Howard County, Missouri

This County is part of
The MOGenWeb Project And The USGenWeb Project
Welcome:
Howard County is available for adoption, if interested please e-mail Mel for details.
     
Table of Contents
 History  & Biographies ~ Maps ~ Military ~ What's New ~ Odds & Ends
Vital Records ~ Cemeteries ~ Obituaries ~ Lookups ~ Queries
 "Missouri Meanderings" ~ Eclectic Missouri resources to enhance your GenWeb Experience [Off Site]



History & Biographies ~ Maps ~ Military ~ What's New ~ Odds & Ends

Brief History of Howard County, MO [Wiki]

Located on the north bank of the Missouri River, Howard County was settled primarily from the Upper Southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and cultivated hemp and tobacco. Howard was one of several counties settled mainly by Southerners along the Missouri River in the center of the state. Because of this, this area became known as Little Dixie, and Howard County was at its heart.[4] Following the 1848 revolutions in the German nations, many German immigrants also came to this region.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,144.[1] Its county seat is Fayette.[2] The county was organized January 23, 1816 and named for Benjamin Howard, the first Governor of the Missouri Territory.[3]


Howard County Neighbors:
Boone, Cooper, Saline, Chariton & Randolph


Howard County Townships:
Bonne, Femme, Boonslick, Burton, Chariton, Franklin, Moniteau, Prairie & Richmond


Search Howard County


Maps & Plat Books
Howard County 1897 Plat Map ~ Interactive Atlas ~ Getty Geographical Thesaurus
Bureau of Land Management ~ Geo Communicator ~ Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps [Scroll Down]
USGS Maps for Missouri
~ Historical Missouri Plat Books
Google Earth Pro
MO Digital Records: Land Grants, etc ~ Maps from the MO Historical Society
The American Civil War in Missouri ~ Digitized Newspapers from the Civil War Era
"Route 66"
Missouri Property Records Search ~ Family Search: Land Records


Biographies
History of Howard and Cooper Counties, Missouri

St Louis: National Historical Co, 1883
Biographical Index ~ or Download the Book


History of Chariton and Howard Counties, Missouri
Howard County: T Berry Smith
Chariton County: Pearl Sims Gehrig
Historical Publishing Com pany
Topeka-Indianapolis: 1923
Biographical Index ~ Download the Book


Howard County Teachers - Bios
James H Robertson: Biography [FS Catalog]

The Forts of Missouri ~ Historic Missouri Towns
Missouri History - Provincial Period  ~ Missouri Time Line
Native American Tribes in Missouri ~ African American Genealogy in Missouri


Missouri Pioneers, County and Genealogical Records; 30 Volumes

Created by:
Hodges, Nadine ~ Vineyard, John, Mrs. ~ Woodruff, Audrey Lee Wagner, 1913-1996
[Books - FS Catalog - Log In, Search: Use Nadine Hodges]

Here are the Vols which contain information for Howard County
Vol 1: Taxpayers of 1817, Pgs 79-80
Vol 1: "Items from Early Papers", Pgs 51-60
Vol 6: Missouri Obituaries, "Millenial Harbinger", 1841-1860, Pgs 51-58
Vol 7: Mortality Schedule, 1860, Pgs 101-110
Vol 10: Obituaries & Death Notices, 1855, St Louis Christian Advocate, Pgs - 67-78
Vol 13: Obituaries & Death Notices, 1856, St Louis Christian Advocate, Pgs 93-108
Vol 15: Death Register, 1883-1887, Pgs 108-110
Vol 16: Marriages, 1850-1860, Pgs 13-41
Vol 18: County Court Book "B", 1822-1823, Pgs 64-75
Vol 26: Obituaries & Death Notices, 1858, St Louis Christian Advocate, Pgs 66-80
Vol 30: Petition of the Inhabitants of Howard land District, Dec 1819, Pgs 54-56
Vol 30: Obituaries & Death Notices, 1860, St Louis Christian Advocate, Pgs 57-80


Neighbors: Boone, Cooper, Saline, Chariton & Randolph [Vitals Only]
Cooper County: Vol 14: First Presbyterian Ch of Boonville, June 1838-Oct 1848
Vol 23: Marriages, 1850-1857, Pgs 23-46
Saline County: Vol 10: Early Birth Register, 1863 -?, Page 35



Missouri Cousins

LDS Film # 873784 / Book 977.8D2
Author: A Maxim Coppage
Published by: Raines Publishing Company
11 W 20th Street, Antioch, Calif., USA ~ September 1969
This little book is chock full of bits and pieces of family information.
Use this link for the Howard County Pages
Use this link for the Index
Access: Download the book using the link above or use the FS Catalog and get the film.


<<<What's New>>>
March 2025

Howard County, Missouri
Court records, 1816-1889
Authors
Missouri. Circuit Court (Howard County) (Corporate)
11 Films
These are really interesting records, everything from Delinquent Tax Records to Adoptions and Murder Trials!
There are alpha indexes at the beginning of many Films

Indexes are on this Film
Indexes to court papers, vols. A and 1, 1831-1896



Military Records and Resources

Some of the information included here was found on the old
Howard County Site and reformatted for easier access.

<<<New>>>
The 'Works' of Sherman Lee Pompey
Mr Pompey did a tremendous amount of Military research over the years.
All of his Research on Missouri was donated to Family Search and can be found in the Catalog
Please use This Link

War of 1861 / Confederate Soldiers
Confederate Pension Applications
Soldier's Records: War of 1812
Search the National Archives  ~ War Records: Archive.org
 Civil War: Battles in Missouri
DAR Lineage [6 MOCounties]


More Records from Family Search

Union Soldiers: 1861-1865 [FS Catalog]
Confederate Records 1861-1865 ~ Confederate Pension Applications [Catalog]


Revolutionary Pension Roll of 1835 : Missouri Residents
1890 Veteran's Schedule
Iowa, Armed Forces Grave Registrations, 1835-1998 [Index]
"Born in Boone, Chariton, Howard, Franklin, Mercer & St Louis Counties"
Records are on Family Search



SAR Memberships Applications:
Boone, Franklin, Howard, Mercer & St Louis Co's., Missouri

Search: DAR ~ GAR ~ SAR

 Howard County Surnames & Bio Odds & Ends


U.S.,  Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865

Union Prisoners of War Records: FS Wiki with Links

Confederate Prisoners of War ~ FS Wiki with Links


Pre WWII Adjutant General Enlistment Contracts:
1900-1941: Family Search

 

U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970


Returns from U.S. Military Posts, 1800-1916 [FS]
The above set of files is very interesting. There are thousands of records.

U.S., Naval Hospital Tickets and Case Papers, 1825-1889 The Index is Here
POB, Missouri : Really Interesting, gives info on reason for admitting to Hospital

 Soldiers of the Great War [Nice pictures]

 

Military Databases: Family Search

Missouri, Confederate Pension Applications and Soldiers Home Applications, 1911-1938
United States, Missouri, Recruitment Lists of Volunteers for the United States Colored Troops, 1863-1865
Missouri, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945
Missouri, Reports of Separation Notices, 1941-1946
Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
Missouri, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865


Odds and Ends

Crime & Punishment

MO State Penitentiary
With additional information on how to search
Military Prison Records
 Missouri State Penitentiary: 1836 - 1931[Search]
    Online Explanation of the Prison & Records
 
FS: Documents & Records - Explanation & Image Charts
 How to Access the Records on Film
   LDS Films: 2407222 ~ 2406002 ~ 2405919 ~ 2405920

 Use this link for Film 2406002
  Family Search Catalog: Missouri State Archives
 Court Martial, Military Prisoners and Military Prison Records


Below: LDS Films: Prison Records
Log into your FS Account to access the films


1617966 ~ Mc Neil Island
1906: Crime Booklet
956170 ~ Territorial Prison at Yuma, AZ
978902 ~ CA State Prison, San Quenton, 1851-1867 [Index]
978903 ~ CA State Prison, San Quenton, 1851-1867, Register
978904 ~ CA State Prison, San Quenton, 1876-1889, Register
978905 ~ CA State Prison, San Quenton, 1889-1897, Register
978906 - Vol A ~ CA State Prison, San Quenton, List of Convicts, A - C
978906 - Vol B
978906 - Vol C
978907 ~ CA State Prison, Folsom
978907 ~ Register, 1884-1886 [Prisoner #s 11092-12354]


Howard County, Justice of the Peace Records: 1894-1926 [Film]
Civil & Criminal Dockets
: FS: Please use this Link



Miscellaneous Family Search Catalog Resources
Original Land Patents: 1820>1832
Ghost towns of Missouri
Missouri Land Records [FS] ~ Missouri Digital Heritage
MO Digital Records: Land Grants, etc



Family Search: Historical Images
Locations: Armstrong, Burton, Fayette, Howard County inclusive
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The various types of Records:
Admin Bonds, Biographies ~ Contract Lists ~  Bills of Sale, B ~ M ~ D's
Civil Docket: Criminal Cases ~ Court Records, Deeds ~ Tract Books, Probate Records and Wills
Military Discharge Records
Time Frames: 1816 > 1946


Howard County Neighbors
Below are links for Historic Images:
Boone & Chariton Counties, then
Family Search: Historical Images: Cooper County / Vitals
Family Search: Historical Images: Randolph County
Family Search: Historical Images: Saline County


Note: The above indexes do not include Census Records
nor do they contain Draft Registrations for either WWI or WWII

Miscellaneous Probate Records

From FS: Probate: Time Frames 1750-1998
Admin Bonds, Letters, Appraiials, Bills of Sale,
Inventories, Deaths [1883-1888], Probate Files: Settlements, Wills and a Will Index
[Note: Boone & Howard combined on this file]

 Family Group Sheet Project
If you are interested in searching for more clues for finding family,
please give this USGW Project a try.
Even if you do not find new goodies, consider contributing your work to the Project
Use this Link: Missouri Page

 Missouri Digital Heritage
A wonderful resource for Vital Records as well as other Genealogical and Historical data.





"The Fine Print"
Howard Coordinator:
State Coordinator (SC) : Mel Owings
Asst. State Coordinator (ASC):  Martha A C Graham
Updated: 5 March 2025

Information contained on all of the pages within the Howard GenWeb may be used for personal genealogical and historical purposes.
Please be considerate of copyright information and give credit where credit is due:
Any and all donated data will remain with the County in the event of the resignation of the County Coordinator.
If any person who donates material in
the future and wishes to have it returned to them, it will be accomplished upon request.

Online Continuously Since 1997
All Rights Reserved

Howard County portion of the MOGenWebUSGenWeb | USGenWeb Archives