St. Clair County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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St. Clair County History and Information

St. Clair County Facts

St. Clair County was organized January 29, 1841, from Rives (later Henry) County and named for Arthur St. Clair, a Revolutionary War general. The County Seat is Osceola. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

St. Clair County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1841-1861 and 1863-1886; Deed records, 1841-1903; Marriage records, 1855-1926. Clerk of the County Court: Register of births and stillbirths, 1883-1885; Permanent record of births, 1883-1903; Permanent record of deaths, 1883-1890. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Index to circuit court records, 1841 -1 904; Circuit court records, 1841-1883. Clerk of the Probate Court: Index to probate records, 1865-1888; Probate records, 1865-1888; Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1865-1890; Settlement records, 1870-1892; Will records, 1865-1921. 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 St. Clair County are Henry County (north), Benton County (northeast), Hickory County (east), Polk County (southeast), Cedar County (south), Vernon County (southwest), Bates County (northwest). Cities and Towns include Appleton City, Collins, Gerster, Lowry City, Osceola, Roscoe, Taberville, Vista

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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.

St. Clair 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.
The Courthouse apparently was burned in September 1861 by Gen. James Lane. One account claims that Lane's raid only partially destroyed the courthouse; by some accounts it was rebuilt and used until November 1864, when it was again burned in Civil War activity. Probate Court records were destroyed.

All Departments below are in the St. Clair County Courthouse located at P.O. Box 493, Osceola, MO 64776; Telephone: (417) 646-2226 , 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.

St. Clair County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from 1883-90.
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.”

St. Clair Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1855 and Land Records from 1841.
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.

St. Clair County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1865.
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).

St. Clair County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1841.
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 St. Clair County Court Records. Email us with websites containing St. Clair County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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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.

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

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

Appleton City Landmarks Restoration, P.O. Box 44 , Appleton City, MO 64724
West Central Missouri Genealogical Society and Library , P.O. Box 4, Warrensburg, MO 64093, Phone: (660) 747-6264, E-mail: junguns@iland.net
Tri-County Genealogical Society, (Vernon - Cedar - St. Clair Counties),212 West Walnut Street, Nevada, MO 64772, E-mail: tricountygenealogy@centurytel.net
St. Clair County Historical Society, P.O. Box 376 , Osceola, MO 64776, Website:
Ozarks Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3945, 534 West Catalpa, Springfield, MO 65808 , Phone: (417) 831-2773, E-mail: Ogsoc@dellepro.com
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

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

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Sites on USGenweb: [ St. Clair 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

Courthouse History
First courts in St. Clair County met in homes before a courthouse was built in 1842. Various references in the County Court Record indicate the two-story building had a parapet, tin roof, plank floor and was built on the public square, which was fenced. Parapets, small extensions of a wall above the roof line, were unusual features found on few early Missouri courthouses.

This structure is apparently the one that was burned in September 1861 by Gen. James Lane. One account claims that Lane's raid only partially destroyed the courthouse; by some accounts it was rebuilt and used until November 1864, when it was again burned in Civil War activity.

In June 1866 voters approved appropriation of $15,000 for building a new courthouse. William O. Mead acted as superintendent and advertised for proposals. A. G. Clarke, assisted by Thomas Sutherland, was paid $20 for making a plan for the courthouse.

A newspaper announcement calling for proposals for building the courthouse stated that the builder would be permitted to use the old bricks which were still on the site. Specifications called for the ground floor to be of brick laid in cement, as in the previous courthouse. The 44-foot-square structure was to be built upon the foundation of the previous building. Crossing halls were originally planned with exterior doors, but later windows were substituted. On the main facade, facing Second St., a porch had two stairways leading to the second story. Four two-story brick pillars supported the roofs covering the porches. Plans also called for a 16-foot shuttered cupola, which could be used as a bell tower. There was a five-foot cornice; caps and sills of the doors and windows were to be of cut stone. Pine would be used for doors as well as for shutters, which would cover the windows.

The contractors, Hicks and Brown, completed their work and turned the building over to the county on Dec. 4, 1867. However, the county commissioner deducted $200 due to unacceptable work. Cost of the courthouse was about $15,000. No early photographs are known; a late 19th century illustration shows the courthouse with the cupola missing.

In 1880 the building was insured for $3,000, and by 1890 the safety of the building was questioned, although it continued in use for another 18 years. In spite of the courthouse's condition, in December 1905 voters rejected a proposal to build a new courthouse. Some county offices leased space in another building on the square; it was not until the Circuit Court judge refused to hold court in the courthouse that it was vacated in 1908. Still the building was not razed. Instead, a small addition was made on the east, permitting some county offices to continue using the courthouse.

In spite of the acute need, several years passed before the County Court selected the architect of the 20th century courthouse. The court finally selected Clifton B. Sloan of Kansas City, who presented his plans in May 1916. Razing of the old building began the same month, but apparently the east extension was incorporated in the new building. At the time, the construction was referred to as a further addition.

The court received nine bids after offering prospective contractors four alternative propositions to bid on. According to the Appleton City Journal, the proposals were so complicated that the average citizen could understand only the one designated "A." Proposal A provided for destruction of the old building, excavation for a basement, and construction of new walls and roof. The court accepted a bid on proposal A of $12,500 from D. M. Wall.

The principal entry would face north with others on the east and west. Work ceased when the roof was in place, marking the end of stage one. Unfortunately, construction did not resume due to lack of funds. The financial bind stemmed from forty years earlier when the county had gone deeply into debt on an unsuccessful railroad venture. Now that the county appeared solvent, heirs of the original lenders filed suit demanding payment on the old debt. Their legal action succeeded in halting construction of the new courthouse. Parts of the incompleted building were used for county business, but the quarters were cramped and inconvenient. The unfinished state of the building left it liable to possible damage, and the court did allocate $1,500 in 1917 for draining the basement and glazing the windows. A further limitation was imposed because of World War I and the order from the State Council of Defense that restricted building. Finally, voters acknowledged the railroad indebtedness and passed a bond issue in September 1918 to settle with the claimants.

Construction resumed on the courthouse project when bids were received in June 1919 and again in February 1920 after suitable appropriations had been made. The second-floor courtroom was dedicated September 9, 1920, but other finishing work continued into 1923. By January of that year, costs amounted to about $52,500. The prolonged period of construction, done in stages with many separate contracts, and the intervening legal problem make a complicated history. Constructed of yellow brick and white stone trim, the building continues in use today.

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