Vernon County was organized February 27, 1855, from Bates County and named for Miles Vernon, Missouri legislator. The original law establishing Vernon County was approved on February 17, 1851, but was later declared to be unconstitutional in that the boundaries described were identical to those of Bates County. The County Seat is Nevada. Courthouse burned in Civil War. See also County History or Courthouse History for more historical details.
Vernon County has records of genealogical interest available: Recorder of Deeds: Index to deeds, 1845-1887; Deed records, 1855-1920; Index to marriage records, 1881-1900 and 1905-1925; Marriage records, 1855-1916. Clerk of the County Court: Permanent record of births, 1883-1894; Register of births, 1883-1897; Permanent record of deaths, 1883-1896; Register of deaths, 1883-1904. Clerk of the Circuit Court: Index to circuit court records, 1856-1886; Circuit court records, 1856-1886. Clerk of the Probate Court: Index to probate records, (no dates); Probate records, 1855-1887; Administrator’s/executor’s letters, bonds and records, 1855-1899; Administrator’s and guardian accounts, 1856-1872; Inventories, appraisements and sale bills, 1857-1895; Settlement records, 1872-1883; Will records, 1856-1922. 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 Vernon County are Bates County (north), St. Clair County (northeast), Cedar County (east), Barton County (south), Crawford County, Kansas (southwest), Bourbon County, Kansas (west), Linn County, Kansas (northwest). Cities and Towns include Bronaugh, Deerfield, Harwood, Horton, Metz, Milo, Moundville, Nevada, Richards, Schell City, Sheldon, Stotesbury, Walker
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. Both the courthouse and clerk's office were destroyed when the town was burned in 1863, County Court records are missing from 1861-65.
All Departments below are in the Vernon County Courthouse located at Nevada, MO 64772; Telephone: (417) 448-2520 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.vernoncountymo.org/ . See also Courthouse History. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Vernon 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.”
Vernon Register of Deeds / Recorder has Marriage Records from 1855 and Land Records from 1855. 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.
Vernon County Probate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1855. 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).
Vernon County Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1856. 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Vernon County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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.
Click Here to Search Missouri Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102, Please allow up to approximately 6-8 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:
Birth & Death Certificates: Birth records maintained by Bureau of Vital Statistics, Dept. of Health since 1903 through the present. For births that occurred within the past 75 years, copies can be requested only by the immediate family of the person whose name is on the birth certificate.
Cost: The cost of a birth record is $15 per record,
$15 for each additional copy. The cost of a death record is $13 per record,
$10 for each additional copy. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $22.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Processing Time: 6-8 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Marriage & Divorce Certificates: To request a certified copy of a marriage license contact the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the license was obtained.To request a certified copy of a divorce decree contact the Circuit Clerk in the county where the decree was granted.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Order In Person: To request a birth or death certificate from a local health department, you may download the application and submit it in person or by mail to the nearest local health department. Order By Mail: Make check or money order payable to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Checks must be drawn on a United States bank. A money order must be drawn on a United States bank or issued by the United States Postal Service. Do not send cash. Mail to the following address: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services,
Bureau of Vital Records,
P.O. Box 570,
Jefferson City, MO 65102. Please include return address on envelope and application form.
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Missouri newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
Missouri Newspaper Death Index: Spanning over 150 years with over 50,000 records from three Missouri counties, this updated version of the Missouri Newspaper Index is a wonderful resource for the researcher with ancestors in this area.
Click Here to Search Missouri Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Vernon County, Missouri are 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Vernon County, Missouri are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1860, 1870 and 1880.There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms
Below is a list of online resources for Vernon County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Missouri Census, 1830-70: This collection contains the following indexes: 1830 Federal Census Index; 1830-39 Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1850 Slave Schedules; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1860 Slave Schedules; 1870 Federal Census Index; Early Census Index.
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Missouri and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Missouri showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Missouri showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.
Below is a list of online resources for Vernon County Maps. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Missouri Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Vernon County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Missouri (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Missouri Confederate Death Records: This list, originally published in the St. Louis Republic in the spring of 1895, reveals important information regarding many of these volunteers
Missouri Confederate Volunteers: Taken from the History of the First and Second Missouri Confederate Brigades, 1861-1865 published in 1879, this database lists over 1600 men who volunteered to fight in the 1st and 2nd Missouri Confederate Brigades.
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 Vernon County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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 Vernon County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Tri-County Genealogical Society, (Vernon - Cedar - St. Clair Counties),212 West Walnut Street, Nevada, MO 64772, E-mail: tricountygenealogy@centurytel.net
Vernon County Historical Society,
231 North Main Street,
Nevada, MO 64772,
Phone: (417) 667-9602
Ozarks Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3945, 534 West Catalpa, Springfield, MO 65808, Phone: (417) 831-2773, E-mail: Ogsoc@dellepro.com
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
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.
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.
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 Vernon County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Missouri obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Missouri newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Missouri.
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.
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 Vernon County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Vernon County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
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.
The origin of the first settlement of Vernon county, and of the present Bates county, was the establishment, in the year 1821, of the Harmony Mission, on the Marais des Cygnes, six miles above its mouth, in what is now Bates county. This mission, or station, as it was sometimes called, was planted under the auspices of the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions, an organization composed of Presbyterians and Congregationalists. The first organization was effected in New York City, and was a home missionary society, having for its object the establishment of missions among the Indians, but in 1819 this was con- solidated with the A.B.C.F.M., a Presbyterian organization, of Boston.
The first actual settlements of Vernon county, by individuals with the intent of making their future and permanent homes here, were made in the year 1829, by Jesse J. Summers, Moses Summers and Allen Summers, three brothers, and their location was on the Osage, in the northern part of this county, in what is now Metz township. Jesse and Moses came with their families in the spring, and located on the north side of the Osage, and their brother Allen came in the fall and settled on the south side (n. 1/2 se. 1/4 section 22, township 37, range 32), within 100 yards of where his son Moses now lives.
Harmony Mission
Historic Harmony Mission, a school for the Indians of Missouri, once stood east of Rich Hill, on the north bank of the Osage River, near the centuries-old camping sites of the Great and Little Osage tribes.
The mission was founded in 1821 by the United Foreign Missionary Society of N.Y., supported by Presbyterian, Congregational, and Dutch Reformed churches. Among the 41 members of the mission family were teachers, mechanics, and farmers, headed by minister Nathaniel B. Dodge. The Osage gave land and the U.S. provided a building fund.
With heroic effort, the missionaries soon built homes and a school. An Osage-English dictionary of some 2000 words was made with the help of "Bill" Williams, later famed as the "Mountain Man," but then serving as interpreter at a nearby U.S. trading post.
The school was only a moderate success, largely because the Osage ceded the last of their Missouri land to the U.S. in 1825 and began to move away. The mission was closed in 1836. The main building, moved to Papinsville, was burned in the Civil War.
Harmony Mission, Missouri's first Indian mission school, was the first county seat and the first white settlement in Bates County, organized, 1841, named for Missouri Governor Frederick Bates. Later the once thriving Osage River town of Papinsville, named for a French trader, was county seat. In 1856 centrally located Butler, named for a Ky. congressman became county seat.
During the Civil War, Bates was one of the counties depopulated by Union General Thomas Ewing's Order No. 11 of 1863. The next year only 390 persons were living in the county, but the post war years brought over 10,000 by 1868 to farm the fertile acres and mine the rich coal deposits.
Here in the Osage Valley of Bates and Vernon counties were the villages of the Wazhazhe Indians, called Osage by the French. In 1808, less than 100 years after they were first visited by a white man, Du Tisne, 1719, they ceded most for their Missouri land to the U.S. They ceded the rest, 1825. The first chief called Pahuska (White Hair) once lay buried in Blue Mound and for years they returned to honor him.
Courthouse History
Vernon County was organized in 1855. In the same year commissioners bought 50 acres for $250 as the site of the county seat. The county seat was first called Fairview; later the name became Nevada City.
First courts met in private homes. The court gave the contract for building the first courthouse to James Bryan in May 1856 and appropriated $900. D. C. Hunter, county clerk, appointed as superintendent, presented a plan that called for a building 28 by 18 feet with the first story nine feet high, the second story seven feet. The exterior would have frame weatherboarding, the interior, plastering. The building was to be painted white with green shutters and covered with a shingle roof; there were to be four panel doors and seven windows. A closed stairway, which turned at the corner, led to the second story, which had two partitions. The courtroom was apparently on the lower floor, since this room was available for religious services of all denominations. On June 23, 1857, the court accepted the building, which was one block west of the public square.
A brick building for the clerk's office was built on the southwest corner of the square in 1860 for $550. Both the courthouse and clerk's office were destroyed when the town was burned in 1863, and the county seat moved for safety reasons. Officials stored records in several locations in Arkansas and Kansas, but returned them after the war. County Court records are missing from 1861-65.
In January 1867 citizens presented a petition for building a new courthouse, and the court first appropriated $15,000 for construction. A. A. Pitcher acted as superintendent of public buildings, and Charles W. Goodlander contracted with the court for construction of the two-story building.
Completed in October 1868, the final costs totaled approximately $25,000. The 50-by-60-foot brick building had a 15-foot tower that rose from a 10-foot base. This tower appears on detailed maps from 1885 to 1900. The building had a recessed vestibule opened with two white stone square columns supporting a small cornice. White quoins trimmed the side walls of the entry and corners of the building. The white was repeated in segmental lintels above the windows on the first floor and round arched lintels on the second floor. Supporting the cornice were pairs of brackets at the corners and above each window.
The building faced south. A center hall divided the first floor with three rooms on each side. The Circuit Court room was on the second floor. There were two rooms and a gallery above the vestibule. In 1868 the court charged for renting the courtroom — $1.00 for churches and lodges; $10.00 for dances, shows or exhibitions; political, railroad or agricultural meetings were free. Later, this courthouse was altered to create more usable space. In time it deteriorated and was sold and razed in 1906.
Vernon County's present courthouse was built in 1906-08, of a similar design to the 19th century courthouses of Adair and Johnson counties, and the 20th century Polk County courthouse, all built by the same architect, R. G. Kirsch.
Ten architects presented plans to Vernon County court officials in March 1906, and by an overwhelming vote, officials selected Robert G. Kirsch. W. L. Garver, formerly of Nevada, was runner-up. Other plans the court admired were too expensive. The court called for bids in July, but all exceeded the $75,000 limit. Costs were rising rapidly, so Kirsch altered his plan. Substituting less expensive materials, he gave contractors options on materials for inside foundation above footings and changed the main staircase from marble and iron to quarter-sawed oak.
Dye and Beagles Construction firm of Nevada received the bid for $71,186. Built of Carthage stone, the three-story building measures 80 by 100 feet and rises to 126 feet at the top of the dome. The courtroom, which seats 310, is on the second floor. Cornerstone ceremonies took place October 30, 1906; the court accepted the completed building in February 1908. Final costs for the courthouse amounted to almost $80,000. Most maintenance on the building has respected the original design.
