Clinton County, Missouri Genealogy

(Redirected from Clinton County, Missouri)


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

County Facts
County seat: Plattsburg
Organized: January 2, 1833
Parent County(s): Clay[1]
Neighboring Counties
BuchananCaldwellClayDekalbPlatteRay
See County Maps
Courthouse
MissouriClintonCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Missouri Clinton County Map.svg.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for DeWitt Clinton. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Clinton County Courthouse
211 N Main Street
PO Box 245
Plattsburg, MO 64477-0245
Phone: 816-539-3719
Clinton County Website

County Clerk has marriage, divorce, court and land records from 1833 and military records from 1919.
Probate Judge has probate records.[3]

Clinton County, Missouri Record Dates

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 Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1863 1847 1883 1833 1833 1833 1830
*Statewide registration started in 1910 for births and deaths. General compliance for births by 1927 and deaths by 1911.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places in Clinton 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.
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Clinton 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

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 1,780
1840 4,746 166.6%
1850 7,514 58.3%
1860 12,562 67.2%
1870 19,136 52.3%
1880 25,224 31.8%
1890 26,254 4.1%
1900 26,826 2.2%
1910 23,503 −12.4%
1920 21,769 −7.4%
1930 19,588 −10.0%
1940 18,084 −7.7%
1950 14,944 −17.4%
1960 12,720 −14.9%
1970 11,084 −12.9%
1980 10,489 −5.4%
1990 9,202 −12.3%
2000 8,438 −8.3%
2010 7,831 −7.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


For tips on accessing Clinton County, Missouri Genealogy census records online, see: Missouri Census.

Church Records

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

Baptist
Cameron First Baptist Church

Catholic
St. Ann's, Plattsburg

  • 1868-1876 St. Ann's, Plattsburg, Baptism Index 1868-1876. Batch C511761 at FamilySearch
  • 1869-1885 St. Ann's, Plattsburg, Marriage Index 1869-1885. Batch M511761 at FamilySearch

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Cameron

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Local histories are available for Clinton 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.


  • Clinton County in Pictures : a Pictorial Review of Clinton County Commemorating One Hundred Years of Progress. 19--?. U.S. : s.n. Online at FamilySearch
  • History of Clinton and Caldwell Counties, Missouri. 1923. by Carrie Polk Johnston. Topeka, Kansas: Historical Publishing, Online at: FamilySearch
  • The History of Clinton County, Missouri. 1881. St. Joseph, Missouri: National Historical Company. Online at: Google Books; and at Missouri Digital History
  • History of Missouri's Counties, County Seats, and Courthouse Squares. 1983. by Marian M. Ohman. Missouri: Missouri State Library. Online at: Missouri Digital History
  • Portrait and Biographical Record of Buchanan and Clinton Counties, Missouri. 1893. Chicago: Chapman Bros. Online at: Google Books; and at Missouri Digital History
  • State of Missouri: an autobiography. 1904. by Walter Williams. Columbia, Mo: Press of E. W. Stephens. Online at: Missouri Digital History
  • Tattle-tales, Bits and Pieces About the Golden Valley : This is the Way it Was, Clinton, Missouri. 1967. by Kathleen White Miles. Clinton, Missouri: Democrat Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch

Maps and Gazetteers

DeKalb CountyDaviess CountyCaldwell CountyRay CountyClay CountyPlatte CountyBuchanan CountyMO CLINTON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration

Military Records

Civil War

Online Records

Regiments

Service men in Clinton 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 Clinton County, Missouri:

- 48th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company A
- 48th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company B
- 48th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company G
- 48th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company H
- 4th Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company F
- 6th Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company F

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship


Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

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.

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

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.

Vital Records

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

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Voting Records

Research Facilities

Archives

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

FamilySearch Centers

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

  • FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

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


Museums

Societies

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

Clinton County Historical Society
308 S. Birch St.
Plattsburg, MO 64477
Email: leslishaver@hotmail.com
Facebook

Cameron Historical Society
P.O. Box 189
Cameron, MO 64429
Phone: 816-632-0429
Website

Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 382
St. Joseph, MO 64502
Phone: 816-233-0524
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Clinton County, Missouri," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_County,_Missouri, accessed 9/06/2018
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Missouri. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clinton County, Missouri. Page 397-407 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library 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); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. Wikipedia contributors, "Clinton County, Missouri," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, Clinton County Missouri, accessed 17 August 2019.
  7. Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/5/5a/Igimissouria.pdf.