Sullivan County, Missouri Genealogy

United States

Missouri

Sullivan County

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

Missouri Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Milan Organized: February 14, 1845 Parent County(s): Linn Neighboring Counties Adair • Grundy • Linn • Macon • Mercer • Putnam See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

The county was named for John Sullivan. The county is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Sullivan County Courthouse
109 N Main Street
Milan, MO 63556
Phone: 660-265-3786
Sullivan County Website

Recorder of Deeds has incomplete birth records 1867-1895, marriage and land records from 1845, death records 1883-1896.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1845.
Probate Judge has probate records from 1845.

Sullivan 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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1845	1883	1845	1845	1845	1830
*Statewide registration started in 1910 for births and deaths. General compliance for births by 1927 and deaths by 1911.

Record Loss

1908 Fire destroyed the courthouse June 26, 1908. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

1843 Sullivan County was created February 17, 1843 from Linn County. County seat: Milan Missouri Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Missouri Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Missouri county boundary changes|} Populated Places For a complete list of populated places in Sullivan 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: Cities Browning Linn & Sullivan co Green City Greencastle Harris Milan county seat Newtown Villages Humphreys Osgood Pollock Unincorporated communities Bairdston Boynton Cora Jacksonville Judson Lindley Grundy & Sullivan co Owasco Parsons Pennville Reger Sticklerville Wintersville Census-designated places Winigan Townships Bowman Buchanan Clay Duncan Jackson Liberty Morris Penn Pleasant Hill Polk Taylor Union Ghost towns Paw Paw History Timeline 1795 - The area now known as Sullivan County was claimed by the Missouris. 1836 - The first white settlers came to the county. 1842 - Settlements now existed along all the streams of the northern part of the County. These settlements were grouped according to the localities of the immigrants. 1845 February 14 - Sullivan County was founded. 1845 May 6 - Sullivan County was divided into townships. 1849 - The Chariton Land District was established. Resources Bible Records Biographies Business, Commerce, and Occupations Cemeteries Cemeteries of Sullivan County, Missouri online and in print Tombstone Transcriptions Online Findagrave.com MOGenWeb MOGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project MOGravestones BillionGraves Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete) FamilySearch Library WorldCat List of Cemeteries in the County Findagrave.com BillionGraves FamilySearch Places See Missouri Cemeteries for more information Sullivan County, Missouri Cemetery Records, Volumes 1-5 at Ancestry ($) Missouri Cemeteries Missouri Access Genealogy Census Records Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1850 2,983 — 1860 9,108 205.3% 1870 11,907 30.7% 1880 16,569 39.2% 1890 19,000 14.7% 1900 20,282 6.7% 1910 18,598 −8.3% 1920 17,781 −4.4% 1930 15,212 −14.4% 1940 13,701 −9.9% 1950 11,299 −17.5% 1960 8,783 −22.3% 1970 7,572 −13.8% 1980 7,434 −1.8% 1990 6,326 −14.9% 2000 7,219 14.1% 2010 6,714 −7.0% Source: "Wikipedia.org". 1732-1933 Missouri State and Territorial Census Records, 1732-1933 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection For tips on accessing Sullivan 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 FamilySearch Places Catholic Milan 1870-1872 Milan Catholic Church Baptism Index 1870-1872. Batch C511541 at FamilySearch. Court Records 1800-1991 Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection Directories 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary 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 Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search Local Histories Local histories are available for Sullivan 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. History of Adair, Sullivan, Putnam and Schuyler Counties, Missouri. 1888. Chicago, Illinois: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 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 The Milan Standard Souvenir Edition. 1895. by John N. Shepler. Milan, Missouri: Milan Standard. 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 Click a neighboring county for more resources Maps of Missouri (1804-1889) Family Maps of Sullivan County, Missouri Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search. Interactive map of Sullivan 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 Sullivan County. An illustrated historical atlas of Sullivan County, Mo. at Missouri Digital Heritage FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places Migration 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 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, Missouri: - 18th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company B - 23rd Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company A - 1st Regiment, Missouri State Militia Cavalry (Union), Company C - 2nd Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company I - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company A - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company B - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company C - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company D - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company E - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company F - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company G - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company H - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company I - 66th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company K 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 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 ($) Obituaries Other Records Periodicals Probate Records Probate records include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information, see United States Probate Records. In Missouri, probate records have usually been recorded by the clerks of the probate courts, but in some counties the common pleas or circuit courts handled this function. They are frequently indexed. Online Probate Indexes and Records 1750-1988 Missouri Probate Records 1750-1998 at FamilySearch — images - How to Use this Collection 1766-1988 Missouri Wills and Probate Records 1766-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($) 1849-1880 Sullivan County, Missouri Wills, 1849-1880 at Ancestry ($) Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search School Records Social Security Records 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information. 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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. 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 1851-1910 Missouri Birth Records, 1851-1910 at Ancestry — index & images ($) 1867-1885 Sullivan County Birth Index 1867-1884. Batches C514609 , C514627 , and C514628 at FamilySearch. 1910-2022 Missouri, Birth Index, 1920-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($) 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 ($) 1845-1881 - Sullivan County Marriage Index 1845-1881. Batch M515851 at FamilySearch. 1850 Missouri Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry — index ($) 1881-1885 Sullivan County Marriage Index 1881-1885. Batch M515852 at FamilySearch. Marriage records of Sullivan County, Missouri at Ancestry ($) Death 1834-1910 Missouri, Death Records, 1834-1910 at Ancestry — index & images ($) 1867-1976 Missouri, Deaths and Burials, 1867-1976 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection 1883 - Sullivan County Death Index 1883. Batch B514627 at FamilySearch. 1883-1930 Missouri Deaths, 1883-1930 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910 - 1960 at MyHeritage ($) — index 1910-1960 Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969 at Missouri Digital Heritage - index & images. 1968-2022 Missouri, Death Index, 1968-2015 at Reclaim the Records — index; Also at: MyHeritage ($); Ancestry ($) 1968-Onward Missouri, Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($) Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910. Divorce Voting Records 1801-Onward Missouri, Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index ($) Research Facilities Archives Listed below are archives in Sullivan County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Missouri Archives and Libraries. FamilySearch Centers FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites. FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center. Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries Kirksville Missouri FamilySearch Center Trenton Missouri FamilySearch Center Libraries Listed below are libraries in Sullivan County. For state-wide library facilities, see Missouri Archives and Libraries. Museums Societies Listed below are societies in Sullivan County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Missouri Societies. Sullivan County Historical Society 117 North Water Street Milan, MO 63556 (660) 234-2369 Email: claykathie1@hotmail.com Website Facebook Websites Missouri Digital Heritage. Free. digital images of many types of records from institutions across the State MOGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions FamilySearch Catalog . Free. - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records RootsWeb resources. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($) 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 References

This table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

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