Missouri Birth & Death Records Database, Pre-1910

The Missouri Birth and Death Records Database is an abstract of the birth, stillbirth, and death records recorded before 1909 and that are available on microfilm at the Missouri State Archives. (See Brief History of Vital Records in Missouri)

The Bureau of Vital Records has certificates of Missouri births from 1910 to the present. The Bureau also maintains certificates of Missouri deaths that are less than fifty years old. House Bill 1634 (2004) transferred all death records over fifty years old to the Missouri State Archives (Search Missouri Death Certificate)

The database currently contains over 185,000 records from 87 counties. Information found in this database includes:

Births and Stillbirths: name of child, date and place of birth, sex, and race; nationality, residence, and ages of parents, occupation and full name of father, maiden name of mother, name and address of medical or other attendant making return; in case of stillbirth, name of undertaker and place of burial.

Deaths: date of report, name, sex, color, age, occupation, marital status, nationality, birthplace; date, place, and cause of death; date and place of burial, addresses of undertaker, physician returning certificate.

For more information about the Birth and Death Records:

• Missouri Birth and Death Records: A Brief History
  
• Missouri Birth and Death Records: Guidelines for Use
  
• Guide to Pre-1910 Birth and Death Records by County
  

[ Search Tip ]

The Birth and Death Records Database can be searched by entering all or part of a name. It is recommended to enter just the last name. The search engine is designed to search for keywords. Entering "William" will find records containing the first or last name of "William", "Williams", or "Williamson." The birth and stillbirth records search the name of the child, mother's name, mother's maiden name, and name of father. All records for a county can also be viewed by selecting the county and leaving the name blank.