Missouri State Archives
House and Senate Journals, 1820-1899

Introduction

The Journal of the Missouri House of Representatives and the Journal of the Missouri Senate record the proceedings of the state legislature. The Journals and corresponding appendices may also contain official department, agency, office, and committee reports; correspondence; Missouri Attorney General and Supreme Court rulings; statistics; commendations, resignations, eulogies and obituaries; resolutions; and gubernatorial messages, proclamations, and orders.

The Collection

This collection contains House and Senate Journals from the 19th Century. House and Senate Journals were published roughly every two years from 1820 to 1860 and from 1877 to 1971. Annual publication occurred in the years from 1861 to 1875. Additional individual journals were published in 1836, 1848, 1852, 1860, 1892, 1940, 1942, 1944 and 1966. From 1972 to the present, Journals are published annually. There are gaps in coverage primarily from 1820 to 1854.

Rights and Reproductions

Copyright is in the public domain. Preferred citation: Journal of the (House of Representatives or Senate), [number] General Assembly, [First (or Regular), Adjourned, Executive, Extra, Special] session, volume number or appendix (if needed), year, page number, General Assembly, Record Group 550, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.

How to Use this Collection

Due to electronic file size limitations, large reports (Agriculture Report and Adjutant General Report, for example) and appendices were electronically separated from their original volume and new documents were created. Indices may retain their own pagination. Reports or supporting documents contained within the Journal may retain their original pagination. Pagination may vary from volume to volume. Blank pages have not been digitized. Please see note field (view, page description) for specific volume changes. All images are the best available.

Related Sources

The Missouri General Assembly offers volumes online for the current session only. The Ellis Library, University of Missouri and the State Historical Society of Missouri allowed volumes to be scanned for this project. Print copies of the House Journals and the Senate Journals are held by the Missouri State Archives and the Missouri State Library (James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center, 600 West Main Street, Jefferson City, Missouri).