Government (NEW2)
Government records are generated at multiple levels, including federal, state, and local governments. Every ten years the federal government collects census information; however, in earlier periods many state and local governments also recorded population and administrative data.
Click on each title below to expand the details and see the available data.
Federal and State Records
Census
St. Louis has census records from before Missouri statehood. Mortality schedules 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. German immigrants soon followed. Some arrived on the East Coast and traveled west via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, while many sailed directly to New Orleans and then traveled upriver by steamboat.
Two known immigrant ships that brought passengers to New Orleans who later made their way to St. Louis include:
St. Louis became known as the Gateway to the West. Some immigrants remained in the city for the rest of their lives, while others continued westward along the Missouri River.
Military and Wars
There was a military presence in St. Louis from its beginnings as a village on the Mississippi River, through the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and continuing through later conflicts and peacetime service.
General Military Records
War of 1812
Many St. Louis residents served in the War of 1812 as citizens of the Louisiana or Missouri Territories. In the mid-to-late 1800s, veterans often moved to Missouri to redeem bounty land certificates.
- The War of 1812 in Missouri
- War of 1812 in Missouri — Volumes 1 & 2 (StLGS Store)
- Charter Members, St. Louis Pioneer Chapter, United Daughters of 1812
Mexican War
Men from St. Louis served in the Mexican War of the 1840s. Information about these veterans appears on the following pages:
Civil War
Missouri was a border state during the Civil War, with many families divided between loyalty to the Union and allegiance to the Confederacy. The state saw extensive military service and recruitment.
During this period, men could avoid service by providing a substitute. StLGS member Gordon Seyffert compiled a database of substitutes and the men they replaced in Missouri’s First Congressional District (1863–1865), using records now held by the National Archives and Records Administration in Kansas City. The database includes more than 3,400 names, including African American men newly accepted into the military.
- Civil War Substitutes in St. Louis — Database
- Civil War Substitutes in St. Louis — PDF
- Battery A from St. Louis
- Company C, 11th Missouri Militia — Muster Roll
- Company E, 2nd Missouri Cavalry (CSA)
- Grand Army of the Republic, Frank P. Blair Post 1 — 1905 Index
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 register for the draft three times between 1917 and 1918. These draft cards have been digitized and are available online.
Naturalization
Not all immigrants naturalized. Prior to late September 1906, immigrants could naturalize in any court. After that date, naturalization became a federal process.
Post Offices
By 1818, two years before Missouri became a state, St. Louis had a post office. Because postal workers were federal employees, many records relating to post offices and postmasters are held at the National Archives.
Local Records
Coroner
The coroner’s office investigated all unnatural deaths, including homicides, suicides, and accidents. From 1845 to 1876, all St. Louis city and county coroner records were maintained together.
- St. Louis City Medical Examiner
- Missouri Digital Heritage — Coroners’ Inquest Database
- St. Louis County Medical Examiner
After the 1876 city–county split, records were maintained separately. Modern medical examiner records are generally restricted to next of kin.
Courts
The court system in St. Louis began well before statehood and included many courts that no longer exist.
Fire and Police
Land and Property
Deed records for St. Louis are available from the Recorder of Deeds offices for both the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. The earliest land grants in St. Louis were prior to statehood when the area was governed by the Spanish and the French.
Probates and Wills
Probate records often list heirs and define family relationships. Because St. Louis City and County split in 1876, researchers may need to search both jurisdictions.
Tax Lists — St. Louis City
Many nineteenth-century St. Louis tax lists survive. Some are digitized and available on this website.
Last modified: 07-Jan-2026 15:02