Records that survive
These are the record series from Saline 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 Deeds1835–1975
- Index to Marriages · Recorder of Deeds1881–1926
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1885
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1885
- Marriage Applications · Recorder of Deeds1943–1946
Deeds and land
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1821–1891
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1821–1885
- Swamp, Saline & School Land · County Clerk1850–1935
- Swampland Patents · County Clerk1857–1946
- Right of Way Conveyance · County Clerk1868–1938
- Abstract & Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1871–1882
- Land Patents, Physicians Lic · County Clerk1891–1989
- Land Patents, Physicians Lic. · County Clerk1891–1989
- Plat Book · County Clerk1896
- Land Patents · County Clerk1900–1929
- Appraisements · Probate Court1902–1938
- Real Estate Sales · Probate Court1903–1956
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1911–1919
- Taxes · County Clerk1928–1958
- and 4 more series in the full listing
Wills and estates
- Index of Estates & File Papers · Probate Court1821
- Probate Case File Index · Probate Court1821–2001
- Probate Record Index · Probate Court1821–1976
- Probate Records · Probate Court1821–1980
- Wills · Probate Court1830–1979
- Abstract of Demands · Probate Court1849–1981
- Probate Minutes · Probate Court1854–1967
- Inventories & Appraisements · Probate Court1855–1979
- Settlements · Probate Court1858–1979
- Affidavits & Applications · Probate Court1866–1958
- Books of Apprentice · Probate Court1867–1890
- Letters of Administration · Probate Court1869–1979
- Bonds · Probate Court1870–1979
- Ads of Grants & Letters · Probate Court1872–1885
- and 16 more series in the full listing
Military and pensions
- Military Service Records · Recorder of Deeds1917–1964
Tax records
- Treasurer & Collector Accounts · Treasurer1894–1921
- Inheritance Taxes · Probate Court1912–1979
- Taxes · County Clerk1927–1975
- Taxes · Collector1949–2017
- Assessment & Taxes · Collector1983
Court records
- Circuit Court Case File Index · Circuit Court1821–1871
- Circuit Court Case Files · Circuit Court1821–1970
- Circuit Court Dockets · Circuit Court1821–1852
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1821–1973
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1821–1988
- County Court Record Index · County Clerk1821–1991
- County Court Records · County Clerk1821–1984
- Circuit Court File Index · Circuit Court1832–1948
- Case File Index · Justice of the Peace1837–1869
- Case Files · Justice of the Peace1837–1869
- Chancery Records · Court of Common Pleas1837–1851
- Common Pleas · Court of Common Pleas1869–1874
- County Court Docket · County Clerk1869–1891
- Docket · Justice of the Peace1872–1942
- and 3 more series in the full listing
Schools
- School Enumerations · Superintendent of Schools1870–1963
- School of Osteopathy Register · County Clerk1897–1938
- School Bonds · Superintendent of Schools1900–1933
Other records
- Roads, Papers · County Clerk1800–1957
- Saline County History · County Clerk1821–1905
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1836–1974
- Physicians & Surgeons Register · County Clerk1848–1897
- Strays · County Clerk1850–1903
- Cattle Brands · County Clerk1851–1971
- Road District Records · County Clerk1853–1907
- Commissions · Justice of the Peace1858–1881
- Treasurer & Sheriff's Account · Treasurer1863–1867
- Treasurer & Sheriff's Accounts · Sheriff1863–1867
- Township Bonds · County Clerk1864–1887
- Board of Equalization · County Clerk1867–1985
- Loyalty Oaths · County Clerk1867
- Right of Way Relinquishment · County Clerk1868–1869
- and 55 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
- Saline 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: Saline 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, Saline" 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: Cooper County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Cooper 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.