Records that survive
These are the record series from Lawrence 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
- Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1845–1972
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1893
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1893
- Register of Births And Stillbirths · County Clerk1883–1893
- Index to Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1903–1994
Deeds and land
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1845–1979
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1845–1870
- List of Land Sold for Taxes, · Collector1845–1877
- Abstract and Index to Mortgages · Recorder of Deeds1847–1975
- Real Estate - Delinquent Tax · Collector1870–1875
- Abstract and Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1871–1991
- Certified Land Delinquent Tax · Collector1871–1874
- Real Estate -Delinquent Tax · Collector1888–1898
- Patents · Recorder of Deeds1907
- Deeds and Abstracts · City Clerk1920–1940
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1960–1964
- Taxes · Collector2009–2011
- Real Estate - Record of · Collector2010–2011
Wills and estates
- Territorial Records · Probate Court1827–1830
- Wills · Probate Court1843–1951
- Bonds and Letters · Probate Court1845–1897
- Probate Record Index · Probate Court1845–1950
- Probate Records · Probate Court1845–1885
- Inventories · Probate Court1865–1893
- Appraisements · Probate Court1866–1885
- Settlements · Probate Court1867–1887
- Notices · Probate Court1869–1894
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1890–1947
- Wills · Recorder of Deeds1904–1962
- Retired Probate Docket · Probate Court1955–1979
Naturalization
- Lawrence County Circuit Court · Circuit Court1903–1907
Tax records
- Fortified List, 1873 · Collector1873
- Fortified List, 1874 · Collector1874
- Fortified List, 1875 · Collector1875
- Tax Judgement Book, 1876 · Collector1876
- Back Taxes, 1880-1883 · Collector1880–1883
- School Taxes, 1883 · Collector1883
- Back Taxes, 1884-1890 · Collector1884–1890
- Back Taxes, 1885-1887 · Collector1885–1887
- School Taxes, 1885 · Collector1885
- School Taxes, 1886 · Collector1886
- School Taxes, 1887 · Collector1887
- School Taxes, 1888 · Collector1888
- School Taxes, 1889 · Collector1889
- School Taxes, 1890 · Collector1890
- and 13 more series in the full listing
Court records
- Circuit Court Case Files · Circuit Court1842–1907
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1845–1887
- County Court Record Index · County Clerk1845–1957
- County Court Records · County Clerk1845–1983
- Circuit Court Docket · Circuit Court1869–1871
- Special Execution Record, 1873 · Collector1873
- Minutes · Probate Court1874–1879
- Docket · City Clerk1893–1914
- Grand Jury Testimony · Circuit Court1893
- School Board Minutes · Superintendent Of Schools1893–1988
- Executer Term Docket · Probate Court1900–1906
- Minutes · City Clerk1916–1999
- City Council Minutes · City Clerk1925–1994
- Petit & Grand Jury · Circuit Court1935–1938
- and 13 more series in the full listing
Schools
- Permanent Grade Records · Superintendent Of Schools1900–1913
- School Registers · Superintendent Of Schools1905–1948
- District Clerk's Records · Superintendent Of Schools1910–1954
- Parent Teacher's Association · Superintendent Of Schools1928–1939
- Financial Statements · Superintendent Of Schools1938–1948
- District Clerk's Financial · Superintendent Of Schools1949–1954
Other records
- Territorial Records - MO and AR · County Clerk1815–1825
- Cemetery Interments · City Clerk1900–1995
- Ordinances · City Clerk1900–2010
- Ordinance Finding Aid · City Clerk1918–2010
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1920–1952
- Records · City Clerk1926–1980
- Audits · City Clerk1967–1996
- City Council Agendas · City Clerk1971–1989
- General Ledger · City Clerk1973–1981
- City Code · City Clerk1975
- Financial Statements · City Clerk1978–1980
- Resolutions · City Clerk1978
- Asbestos Reports · City Clerk1987–1991
- Daily Deductions · City Clerk1993
- and 3 more series in the full listing
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
- Lawrence County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the recorder of deeds, the probate court and the circuit clerk, and any online record search the county offers.
- 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: Lawrence 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, Lawrence" 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: Barry County, Dade County, Barry County, Newton County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Barry County, Dade County, Barry County, Newton 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.