Records that survive
These are the record series from Atchison County that the Missouri State Archives has on microfilm, with the office that kept each and the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriages1845–1972
- Permanent Record of Births · Collector1883–1890
- Permanent Record of Deaths · Collector1883
- Register of Births And Stillbirths · Collector1883–1893
- Register of Births · Collector1883–1890
- Register of Deaths · Collector1883
- Death Certificates · Recorder1916–1929
- Index to Death Certificates · Recorder1916
- Divorce Records · Circuit Court1923–1937
Deeds and land
- Deeds1845–1973
- General Index to Deeds1845–1870
- Index to Mortgages1859–1875
- Mortgages1859–1961
- Land Delinquent List, 1863 · Collector1863
- Land and Personal Tax Book, · Collector1864–1899
- Taxes · Collector1864–1875
- Land Delinquent List, 1865 · Collector1865
- Land Back Tax Book, 1866-1888 · Collector1866–1888
- Real Estate Back Tax Book, · Collector1866–1877
- Surveyor Record Index · Surveyor1866–1890
- Surveyor Records · Surveyor1866–1918
- Land Register for Assessed · Collector1867
- Land Back Tax Book, 1868-1882 · Collector1868–1882
- and 48 more series in the full listing
Wills and estates
- Probate Records · Probate Court1845–1975
- Will Index · Probate Court1845–1875
- Wills · Probate Court1845–1975
- Settlements · Probate Court1858–1975
- Inventories and Appraisements · Probate Court1891–1975
- Probate Records Index · Probate Court1944–1946
Military and pensions
- Discharge Records1919–1970
Tax records
- Assessment Book, ca. 1850s · Collector1850–1859
- Taxes · Collector1850–1915
- Assessment Book, 1861 · Collector1861
- Assessment Book, 1862 · Collector1862
- Delinquent Taxes, 1862 · Collector1862
- Assessment Book, 1863 · Collector1863
- Back Tax Book, 1864 · Collector1864
- Assessment Book, 1865 · Collector1865
- Back Tax Book, 1865-1871 · Collector1865–1871
- Delinquent List, 1865 · Collector1865
- Delinquent List, 1866 · Collector1866
- Delinquent List, Vol. 1, 1866 · Collector1866
- Delinquent List, Vol. 2, 1866 · Collector1866
- Delinquent List, Vol. 1, 1867 · Collector1867
- and 61 more series in the full listing
Court records
- Circuit Court Case File Index · Circuit Court1845–1975
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1845–1975
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1845–1976
- County Court Records · Collector1845–2010
- County Court Record Index · Collector1866–1992
- Judgment Docket · Circuit Court1929–1975
- Burial or Removal Permits · Recorder1931
- Index to County Court Records · Collector1967–2021
Schools
- Teachers Record · Superintendent Of Schools1926–1967
Other records
- Justice of the Peace Record of · Justice Of The Peace1890–1937
- Selective Service Records1941–1952
- Accounts · Treasurer1966–1975
Open the full roll-by-roll listing (PDF)
Source: Missouri State Archives, Guide to County and Municipal Records on Microfilm. Recorder of deeds records dated 1970 or later must be requested from the county. Counties kept birth and death registers under an 1883 law until its repeal in 1893, with coverage varying by county; statewide registration began in 1910.
Where to find the records
- Find Atchison County's official website
We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the recorder of deeds, the probate court and the circuit clerk.
- The recorder of deeds
Deeds and mortgages, and marriage records, usually from the county's beginning. Licenses were required from 1881; earlier books record the marriages themselves.
- The probate court
Wills, estates, guardianships and curatorships. Since 1979 it has been the probate division of the circuit court.
- The circuit clerk
Civil and criminal cases, divorces and, in many counties, naturalizations.
- The Missouri State Archives
In Jefferson City: microfilm of county records from Missouri's counties and the City of St. Louis, and free online databases, including death certificates from 1910 that are more than 50 years old.
- Missouri State Archives: Atchison County records on microfilm (PDF)free
Every roll the state archives holds for this county, with the office, title, dates and reel number.
- Missouri Death Certificates, 1910–1975free
Search the Missouri State Archives' death certificate index by name and view the certificates.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Missouri, Atchison" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Holt County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Holt County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1843, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Missouri's probate files often hold far more than a will: inventories, sale bills listing the buyers (often relatives and neighbors) and the receipts of heirs. Check the circuit court too, where heirs went to divide land.