JANUARY 8, 1998

MISSOURI: CROSSROADS FOR TRACKING ANCESTORS

by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, C.G.

If your family followed the lure of the West, the chances are good you will eventually have to do some digging in Missouri records to trace your roots.

Missouri was admitted in 1821 as the 24th state, and had a population of more than 600,000 -- mostly Scots-Irish. Early settlers, other than the French who remained after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, came mainly from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Several genealogically pertinent trends that occurred prior to 1860 in Missouri need to be recognized, according to George K. Schweitzer, author of "Missouri Genealogical Research,'' a new guidebook. They are:

-- The state was settled first along the Mississippi River, then along the Missouri River, then along the tributaries to these rivers, then the interior areas, with the south-central Ozarks being settled last.

-- Birth places of its early settlers were (in numerical order): Kentucky, Germany, Tennessee, Virginia, Ireland, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

-- Economy and transportation played important roles in the state's history, enabling its farmers to get their corn, wheat, cattle, and hogs to the markets via the rivers first and by rail later.

-- Thousands of settlers and gold seekers went to western Missouri on steamboats, and then gathered supplies and took wagons west to Oregon, Utah, and California.

-- The diverse religious background of its settlers complicates the search for church records. Missouri's major early religious groups were Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Disciples of Christ, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Unions, Episcopals, Jews, Unitarians, and Mormons.

Schweitzer is author of dozens of state-focused genealogical guidebooks. "Missouri Genealogical Research'' follows a standard format, with history and background on the state's settlement. Chapter Two focuses on the types of records -- from the Bible to WPA records -- with an explanation about each, and how and why it was created. Chapter Three is devoted to "Record Locations'' and the major repositories of Missouri. Chapter Four contains tips on finding the right county and research approaches, and each county is listed along with the date of formation, whether or not the courthouse has suffered loss of records, dates and types of records available, and whether they have been microfilmed by the Family History Library. Libraries in each county, along with their addresses, are provided.

Significant Missouri genealogical research sites are on the Internet, and the author includes many of these, such as:

http://www.system.missouri.edu/shs/ (State Historical Society of Missouri)

http://www.CyndisList.com/mo.htm (Cyndi's List of Missouri Genealogical Sites)

http://mosl.sos.state.mo.us/rec-man/arch.html (Missouri State Archives has moved its web site, making the URL in the book out-of-date)

http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/Hood/missouri.htm (Anne Hood's Missouri Page Site)

If your families were in Missouri in 1860 or later, be sure to read the sections of "The Civil War Era'' and "The Post-Civil War Era'' in Chapter One for insight into factors that probably played a part in your families' lives.

If your roots are in Missouri, you will want to have this handy, up-to-date guidebook. "Missouri Genealogical Research'' is available ($15 postpaid) from the author, 407 Ascot Court, Knoxville, TN 37923-5807.