of $199.

The 32-by-20-foot, hewn-log building had a stone foundation, rough plank floor, hewn boards covering the cracks (apparently board and batten construction) and a gable roof. A partition wall divided the courthouse into two rooms.

Davis completed his work during August 1840. Finishing work continued until May 1841. Repairs on the building in 1843 and 1847 still did not provide satisfactory accommodations, and the clerk twice sought quarters elsewhere. Finally, in 1858, as preparations were made for a new facility, the courthouse of 1839-40 was ordered sold to the highest bidder.

Petitions from citizens asked for a new courthouse in 1856, and the court made an initial appropriation of $4,000. The court awarded the contract to Robert McKim and Robert Ainsworth for $6,000 in November 1857. They built a two-story, brick, 56-by-40-foot courthouse, on a plan which the court accepted from Owen Riggs, the superintendent. The brick was made locally, but the masonry was of such poor quality the court had it painted with two coats of red paint. The court accepted the completed building in February 1859. This courthouse continued in use into the 20th century.

Numerous attempts to vote bonds for a new courthouse were defeated, partly because there was some desire to relocate the county seat. In 1909 one prominent citizen encouraged relocation advocates to stop talking about it, because, he said, "Elephants will turn to ants and flies to dianasauruses [sic] before the county seat is removed from Tuscumbia."

The following month the court decided to repair the old courthouse, for approval by vote was not necessary when repairing county property. On November 6, 1909, the clerk was ordered to contact different architectural firms for a remodeling design. The court then commissioned the Jefferson City firm of Miller and Opel, who presented a plan that reversed the previous arrangement by putting the courtroom on the second floor, with offices on the first.

Wings were added to the north and south of the central block, which had been the 1858 courthouse. The court awarded a contract April 14, 1910, for veneering the sides of the old building with native limestone and making two 28-by-50-foot additions, increasing the size of the building to 110 by 50 feet. P. F. Havenstein (or Hauenstein) and R. T. Roberts received the contract for $13,800.

Finally the county did need to pass a $10,000 bond issue to finish the project. W. W. Whitlock received the contract in September 1913 for $8,483 to complete the remodeling. He finished the work in December 1913.

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