Records that survive
These are the record series from Barton 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
- Index to Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1866–1891
- Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1866–1916
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1894
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1895
- Register of Births · County Clerk1883–1896
- Register of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1899
Deeds and land
- Abstract and Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1857–1888
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1858–1964
- Barton County Recorder of · Recorder1882–1948
- Index To Notice of Sales · Recorder of Deeds1978–2004
- Abstract and Index To Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1998–2004
Wills and estates
- Inventories · Probate Court1866–1900
- Probate Records · Probate Court1866–1887
- Wills · Probate Court1867–1967
- Probate Record Index · Probate Court1869–1889
- Will Record · Probate Court1878
- Probate Papers Index · Probate Court1879–1923
Naturalization
- Naturalization Records · Circuit Court1906–1941
Court records
- Barton County Circuit Court · Circuit Court1862–1872
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1866–1929
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1866–1892
- Execution Docket · Circuit Court1866–1950
- Index to Recorders Files · Recorder of Deeds1866–1921
- Court Records · Circuit Court1871–1961
- Barton County Recorder of · Recorder1891–1944
Other records
- Attorneys Roll · County Clerk1866–1887
- Ordinances · City Clerk1882–2015
- Gun Permits · County Clerk1921–1967
- Resolutions · City Clerk1923–2015
- Chiropractic Records · County Clerk1928–1953
- Ordinance Lists · City Clerk1937–2011
- Resolution Lists · City Clerk1966–2001
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 Barton 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: Barton 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, Barton" 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: Jasper County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Jasper County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1855, 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.