Giving Missouri Court Records A Second Look

Sometimes, searching for Missouri court records can be a daunting task. RecordsSiteReviews takes the headache out of searching for such records by providing you with valuable information and important Missouri court records links below.

Are you looking to get some genealogy work done using court records in Missouri? Well, you're not the only one. For seasoned genealogists, court records represent their last stop when it comes to researching family trees and tracking long-lost ancestors. They'll explore other information sources first – from close family relatives to genealogy websites to state libraries and national archives. But once they're finished with these, they turn to Missouri court records for additional clues.

MO Court Records - Review Suggestions

Not everybody will know how to go about researching court records in Missouri. A newbie will find it especially difficult given that he has no prior experience going through Missouri court records. For the uninitiated, here are a few suggestions to make searching MO court records for genealogical purposes a piece of cake.

1.      If ancestors' names show up in a plaintiff's or defendant's index multiple times, consider focusing on cases that involve more than a couple of individuals or wherein one party is a guardian, administrator or executor. Examples of cases involving an ancestor and/or his spouse are those that deal with bastardry, divorce, partitions and adultery.

Such cases often revolve around conflicts regarding property ownership, kids, marriage dissolution or inheritance. Although there aren't any guarantees, the odds that the above cases contain genealogically-related information are pretty high.

2.      Some court cases might include packets of court papers that may be a bit large. While a meticulous genealogist will go over the entire packet with a fine-tooth comb, some items included demand more attention.

·         Rebuttals outline the defendants' position and explain why they aren't at fault. Defendant responses aren't necessarily filed in majority of court cases.

·         Additional intermediate reports and rulings might've been issued that could help summarize and make sense of the case further.

·         Plaintiff's petition or the original bill or plea outlines the case of the plaintiff. Usually, in criminal cases, the indictments will be referenced.

·         Summary statements or decisions summarize the court case results. These documents usually sum up whatever information is contained in the court packet.

3.      Search the court records packets AND the court record books. Access all the available records. Occasionally, court record books could mention details not included in the court papers packets. In the case of misfiled or lost packets, people can look to court order books for answers.

Being a good genealogist means leaving no court records in Missouri unopened. Aside from records in courthouses, people can also try running people searches via the worldwide web. Interviewing relatives also wouldn't hurt. Only with exhaustive research can people hope to achieve favorable ancestor information results. 

Missouri Court Records Websites

Missouri Judiciary Homepage

Supreme Court Homepage

Office of the State Court Administrator Homepage

Eastern Appellate Homepage

Western District Appellate Court

Southern District Appellate Court

Opinions for All Missouri Appellate Courts

Missouri Circuit Courts Homepage

A Selection of Missouri County Courthouses You Can Visit

Visiting Missouri County Courthouses are great options to have to find the court record(s) you want. However, going this route may take quite a while. For time-efficient, hassle-free searching, give online court record search service providers a try!