Records that survive
These are the record series from Buchanan 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 Deeds1830–2003
- Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1839–1970
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1893
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1893
- Permanent Record of Stillbirths · County Clerk1889–1890
- Record of Births · County Clerk1891–1909
- Record of Deaths · County Clerk1891–1909
Deeds and land
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1839–1970
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1839–2002
- Plat Index · Recorder of Deeds1848–2003
- Trademark Register · Recorder of Deeds1868–1920
- Taxes · Collector1871–2001
- Index to Articles of Incorporation · Recorder of Deeds1889–2002
- Real Estate - Record of · Collector1926–1929
- Tax Sale · Collector1937–1991
- Power of Attorney Index · Recorder of Deeds1983–2003
- Real Estate - Tax Book · Collector2000–2004
Wills and estates
- Probate Records · Probate Court1839–1886
- Wills and Bonds · Probate Court1839–1913
- Will Index · Probate Court1842–1921
- Settlements · Probate Court1869–1881
- Wills · Probate Court1888–1921
Naturalization
- Naturalization Index · Circuit Court1839–1921
- Naturalizations · Circuit Court1867–1906
Military and pensions
- Military Record Index · Recorder of Deeds1919–2003
Tax records
- Assessments · Assessor1840
- Tax List · County Clerk1840–1846
- Taxes · Collector1880–2004
- Licenses · Collector1886–1890
- Personal Property - Record of · Collector1890–1932
- Assessments And Taxes · Collector1900–1998
- Tax Sale · Collector1935–2003
- License Records · Collector1978–2001
Court records
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1839–1886
- County Court Records · County Clerk1839–1901
- Minutes · City Clerk1845–1974
- Common Pleas · Court Of Common Pleas1853–1873
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1869–1907
Schools
- School Records Finding Aid · County Clerk1909–1963
- School Records · County Clerk1909–1963
- Teacher Term Reports · County Clerk1909–1930
Other records
- Incorporation · City Clerk1845
- Ordinances · City Clerk1845–1857
- General Election · County Clerk1882–1884
- Scrapbooks · Parks And Recreation Department1910–1992
- Index File · Parks And Recreation Department1911–1972
- Blueprints/Drawings · Parks And Recreation Department1919–1927
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 Buchanan 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: Buchanan 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, Buchanan" 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: Land not yet in any county
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1838, 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.