Platte County, Missouri Genealogy
Guide to Platte County, Missouri ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Platte County was named for the Platte River or Platte Purchase. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Platte County Courthouse
415 3rd Street
PO Box 30CH
Platte City, MO 64079
Phone: 816-858-2232
Platte County Website
County Clerk has birth records 1883-1887 and death records 1883-1888.
Recorder of Deeds has marriage and land records.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce records.
Probate Judge has probate and court records.[3]
Platte 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1883 | 1839 | 1883 | 1839 | 1839 | 1839 | 1830 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places in Platte 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 | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
- Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 8,913 | — |
| 1850 | 16,845 | 89.0% |
| 1860 | 18,350 | 8.9% |
| 1870 | 17,352 | −5.4% |
| 1880 | 17,366 | 0.1% |
| 1890 | 16,278 | −6.3% |
| 1900 | 16,193 | −0.5% |
| 1910 | 14,429 | −10.9% |
| 1920 | 13,996 | −3.0% |
| 1930 | 13,819 | −1.3% |
| 1940 | 13,862 | 0.3% |
| 1950 | 14,973 | 8.0% |
| 1960 | 23,350 | 55.9% |
| 1970 | 32,081 | 37.4% |
| 1980 | 46,341 | 44.4% |
| 1990 | 57,867 | 24.9% |
| 2000 | 73,781 | 27.5% |
| 2010 | 89,322 | 21.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Platte County, Missouri Genealogy census records online, see: Missouri Census.
- 1732-1933 Missouri State and Territorial Census Records, 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1850-1860 Slave Schedules, Census Records Search online at Missouri State Archives - index & images.
- 1850-1880 Mortality Schedules, Census Records Search online at Missouri State Archives — index & images.
- 1850-1880 Special Federal Schedules, Census Records Search online at Missouri State Archives - browsable images of agricultural schedules and manufacturing and industrial schedules.
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
Catholic
Deister Settlement
- 1847-1853 Deister Settlement Catholic Church Baptism Index 1847-1853. Batch C515021 at FamilySearch.[7]
Holy Trinity Teeleum Landeing, Weston
- 1847-1876 Holy Trinity Teeleum Landeing, Weston, Baptism Index 1847-1876. Batch C515031 at FamilySearch.
- 1848-1885 Holy Trinity Teeleum Landeing, Weston, Marriage Index 1848-1885. Batch M515031 at FamilySearch.
Court Records
- 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1839-1869 Missouri Judicial Records Historical Database online at Missouri State Archives — index & images.
- 1821-1874 Missouri Supreme Court Historical Database online at Missouri State Archives — index & images.
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- Kansas City, Missouri City Directories, 1889-91 at Ancestry ($)
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Missouri Land and Property for information about records of land transfers from the government to private ownership. After that transfer, transactions were usually recorded and are currently housed at the county courthouse.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- 1843-1851 Land Claim Books, County and Municipal Records Database online at Missouri State Archives — images.
- 1844-1891 Land Records online at Missouri State Archives — index.
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Platte County, Missouri Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the Wiki page section Missouri Local Histories.
- Annals of Platte County, Missouri. 1897. By William McClung Paxton. Kansas City, Missouri: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co. Online at FamilySearch; and at Missouri Digital History
- Also at: Google Books; and at FS Catalog 1000300.
- A Civic History of Kansas City, Missouri. Available online at Ancestry ($)
- History of Clay and Platte Counties, Missouri. 1885. St. Louis, Missouri: National Historical Company. Online at: FamilySearch; 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
- Kansas City, Missouri : its History and its People, 1808-1908. 1908. by Carrie Westlake Whitney. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. Online at Ancestry ($)
- Platte County. 1929. Platte City, Mo: Landmark. Available online at FamilySearch
- State of Missouri: an autobiography. 1904. By Walter Williams. Columbia, Mo: Press of E. W. Stephens. Online at: Missouri Digital History
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Missouri (1804-1889)
- Map of Platte County townships (Histopolis)
- Missouri As It Is In 1867. 1867. by Nathan II. Parker. Philadelpia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Online at: Missouri Digital History
- The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all Missouri counties including Platte County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Platte County, Missouri Genealogy for European settlers included:
- Missouri River from St. Louis to western Missouri via flatboat or steamboat
- Boone's Lick Road from St. Charles, Missouri, to Independence, Missouri, via wagon
- Liberty to Fort Leavenworth Military Road from Liberty, Missouri, to the Platte Purchase counties via wagon
- Oregon Trail 1830s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon[8]
- California Trail 1846 from western Missouri to northern California[9]
Military Records
- 1900-1941 Missouri, Pre-WWII Adjutant General Enlistment Contracts, 1900-1941 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
Civil War
Online Records
- 1861-1865 Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1865 Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1861-1866 Missouri's Union Provost Marshal Papers online at Missouri State Archives - index & images.
- 1911-1938 Missouri, Confederate Pension Applications and Soldiers Home Applications, 1911-1938 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
Regiments
Service men in Platte County, Missouri Genealogy 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 Platte County, Missouri:
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World War I
World War II
- 1940-1945 Missouri, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1941-1946 Missouri, Reports of Separation Notices, 1941-1946 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship
- 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1816-1955 Naturalization Records records online at Missouri State Archives — index.
- 1843-1991 United States, Missouri, Naturalization Records, 1843-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Newspapers
- Missouri Digital Newspaper Project at Missouri State Historical Society
- 1800s-Current Missouri, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
- 1836-1931 Missouri State Penitentiary records online at Missouri State Archives — index & images.
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
- 1750-1988 Missouri Probate Records 1750-1998 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection
- 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
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.
Adoptions
Birth
- Pre-1910 Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre-1910 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index.
- 1817-1939 Missouri Births, 1817-1939 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1827-1935 Missouri, Births and Christenings, 1827-1935 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1850-1877 Platte County Birth Index 1850-1877. Batch C515611 at FamilySearch.
- 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1910-Onward Missouri Births at MyHeritage — index ($)
Marriage
- 1750-1920 Missouri, Marriages, 1750-1920 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1776-1988 Missouri, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1805-2002 Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 at Ancestry ($)
- 1839-1855 Marriage records of Platte County, Missouri, 1839-1855 at Ancestry ($)
- 1839-1882 Platte County Marriage Index 1839-1882. Batch M515611 at FamilySearch.
- 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1881-1885 Platte County Marriage Index 1881-1885. Batch M515612 at FamilySearch.
Death
- 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1867-1976 Missouri, Deaths and Burials, 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1883-1930 Missouri Deaths, 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1910-1972 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1972 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index & images.
- 1968-2022 Missouri, Death Index, 1968-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($); Ancestry ($)
- 1968-Onward Missouri, Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
Divorce
Voting Records
- 1801-Onward Missouri, Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Platte 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
- Kansas City Kansas FamilySearch Center
- Leavenworth Kansas FamilySearch Center
- Lenexa Kansas FamilySearch Center
- Liberty Missouri FamilySearch Center
- Olathe Kansas FamilySearch Center
- Platte City Missouri FamilySearch Center
- Riverview Missouri FamilySearch Center
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Platte County. For state-wide library facilities, see Missouri Archives and Libraries.
Mid-Continent Public Libraries in Platte City, Weston, and several locations in Southern Platte County.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Platte County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Missouri Societies.
Platte County Historical Society
P.O. Box 103
220 Ferrel St.
Platte City, MO 64079-0103
(816) 431-5121
Website
Facebook
Northland Genealogy Society
P.O. Box 14121
Parkville, MO 64152
Email: President@northlandgensoc.org
Website
Websites
- Missouri Digital Heritage. Digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State.
- MOGenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog - 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
Research Guides
- Missouri State Archives Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm: Platte. This 95-page pdf lists hundreds of Platte County microfilm rolls available for viewing at the Missouri State Archives. Departments filmed include the circuit court, tax collector, coroner, county clerk, court of common pleas, justice of the peace, probate court, school district, recorder of deeds, city clerks (Houston Lake and Weston). Some of these records have been digitized at Missouri Digital Heritage.
References
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Platte County, Missouri," in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platte_County,_Missouri, accessed 9/13/2018
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Platte 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Platte County, Missouri," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, Platte County Missouri, accessed Nov 2019.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ National Park Service, "(Auto Tour Route) Maps" in Oregon National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/maps.htm (accessed 18 July 2011).
- ↑ National Park Service, "(Auto Tour Route) Maps" in California National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/maps.htm (accessed 18 July 2011).