Records that survive
These are the record series from Newton 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 Deeds1863–1994
- Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1863–1965
- Marriages · Probate Court1879–1949
- Register of Births And Stillbirths · County Clerk1883–1885
- Register of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1885
Deeds and land
- Abstract and Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1839–1994
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1839–1969
- Old Deed Instruments Filed · Recorder of Deeds1866–1880
- Transfer of Real Estate · Recorder of Deeds1867–1868
- Abstract and Index to Mortgages · Recorder of Deeds1870–1994
- Instrument Deposit For Record · Recorder of Deeds1871–1876
- Federal Tax Lien Deed Index · Recorder of Deeds1882–1884
- Execution of Liens · Recorder of Deeds1884–1929
- Bonds · Recorder of Deeds1926–1962
- Credit Union Instruments · Recorder of Deeds1955
- Marginal Release - Trust Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1961–1967
- Index to Notice of Sales · Recorder of Deeds1974–1995
- Release Deeds of Trust Index · Recorder of Deeds1989–1994
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1994
- and 1 more series in the full listing
Wills and estates
- Bonds · Probate Court1839–1955
- Letters · Probate Court1839–1955
- Probate Records · Probate Court1847–1966
- Probate Case Files · Probate Court1864–1943
- Proof of Publications · Probate Court1867–1955
- Administrator Records · Probate Court1868–1876
- Inventories · Probate Court1868–1963
- Wills · Probate Court1872–1920
- Demands · Probate Court1873–1960
- Settlements · Probate Court1876–1957
- Probate Minutes · Probate Court1879–1881
- Appraisements and Sale Bills · Probate Court1883–1918
- Appraisements · Probate Court1889–1951
- Fees · Probate Court1903–1943
- and 7 more series in the full listing
Military and pensions
- Soldier Discharges · Recorder of Deeds1919–1969
- Soldier Discharge Index · Recorder of Deeds1944–1987
- Military Discharge Index · Recorder of Deeds1994
Court records
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1839–1886
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1839–1886
- Neosho City Minutes, 1878-1885 · City Clerk1878–1885
- City Council Minutes · City Clerk1886–2004
- Board Minutes · Public School District1978
Other records
- Board of Aldermen Proceedings · City Clerk1866–1898
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 Newton 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: Newton 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, Newton" 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
Check the parent county for earlier records: Barry County
Later formed partly from Newton County: Lawrence County, McDonald 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.