Government records are generated at multiple levels. Most are produced at the federal, state, and local government level. Every ten years, the federal government collects census information; however, in the past, many state and local governments also recorded census data.
Contact information for local government agencies with genealogical information.
Federal and State Records
Census
St. Louis has census records from before statehood. Mortality censuses from the 1850 and 1860 federal censuses help paint a picture of mid-nineteenth-century life.
Immigration
After the Louisiana Purchase, American citizens from the east and south poured into St. Louis. Soon, German immigrants followed. Some arrived on the East Coast, migrating to St. Louis via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, while many sailed directly to New Orleans and then traveled up the Mississippi by steamboat.
Two passenger ships that carried mostly German immigrants into New Orleans:
St. Louis became known as the Gateway to the West. Some immigrants remained for the rest of their lives, while others continued west along the Missouri River.
Military/Wars
There was a military presence in St. Louis from its inception as a village on the banks of the Mississippi River, through the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Later, St. Louis and Missouri soldiers fought in many other wars and served in peacetime organizations.
- St. Louis County Pensioners—1883 (mostly unspecified wars)
War of 1812
Many St. Louis citizens served in the War of 1812, either as residents of the Louisiana Territory or the Missouri Territory. In the mid-to-late 1800s, many War of 1812 veterans moved to St. Louis and throughout the state of Missouri to redeem their bounty land certificates.
- Missouri in the War of 1812
- War of 1812 Books, Volumes 1 and 2 (StLGS Store)
- Charter Members of the St. Louis Pioneer Chapter, National Society United Daughters of 1812
Mexican War
Men from St. Louis fought in the Mexican War in the 1840s. Information about the veterans who served is on the following pages:
Civil War
Missouri was a border state during the Civil War, with many families and friends divided between loyalty to the Union and allegiance to the South. As a result, the state was the site of many battles and a large turnout of enlistees and recruits for the military.
During this time, men could avoid service in the military by providing substitutes. StLGS member Gordon Seyffert compiled a database of substitutes and the men they replaced in Missouri’s First Congressional District in North St. Louis and St. Louis County, 1863–1865, using data from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Kansas City, Missouri. This report contains more than 3,400 names, including African American men recently accepted into the military.
- Civil War Substitutes (article from the Fall 2009 StLGS Quarterly)
- Civil War Substitutes (PDF)
- Battery A from St. Louis
- Company C, Eleventh Infantry, Missouri Militia, Muster Roll: 16 July 1863 to 16 April 1864
- Company E, 2nd Missouri Cavalry (CSA), Muster Roll
- Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Frank P. Blair Post 1, 1905 (names, rank, and service)
National Guard
A wide variety of men, most but not all born in St. Louis, served in the National Guard, 1st Regiment Infantry, from 1901 through 1908.
World War I
Men from Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska served in Company M, 354th Infantry, mustering at Camp Funston, Kansas, in 1917.
During World War I, all eligible men were required to appear in person at a local draft board three times during 1917 and 1918 to register for the draft. These cards have been digitized and are available online.
Naturalization
Not all immigrants naturalized. Those who did prior to late September 1906 could naturalize in any court. After that date, the process of naturalization became a federal function.
Post Offices
By 1818, the small town of St. Louis had a post office. From that time forward, postal workers had a presence in St. Louis. Because postal workers are federal employees, records of early postmasters, histories of early post offices, and many other important pieces of post office history are held at the National Archives (NARA).
Local Records
Coroner
The coroner’s office investigates all unnatural deaths, homicides, suicides, and accidents. There was a coroner’s office in St. Louis from 1845 to 1876, with all unnatural deaths processed at this location.
After 1876, when St. Louis County split from the city, there were two coroners’ offices. Coroners’ records are public. However, today, both St. Louis City and County have medical examiners, and their records are considered private and available only to next of kin.
The Missouri Digital Heritage website has an index of coroners’ records from several Missouri counties, including the City of St. Louis.
Courts
The court system in St. Louis began well before statehood and consisted of many courts that no longer exist.
Fire and Police
St. Louis City and County have fire and police departments that go back into the nineteenth century, beginning as volunteer services and becoming important government agencies in their respective locations.
Land and Property
Deed records for St. Louis are available at the Recorder of Deeds offices in the city and county. The earliest land grants in St. Louis were made prior to statehood, when the area was governed by the Spanish and the French.
Probates and Wills
Probates and wills often list heirs and define family relationships. Because St. Louis City and County split in 1876, you may need to search in both places. Probate records from 1802 through 1900 and St. Louis City wills from 1816 through 1967 have been microfilmed.
Tax Lists, St. Louis City
Many more early tax lists from St. Louis survive. You can find additional records at the Missouri Historical Society’s Library and Research Center and at the FamilySearch Library.
Last modified: 23-Jul-2026 21:33
