Clay County, MissouriEdit This Page
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United States 
Missouri Clay County
Guide to Clay County Missouri genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Clay County, Missouri | |
| Map | |
 Location of Missouri in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | January 22, 1822 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Liberty |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Clay County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Liberty, MO 64086 Phone: 816.792.7637 Clay County Website |
Contents
|
Clay County Courthouse
Recorder Deeds has marriage and land records;
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records
from 1822; Probate Court has probate records[1]
History
The county is named after U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852).[2]
Parent County
1822--Clay County was created 2 January 1822 from Ray County.
County seat: Liberty [3]
Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Clay County boundary changes at N2Genealogy.
Record Loss
Places/Localities
- The State Historical Society of Missouri has information on historical Missouri place names for all Missouri Counties.
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
African American
Cemeteries
Roberts Cemetery, Gallatin BillionGraves
Census
For tips on accessing Clay County, Missouri census records online, see: Missouri Census.
Church
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Missouri denominations, view the Missouri Church Records wiki page.
Catholic
St. James, Liberty
- 1847-1873 - St. James, Liberty, Baptism Index 1847-1873. Batch C511941 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1847-1879 - St. James, Liberty, Marriage Index 1847-1879. Batch M511941 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records
- Missouri City
Court
Land
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Missouri Land and Property for information about records of land transfers from the government to private ownership. After that transfer, transactions were usually recorded and are currently housed at the county courthouse.
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Clay County, Missouri. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Missouri Local Histories
Maps
- Family Maps of Clay County, Missouri (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- Map of Clay County townships (Histopolis)
- The University of Missouri Digital Library has digital copies of Missouri county plat books (ca. 1930) for all 114 Missouri counties including Clay County. The city of St. Louis is not included in this collection.
- Map of 1886 Clay County with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Clay County, Missouri for European settlers included:
- Missouri River
- Oregon Trail 1830s from western Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon[5]
- California Trail 1846 from western Missouri to northern California[6]
Military
Civil War
Civil War Battle
The following Civil War Battle was fought in Clay County
Map showing Civil War battles in Missouri
Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Clay County, Missouri newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Clay County, Missouri Place-name search for these and other records in the Family History Library Catalog (For instructions see FHL Catalog Place-name Search).
Probate
Probate records include wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information, see United States Probate Records.
In Missouri, probate records have usually been recorded by the clerks of the probate courts, but in some counties the common pleas or circuit courts handled this function. They are frequently indexed.
Taxation
Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more information see the wiki page Missouri Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. For additional guidance on researching and using vital records, see United States Vital Records.
St. Louis and Kansas City recorded births and deaths starting as early as 1850 for deaths and 1870 for births. The Missouri Department of Health began keeping birth and death records in 1909. County records vary by year and the county. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Missouri Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office.
Births
- 1855-1869 - Clay County Birth Index 1855-1869. Batch C514791 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1865-1885 - Clay County Birth Index 1865-1885. Batch C514793 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1883-1884 - Clay County Birth Index 1883-1884. Batch C514794 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
Marriages
- 1822-1878 - Clay County Marriage Books A thru D Index 1822-1878. Batch M514791 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
- 1877-1885 - Clay County Marriage Books E thru F Index 1877-1885. Batch M514792 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
Deaths
- Missouri State Archives provides on-line access to Missouri Death Certificates more than 50 yrs old starting in 1910.
- 1883-1884 - Clay County Death Index 1883-1884. Batch B514795 at FamilySearch - free.[4]
Societies and Libraries
Liberty Tribune, 1860-1869 and Liberty Weekly Tribune, 1846-1860 Searchable online at the State Historical Society of Missouri’s Digital Collections, Index to Selected Missouri Newspapers.
Smithville Historical Society
Smithville is located in both Clay and Platte counties. There are a number of resources available on their website.
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Clay County, Missouri. Page 399 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ "Henry Clay," Wikipedia.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/5/5a/Igimissouria.pdf.
- ↑ National Park Service, "(Auto Tour Route) Maps" in Oregon National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/maps.htm (accessed 18 July 2011).
- ↑ National Park Service, "(Auto Tour Route) Maps" in California National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/cali/planyourvisit/maps.htm (accessed 18 July 2011).
- ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 15 August 2012)
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- This page was last modified on 12 June 2013, at 20:22.
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