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St. Louis City , Missouri

• City Census Records • City Court, Probate, Land and Tax Records •
• City Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records • City Cemeteries & Graveyards •

St. Louis City was organized August 22, 1876, under the 1875 Constitution of the State of Missouri. Until that date, St. Louis City and St. Louis County were one entity. After that time, St. Louis City became its own entity, maintaining its own courthouse and records.

Pierre Laclede Liguest, recipient of a land grant from the King of France, and his 13-year-old scout, Auguste Chouteau, selected the site of St. Louis in 1764 as a fur trading post. Laclede and Chouteau chose the location because it was not subject to flooding and was near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Construction of a village, named for Louis IX of France, began the following year. Most of the early settlers were French; many were associated with the fur trade. St. Louis transferred to the Spanish in 1770, returned to France under a secret treaty with Napoleon and, following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, became part of the United States. According to legend, on the day of transfer of the territory to the United States in 1803, St. Louis flew under three flags in one day--French, Spanish, and American.

The town gained fame in 1803 as the jumping-off point for the Louisiana Purchase Expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. After 1804, more New Englanders and other East Coast emigrants settled in St. Louis, but the population remained predominantly French until well into the 19th-Century. St. Louis incorporated as a city in 1823. During the 19th-Century, St. Louis grew into an important center of commerce and trade, attracting thousands of immigrants eager to find a new life on the edge of the frontier.

Between 1840 and 1860, the population exploded with the arrival of many new immigrants. Germans and Irish were the dominant ethnic groups settling in St. Louis, especially in the wake of the German Revolution and the Irish Potato Famine. St. Louis was a strategic location during the American Civil War, but it stayed firmly under Union control--in large part because of the fiercely loyal German influence. No major battle was fought in or near the city, although the "Battle of Camp Jackson" was a noteworthy skirmish fought on the modern-day location of the St. Louis University campus. Later waves of St. Louis settlers included Italians, Serbians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Greeks, who settled here by the late 19th-Century.

St. Louis's current boundaries were established in 1876, when voters approved separation from St Louis County and establishment of a home rule charter. St. Louis was the nation's first home rule city, but unlike most, it was separated from any county. Baltimore also is a similarly divided metropolis. Although this boundary would in the future prove a severe limitation to the City of St. Louis, at the time there was ample room for the city to grow within its fixed boundaries. After the Civil War, St. Louis continued its rapid growth, and by 1900 was a major manufacturing center. Industries grew in St. Louis because of the city's dominance in the region, its access to rail and water transportation, and the city's central location in the nation. The 1874 construction of the Eads Bridge made St. Louis an important link in the continuing growth of transcontinental rail travel--but came too late to prevent Chicago from overtaking it as the largest rail hub in the nation. By the 1890s, St. Louis was the nation's fourth largest city.

One of the City's great moments came in 1904, when it hosted a World's Fair: the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in Forest Park and the city's western edge. The 1904 Olympic games were also held in St. Louis, at Washington University's Francis Field, in conjunction with the fair. More than 20 million people visited the fair during its seven-month run, immortalized in the song "Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie." Through the early 20th-Century, St. Louis continued to industrialize. The increasing popularity of the automobile caused congestion in the downtown area as early as the 1920s. Rapid transit schemes were proposed but never seriously considered. St. Louis was home to the nation's first gasoline station and first automobile accident; today, the region is second in the nation only to the Detroit area in automobile production. During the Great Migration, thousands of African-Americans moved to St. Louis between World War I and World War II. By 1940, over 800,000 people lived in the City of St. Louis. See also Physical Growth of the City of Saint Louis for more historical details.

St. Louis City has records of genealogical interest available:

  • St. Louis Register of Deeds / Recorder has Birth & Death Records from 1883, Marriage Records from 1766 and Land Records from 1766 and is located at City Hall, 1200 Market Street, Room 126, St. Louis, MO 63103-2881; 314-622-4393.
  • Circuit Court Clerk has Court Records from 1766 and Probate Records from 1766 and is located at Civil Courts Building, 10 N. Tucker Blvd., 1st Floor, St. Louis, MO 63101-2044; 314-622-4941.
  • The Health Department has Birth & Death Records from 1910-Present. See Court Records for more details on whats available from the courthouse.

Below is a list of online resources for Adair County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Adair County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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St. Louis City County Court, Probate and Tax Records

See Also Missouri Court, Land, Tax & Probate Records and Marriage Records

All Departments below are in the St. Louis City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103-3201, Open 8am - 5pm, Mon - Fri, (314) 622-4000 General Info, (314) 622-4800 Service Requests. The Official County website is located at http://stlouis.missouri.org/ .

Local Records at the Courthouse

Further Links

Below is a list of online resources for St. Louis City Court Records. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Court Records by clicking the link below:

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St. Louis City Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Research In Vital Records or Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records in Missouri

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

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
    • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index
  • 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.
  • Ordering Vital Records - You can also order
  • Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Certificates to mail.

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.

Below is a list of online resources for St. Louis City Vital Records. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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St. Louis City Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Census Links for Missouri

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 St. Louis City, Missouri are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1910, 1920 and 1940.Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in St. Louis City, Missouri are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 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 St. Louis City Census Records. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Census Records by clicking the link below:

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St. Louis City Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Below is a list of online resources for St. Louis City Maps. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Maps by clicking the link below:

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St. Louis City Military Records

See Also Research In Military Records or Military Records in Missouri

Below is a list of online resources for St. Louis City Military Records. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Military Records by clicking the link below:

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St. Louis City Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Missouri Genealogical Addresses

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St. Louis City Church & Cemeteries

See Also Statewide Cemetery Links for Missouri

There are many churches and cemeteries in St. Louis City. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the St. Louis City 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. Louis City Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

Below is a list of online resources for St. Louis City Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing St. Louis City Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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