Records that survive
These are the record series from Ray 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 Deeds1820–1850
- Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1820–1967
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1889
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1889
- Register of Births And Stillbirths · County Clerk1883–1890
- Register of Births · County Clerk1883
Deeds and land
- Abstract and Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1820–1901
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1821–1908
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1821–1877
- Real Estate - Tax Book · Collector1937–2015
- Collectors Deeds · Collector1960–2005
- Real Estate - Record of · Collector1999–2014
- Taxes · Collector2001–2014
Wills and estates
- Wills, Letters and Bonds · Probate Court1821–1915
- Circuit Court Case Files · Circuit Court1822–1899
- Probate Record Index · Probate Court1823–1922
- Bonds · Probate Court1836–1978
- Letters of Administration · Probate Court1836
- Probate Records · Probate Court1838–1981
- Inventories, Appraisements and · Probate Court1853–1958
- Inventories/appraise/sale Bill · Probate Court1853–1945
- Notices and Affidavits · Probate Court1862–1931
- Admin Bonds/wills/letters · Probate Court1863
- Admin Bonds/letters/oaths · Probate Court1871
- Administators Letters and Bonds · Probate Court1871–1887
- Inventories · Probate Court1872–1906
- Appraisements · Probate Court1873–1897
- and 20 more series in the full listing
Naturalization
- Naturalization Records · Circuit Court1903–1941
Tax records
- Taxes · Collector1876–2015
- Coroner Inquests · Collector1892–1941
- Inheritance Taxes · Probate Court1924–1978
- Personal Property - Record of · Collector1939–2014
- Index to Taxes · Collector1940
- Tax Sale · Collector1996–2000
- Personal Property - Tax · Collector2003–2006
Court records
- Minutes · County Clerk1820–1837
- Circuit Court Case Files · Circuit Court1821–1899
- Circuit Court Index · Circuit Court1821–1888
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1821–1882
- County Court Minutes · County Clerk1821–1845
- Chancery Records · Circuit Court1836
- Docket · Justice Of The Peace1836–1851
- Common Plea Case Files · Court Of Common Pleas1855–1874
- Common Plea Index · Court Of Common Pleas1867–1874
- Common Pleas · Court Of Common Pleas1867–1870
- Minutes · Probate Court1867–1978
- Minutes · Superintendent Of Schools1898–1993
- School Board Minutes · Superintendent Of Schools1948–1999
- Case History Sheets · Probate Court1982–1994
Schools
- Ordinances · Superintendent Of Schools1887–1991
- District Clerk's Records · Superintendent Of Schools1923–1956
- School Enumeration Records · Superintendent Of Schools1926–1982
- Resolutions · Superintendent Of Schools1949–1992
Other records
- Loyalty Oaths · County Clerk1865–1871
- Voter Rolls · County Clerk1865–1871
- Board of Registration Records · County Clerk1867–1871
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 Ray 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: Ray 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, Ray" 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: Howard County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Howard County
Later formed partly from Ray County: Clay County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1821, 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.