Taney County, Missouri Genealogical Records Information

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Taney County History and Information

Taney County Facts

Taney County was organized January 6, 1837, from Greene County and named for Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The County Seat is Forsyth. Courthouse burned in 1885. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.

Taney County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1886-1895; Deed records, 1886-1888; Mortgage deeds, 1881-1906; Marriage records, 1885-1899 and 1908-1913. Clerk of the County Court: Teachers registers, 1886-1918. Clerk of the Probate Court: Probate records, 1888-1916; Will records, 1888-1916. 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 Taney County are Christian County (north), Douglas County (northeast), Ozark County (east), Marion County, Arkansas (southeast), Boone County, Arkansas (south), Carroll County, Arkansas (southwest), Stone County (west). Cities and Towns include Bradleyville, Branson, Brownbranch, Bull Creek, Cedar Creek, Forsyth, Hilda, Hollister, Kirbyville, Kissee Mills, McClurg, Merriam Woods, Point Lookout, Powersite, Protem, Ridgedale, Rockaway Beach, Rueter, Table Rock, Taneyville, Walnut Shade

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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.

Taney 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 was burned in 1863 by Union troops trying to keep the fortress out of the hands of Confederates. Fire destroyed the courthouse and most records December 19, 1885

All Departments below are in the Taney County Courthouse located at P.O. Box 335, Forsyth, MO 65653-0335; Telephone: (417)546-2241 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.taney.mo.us/ . See also Courthouse History. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Taney County Clerk of the Court has Birth & Death Records from N/A .
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.”

Taney Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1885 and Land Records from 1881.
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.

Taney County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1888.
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).

Taney County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1887.
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 Taney County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Taney County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Taney 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.

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

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

Ralph Foster Museum, College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO 65726, Phone: (417) 334-6411, ext. 3407
White River Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 841, Forsyth, MO 65653; Ph: (417) 546-9892, [EMAIL]. To join go to Click Here. List of publications that we have for sale at White River Valley Historical Society. Prices do not include postage.Limited quanities.
- Hometown Branson - Early History by Jo Stacey Albers and Dorothy Stacey, * $20
- A Branson Story - through 5 Generations, by Todd Parnell $20.00
- Community of Boston Center Cookbook, $8
- In the Heart of Ozark Mountain Country, Popular History, Editor, Frank Reuter * $20
- Sweeney's Raid on Forsyth, [Program for the celebration at Forsyth of Sweeney's Raid] * $1
- Branson -- A Timeline History, by Jerry Madsen, * $8 *
- English Village in the Ozarks - The Story of Hollister, MO, by Edith McCall * $5
- Bringing Books to the Ozarks - A Branson Adventure, by Kathleen Van Buskick & Lorraine umphrey, $10
Bonniebrook Historical Society, .O. Box 263, Branson, MO 65615 , Phone: (417) 561-2210
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
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Taney 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 Taney County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Taney 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 Taney County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Taney 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.
Taney County, Missouri Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Taney 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 Taney County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Taney County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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

Courthouse History
Taney County officially organized in 1837, but most of the official records were destroyed in a courthouse fire during 1885. The tumultuous years during and following the Civil War add further obstacles to documenting the history of all Taney County courthouses. There were at least five and perhaps six. The sixth might more appropriately be called repair work on an already existing courthouse. Chapter 2 of The Land of Taney by Elmo Ingenthron provides the most complete history of Taney County courthouses.

First courts met in private homes until a temporary courthouse site was established at the mouth of Swan Creek, later the town of Forsyth. But commissioners appointed by the state chose to move the county seat to a site at the mouth of Bull Creek. County residents felt slighted by the commissioners' decision, and in 1841 they succeeded in getting legislation authorizing the election of county commissioners by county residents. In 1845 elected county commissioners returned the county seat to Swan Creek.

Apparently, log courthouses were built at each location. In 1941 Work Projects Administration recorders interviewed Judge W. A. Keithly, who remembered that when he was a boy his father showed him the old "peeled cedar" log structure at Bull Creek. Another eyewitness for the W.P.A. report recalled that it was still standing in the 1930s.

According to Ingenthron, in about 1855 the county got permission from the state to borrow from the internal improvement fund to build a three-story, brick courthouse at Forsyth; it came to be regarded as one of the finest buildings in the White River region. Charles H. Groom, interviewed for the W.P.A. project in 1940, said it was about 50 feet square and built by Larkin W. Selsor for $3,600. There are no known illustrations, but if Ingenthron's and Groom's information is correct, this building dating from 1855 would have been a rare example of a three-story courthouse.

During the Civil War, both Confederate and Union troops occupied this courthouse, with possession changing hands more than once. It was severely damaged in a skirmish April 22, 1863. At one time a stockade was built around the courthouse. After the war, workers repaired the courthouse, apparently within existing walls. More evidence is needed to determine whether this should be counted as the fourth courthouse or merely as repair work. Fire destroyed the courthouse and most records December 19, 1885; The remains were razed in 1887.

After the fire in 1885 left the county without an operable courthouse, county residents could not agree on what to do next. In 1886 a petition to move the courthouse to Kissee Mills was defeated. The following year a bond proposal to authorize courthouse funds was not approved. In 1889 a proposal to move the county seat to Taney City also met defeat. Finally, in 1889 plans for building a new courthouse in Forsyth were confirmed after Governor David Francis made a state appropriation of $5,000 to build a new courthouse. A. D. Prather, courthouse superintendent, presented plans and specifications prepared by architect James A. Barton of Springfield. The court accepted bids through December 2, 1889. The day after bids were due Prather modified, or had the architect modify, the original plans by removing a vestibule from the north and reducing the size of the tower.

Prather filed to comply with the court's orders regarding some matter with the courthouse; in a special session December 28 of the same year, the court dismissed him, appointing John H. Parrish in his place. L. W. Selsor, probably the same Larkin W. Selsor associated with the previous courthouse, contracted the building. Built upon part of the foundation of the preceding building, the courthouse measured 40 by 50 feet, with a 10-by-12-foot tower. The courtroom occupied the second floor, offices the first. The building was completed in January 1891. An addition was made to both stories in 1914.

The lake formed by Bull Shoals Dam inundated the area in 1951. The School of the Ozarks purchased the courthouse for $2,000, disassembled it and reused the stone in School of the Ozarks construction. Taney County was compensated $75,000 for the courthouse loss.

On January 20, 1950, the court selected a new site on a bend in the highway that ran through Forsyth. Commissioners first considered building a two-story, 50-by-100-foot, brick-faced building, but all the bids that came in were above the figure the county was willing to commit. The cost of labor was rising, jobs were plentiful, and large Springfield firms were not interest in contracting small projects. So, in April the court turned to local resources for a new plan and labor force. This decision produced one of the most unusual courthouse designs in Missouri.

An engineer, Volney A. Poulson, inspired by South American architecture, conceived the plan for a stuccoed building, planned around an open courtyard. The design called for a 116-foot-square structure, with 10-foot walks around the perimeter. The building, which still functions as the Taney County courthouse, has 24 rooms, including the jail and a 28-by-40-foot courtroom. Central passageways through the building lead to a 42-foot-square open courtyard (see Figure 2). Built of cinder blocks, stuccoed and painted off-white, the building is heated by hot water carried through copper tubing. The court contracted with George Brown to build it for $66,912.50. A few months later Brown defaulted. A controversy arose with Poulson, who resigned, and work stopped for a time. Construction which began in July 1950, was completed August 6, 1951. Planners considered future landscaping and a fountain to enhance the effect of the courtyard.

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