Records that survive
These are the record series from Washington 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 Deeds1815–1975
- Marriages · County Clerk1865–1875
- Marriage Records & Strays · Probate Court1882–1904
- Permanent Record of Births · County Clerk1883–1895
- Permanent Record of Deaths · County Clerk1883–1895
- Marriage License Applications · Recorder of Deeds1962–1969
Deeds and land
- Index to Surveyor's Record · Recorder of Deeds1800–1900
- Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1813–1971
- Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1813–1998
- Tract Book · Recorder of Deeds1821–1874
- Abstract & Index To Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1870–2003
- Abstract & Index to Deeds · Recorder of Deeds1870–1905
- Taxes · Collector1885–2006
- Assessments & Taxes · Collector1957–1995
Wills and estates
- Letters of Administration · Probate Court1813–1953
- Settlements & Inventories · Probate Court1813–1845
- Settlements · Probate Court1818–1956
- Wills & Settlements--Admin. & · Probate Court1819–1829
- Clerk's Records · Probate Court1821–1824
- Bonds · Probate Court1825–1979
- Probate Records · Probate Court1841–1981
- Wills · Probate Court1843–1995
- Inventories · Probate Court1855–1922
- Probate Dockets · Probate Court1860–1956
- Miscellaneous Records · Probate Court1870–1897
- Sale Bills of Estates · Probate Court1874–1912
- Notices · Probate Court1878–1938
- Appraisements · Probate Court1887–1921
- and 11 more series in the full listing
Naturalization
- Petition for Naturalization · Circuit Court1907–1928
- Certificate of Naturalization · Circuit Court1908–1928
- Declaration of Intention · Circuit Court1908–1928
- Declaration of Intentions · Circuit Court1908–1929
- Naturalization Index Cards · Circuit Court1908–1928
Military and pensions
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1883
- Soldier Discharge Record Index · Recorder of Deeds1918–1996
- Soldier Discharge Records · Recorder of Deeds1918–1922
- Military Service Index · Recorder of Deeds1919–2008
- Military Service Records · Recorder of Deeds1919–1971
Tax records
- Assessments · County Assessor1854–1855
- Taxes · Collector1885–2006
- Appraisements · Probate Court1898–1922
- Inheritance Taxes · Probate Court1921–1926
- Assessments & Taxes · Collector1952–2001
Court records
- County Court Records · County Clerk1788–1988
- Circuit Court Case Files · Circuit Court1812–1853
- Minutes · Court of Common Pleas1813–1818
- Circuit Court Records · Circuit Court1814–1952
- Execution Docket · Probate Court1814–1925
- Miscellaneous Records · Recorder of Deeds1814–1881
- Circuit Court Record Index · Circuit Court1822–1959
- Docket · Justice of the Peace1825–1894
- Circuit Court Minutes · Circuit Court1840–1845
- Minutes · County Clerk1843–1994
- Minutes · Probate Court1867–1995
- Petition For Citzenship Index · Circuit Court1925–1942
Schools
- School District Misc Files · Superintendent of Schools1891–1924
- School Records · Superintendent of Schools1904–1950
- School District Number Listing · Superintendent of Schools1926–1995
- School Enumerations · Superintendent of Schools1926–1982
- Teacher Lists · Superintendent of Schools1938–1943
- School District Audit · Superintendent of Schools1957–1966
Other records
- County Poor Farm Records · County Clerk1867–1921
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
- Washington 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: Washington 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, Washington" 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: St. Louis County, Ste. Genevieve County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: St. Louis County, Ste. Genevieve County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1813, 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.