Can I obtain birth and death records from the Missouri State Archives?
The Missouri State Archives holds a limited amount of birth and death records for the state of Missouri. The first provision for state-wide registration of births and deaths was enacted July 1, 1883, when the State Board of Health was created for the supervision of such registrations. The act concerning birth and death registration was repealed in 1893 and registration ceased until 1910. The Archives has available for research over 250 rolls of microfilm of birth and death records from this period. Researchers should be aware that counties that kept records during this brief period vary in the number of years the records were maintained because there was no requirement that parents or professional attendants send in information for recording. For example, Bates County birth records are only available for 1883 to 1886. Go to Missouri Birth and Death Database, pre-1910 Go to List of Available Birth and Death Records The present law for registering births and deaths statewide took effect
