Jefferson County, Missouri Genealogy

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Guide to Jefferson County, Missouri ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Hillsboro
Organized: December 8, 1818
Parent County(s): Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis[1]
Neighboring Counties
Franklin  • Monroe (IL)  • St. Francois  • Ste. Genevieve  • St. Louis  • Washington
See County Maps
Courthouse
MissouriJeffersonCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Map Jefferson County, Missouri.png
Adoption
Thomas Jefferson

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for Thomas Jefferson. The County is located in the east central area of the state. [2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Jefferson County Courthouse
300 2nd Street
PO Box 100
Hillsboro, MO 63050-0100
Phone: 636-797-5478
Jefferson County Website

Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records.
Probate Court has probate records.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has court records.[3]

Jefferson County, Missouri Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Marriage Court Land Probate Census
1883 1825 1883 1819 1819 1820 1830
*Statewide registration started in 1910 for births and deaths. General compliance for births by 1927 and deaths by 1911.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating Missouri county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Missouri County Boundary Maps" (1804-1889) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places in Jefferson County, MO, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator.
The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all 114 Missouri Counties.
Moser's Directory of Towns, Villages and Hamlets Past and Present of Missouri provides similar information on places in Jefferson County.
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Jefferson County, Missouri online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Missouri Cemeteries for more information

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 1,835 —
1830 2,592 41.3%
1840 4,296 65.7%
1850 6,928 61.3%
1860 10,344 49.3%
1870 15,380 48.7%
1880 18,736 21.8%
1890 22,484 20.0%
1900 25,712 14.4%
1910 27,878 8.4%
1920 26,555 −4.7%
1930 27,563 3.8%
1940 32,023 16.2%
1950 38,007 18.7%
1960 66,377 74.6%
1970 105,248 58.6%
1980 146,183 38.9%
1990 171,380 17.2%
2000 198,099 15.6%
2010 218,733 10.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Missouri denominations, view the Missouri Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Missouri Land and Property for information about records of land transfers from the government to private ownership. After that transfer, transactions were usually recorded and are currently housed at the county courthouse.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Jefferson County, Missouri Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section Missouri Local Histories.

Pond in Young Conservation Area

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

St. Louis CountyFranklin CountyWashington CountySt. Francois CountySte. Genevieve CountyRandolph CountyMonroe CountySt. Clair CountyMO JEFFERSON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Online Records

Regiments

Service men in Jefferson County, Missouri served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Jefferson County, Missouri:

- 31st Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company A
- 35th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company K
- 6th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company B

World War II[edit | edit source]

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Historic newspapers from 1869 to 1952 are housed at the Jefferson County History Center at Jefferson College. The Center is located in the Jefferson College Library and is open by appointment.

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Miscellaneous

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate records include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information, see United States Probate Records.

In Missouri, probate records have usually been recorded by the clerks of the probate courts, but in some counties the common pleas or circuit courts handled this function. They are frequently indexed.

The Jefferson County History Center, located in the Jefferson College Library and open by appointment, contains probate files dating from the 1820s.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

  • Schools, Jefferson County Historical Society

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more information see the wiki page Missouri Taxation.

Real estate and personal property tax records from the 19th through the mid-20th centuries are located at the Jefferson County History Center in the Jefferson College Library. The Center is open by appointment.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. For additional guidance on researching and using vital records, see United States Vital Records or How to order Missouri Vital Records.

St. Louis and Kansas City recorded births and deaths starting as early as 1850 for deaths and 1870 for births.  The Missouri Department of Health began keeping birth and death records in 1909. County records vary by year and the county. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Missouri Vital Records State Department of Health, the County Clerk's office or order electronically online.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Jefferson County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Missouri Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Many of the older county records have been moved from the Jefferson County Courthouse to the Jefferson County History Center at Jefferson College. Old newspapers which were once housed at Roop Printing in De Soto have also been moved to the Jefferson County History Center. The De Soto Public Library has a large collection of vintage photographs of De Soto landmarks and businesses.

FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries[edit | edit source]

Jefferson County Library
5680 State Road PP
High Ridge, MO 63049
https://jeffcolibrary.org/


Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Jefferson County. For state-wide library facilities, see Missouri Archives and Libraries.

Museums[edit | edit source]

  • Jefferson County History Center
    Website
  • Kimmswick Historical Society Museum
    Website
  • De Soto Historical Society Museum
    Website

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Jefferson County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Missouri Societies.

  • Arnold Historical Society and Museum
    1723 Jeffco Blvd.
    Arnold, MO
    636-282-2828
    Website
  • The De Soto Historical Society
    P.O. Box 513
    De Soto, MO 63020
    Website
  • Herculaneum Historical Society
    Website
  • Jefferson County Historical Society
    First United Methodist Church of Festus-Crystal City
    113 Grand Avenue
    Fesus, MO
    Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State
  • MOGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
  • USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
  • FamilySearch Catalog . Free. - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
  • RootsWeb resources. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
  • Jefferson County Heritage and Historical Society. Free. County history, school records, marriage, birth and death records, churches, adoptions, passports, photos, military, court records, family histories can be found here.
  • Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
  • CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
  • StateofUS. Free. family history resources and government records
  • Missouri Genealogy. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Jefferson, Missouri," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Missouri. accessed 9/11/2018
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Jefferson County, Missouri. Page 397-407 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 393-397.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Jefferson County, Missouri," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, Jefferson County Missouri, accessed Oct 2019.
  7. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/d/d8/Igimissourij.pdf.
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