Records that survive
These are the record series from Polk 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 Deeds1836–1999
- Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1836–1987
- Register of Births · County Clerk1872–1900
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1891
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1891
- Polk County Recorder (Grant) · Recorder of Deeds1883–1923
- Register of Births And Stillbirths · County Clerk1883–1891
- Marriage Licenses and · Recorder of Deeds1916–1969
Deeds and land
- Plats · Recorder of Deeds1830–1890
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1837–1969
- Survey Records · Recorder of Deeds1838–1915
- Abstract and Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1841–1994
- Notice of Levy On Real Estate · Recorder of Deeds1864–1886
- Polk County Recorder (Grant) · Recorder of Deeds1864–1970
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1871–1999
- Cemetery Records · Recorder of Deeds1887–1992
- Greenwood Cemetery · Recorder of Deeds1887–1992
- Appraisements · Probate Court1888–1931
- Assessments and Taxes · Collector1926–1984
- Real Estate - Tax Book · Collector1927–2014
- Real Estate - Record of · Collector1948–2010
- Plat · Public Works Superintendent1977
- and 3 more series in the full listing
Wills and estates
- Bonds · Probate Court1835–1981
- Probate Case File Index · Probate Court1835–1958
- Probate Records · Probate Court1835–1981
- Bonds, Wills and Letters · Probate Court1837
- Letters of Administration · Probate Court1837–1981
- Polk County Recorder (Grant) · Recorder of Deeds1839–1988
- Wills · Probate Court1839–1984
- Wills · Recorder of Deeds1839–1968
- Appraisements · Probate Court1854–1981
- Inventories · Probate Court1854–1933
- Wills and Letters · Probate Court1855
- Letters of Testamentary · Probate Court1856–1892
- Notices · Probate Court1869–1957
- Settlements · Probate Court1869–1981
- and 15 more series in the full listing
Naturalization
- Project Manuals · Public Works Superintendent1989–1990
Military and pensions
- Military Discharges · County Clerk1863
- Soldier Discharges · Recorder of Deeds1863–1933
- Discharge Records · Recorder of Deeds1865–1933
- Discharge Record Index · Recorder of Deeds1919–1999
- Military Discharges · Recorder of Deeds1919–1966
- Polk County Recorder (Grant) · Recorder of Deeds1919–1980
Tax records
- Taxes · Collector1962–2014
- Railroad Tax Book · Collector1980–1996
- Personal Property - Record of · Collector1981–2010
- Personal Property - Tax · Collector1998–2009
Court records
- Circuit Court Case Files · Circuit Court1835–1901
- County Court Records · County Clerk1835–1912
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1836–1993
- Attorneys Roll · Circuit Court1860–1987
- Minutes · City Clerk1881–1983
- Polk County Recorder (Grant) · Recorder of Deeds1886–1974
- Orders of Publications · Probate Court1887–1920
- Fee Record Book · Circuit Court1929–1937
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1942
- Circuit Court Minutes · Circuit Court1951–1976
- Magistrate Court Judgement · Circuit Court1952–1970
- Clerk's Docket · Probate Court1971–1975
- Library Board Meeting Minutes · County Clerk1994–2006
- Minutes · County Clerk1998–2017
Schools
- Yearbooks · Superintendent Of Schools1914–1995
- Records · Superintendent Of Schools1991
Other records
- Ordinances · City Clerk1850–1991
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1896–1964
- Fire Department · City Clerk1949–1982
- Board of Adjustments · City Clerk1970–1990
- Council Meetings Agendas · City Clerk1973–1991
- Engineer Drawings · Public Works Superintendent1974
- Street Improvements · Public Works Superintendent1982
- Project Manuals · Public Works Superintendent1988
- Library Annual Reports · County Clerk1999–2009
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 Polk 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: Polk 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, Polk" 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: Greene County, Pulaski County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Greene County, Pulaski County
Later formed partly from Polk County: Hickory County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1835, 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.