Records that survive
These are the record series from St. Clair 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 Deeds1855–1926
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1899
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1894
- Register of Births And Stillbirths · County Clerk1883–1892
- Register of Births · County Clerk1883–1887
- Register of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1900
Deeds and land
- Assessments and Taxes · Collector1837–1989
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1841–1974
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1841–1870
- Abstract and Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1869–2000
- Real Estate - Tax Book · Collector1933–2005
- Real Estate - Record of · Collector1935–2005
- Taxes · Collector1940–2013
- Property Survey · Superintendent Of Schools1974
Wills and estates
- Probate Case Files · Probate Court1849–1939
- St. Clair Probate Court Records · Probate Court1853–1876
- Probate Court Case Files · Probate Court1858–1936
- Letters of Administration · Probate Court1865–1870
- Probate Record Index · Probate Court1865–1888
- Probate Records · Probate Court1865–1888
- Wills · Probate Court1865–1921
- Bonds and Letters · Probate Court1867–1890
- Final Settlements · Probate Court1870–1892
- Letters of Testamentary · Probate Court1871–1890
Tax records
- Assessments · Collector1930–1942
- Assessment and Taxes · Collector1933–1950
- Taxes · Collector1935–2014
- Personal Property - Record of · Collector1937–2005
- Assessments and Taxes · Collector1941–1989
Court records
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1841–1904
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1841–1883
- Board Minutes · Superintendent Of Schools1932–1992
Schools
- School Enumerations · Superintendent Of Schools1910–1980
- Abstracts, Contracts and · Superintendent Of Schools1927–1995
- Contracts · Superintendent Of Schools1963–1975
- Architectural Drawings · Superintendent Of Schools1968
- Board Agendas · Superintendent Of Schools1976–1994
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 St. Clair 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: St. Clair 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, St. Clair" 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: Lafayette County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Lafayette County
Later formed partly from St. Clair County: Benton County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1833, 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.