This site contains what you need to know to research your Vernon County ancestors and includes many free indexes. Please email the County Coordinator if you have a how-to research question that is not covered or if you encounter a broken link.

PLEASE USE THIS INFORMATION IN YOUR PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH, BUT DO NOT COPY INFORMATION FROM THIS SITE AND PUBLISH ELSEWHERE ON THE INTERNET, POST ON OTHER WEBSITES OR IN BLOGS! 

 

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Updated 20 Dec 2024

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

Deaths and Burials Vernon County Missouri :

Including Sources and Burials Elsewhere

CLICK HERE FOR ORDER FORM

     The ALL-NEW Vernon County cemetery directory has been received from the printer, and copies can be purchased by mail or walk-in at the Bushwhacker Museum! (Museum winter hours: 9 a.m.-5p.m., Tue-Fri; call 417-667-9602 to ensure staff is present.)

     The 1,563-page, 3-volume set includes full names and dates from gravestones, obituaries, death certificates, and other genealogical sources, plus names of parents and spouses for many of the more than 72,000 deaths/burials included. Additionally, source citations for the death/burial information is included, such as the newspaper and publication date of an obituary. Active cemeteries were resurveyed, and those listings are in map order to assist in locating specific gravestones within the cemetery. A sample page can be seen here.

     Publication of this new work has been made possible in part by a 21st Century Fund Grant from the Missouri State Genealogical Association. The Cedar and Vernon County Genealogical Society and the Vernon County Historical Society partnered to update and expand this valuable resource.  Thank you!  to the many volunteers who helped complete this project.

The Cedar & Vernon Co MO Genealogical Society

The local Genealogical Society meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m., and visitors are always welcome! Programs pertain to various aspects of family history research. The Nevada Library Annex is located at 200 W. Walnut St., at the corner of W. Walnut and N. Main, Nevada, MO (northwest corner of the Court Square). The El Dorado Springs meetings are held at the El Dorado Springs Library located at 808 S. Main St., El Dorado Springs, MO.  A Membership Form is at this link; dues are $10 per calendar year. Dues received Sep-Dec include the following full year. Anyone who enjoys family history research is invited to join; you do not have to be researching Vernon County, Missouri ancestors. The society email address: Cedar & Vernon Co MO Genealogical Society

Membership benefits include receiving the emailed monthly newsletter and free lookups in the cemetery database plus free queries in the monthly newsletter. The  previously published newsletters through 2023 are at this link.

Books for Sale:

The Walker Herald, Walker, Missouri: Extant Issues Transcribed 3-Vol. set $55. 1892-1923 (190 pages), 1924-1926 (178 pages), 1927-1931 (216 pages), with every-name index. If you had family in the Walker, MO area during these years, you will want a copy of this resource! A 21st Century Fund Grant from the Missouri State Genealogical Association helped fund in part the publication of the books. Comb bound cardstock covers, 8 1/2 x 11 format. Not all issues were available to transcribe. If ordering by mail, send $55 check payable to

    Cedar & Vernon Co MO Genealogical Society

    Attn:  Books

    218 W. Walnut St.

    Nevada, MO  64772

Rural Schools of Northeast Vernon County Consolidate, 1881-1950  is available for purchase from the Walker Community Betterment Assoc. $30. When one room schools began consolidating in Vernon County, Missouri, some of the clerks’ books were turned over to the school to which they joined. This compilation is taken from those books and is not published in any other book. Names of students, parents and sometimes their occupations, ages, and teachers are included. This is a finding aid to help researchers locate people between censuses. Compiled by Neoma Foreman. Soft bound, 260 pages with every-name index. Make checks payable to WCBA and mail to WCBA, 14695 S. C Hwy, Walker, MO 64790.

The Bushwhacker Museum has numerous genealogical and historical books and finding aids for sale on its website and at the Museum.

DNA Project:  Have you taken a DNA test? You can compare your autosomal test results with those who tested at different companies by uploading your test data to https://gedmatch.com/ free of charge. Several comparison tools are free and some advanced features require a monthly fee. If you tested at Ancestry.com, you can download your test data and upload it to familytreeDNA.com, MyHeritage.com, and GEDmatch.com without re-testing. Transferring your results will help you and other researchers to get more from testing. To learn about genetic genealogy, see https://isogg.org/. Sign up to receive a periodic email regarding DNA testing and research: https://dna-explained.com/ and https://blog.kittycooper.com/

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Vernon County, Missouri? It is located on the Missouri-Kansas state line about 80 miles south of Kansas City.

Where is the county seat? The county seat is Nevada (neh-VĀ-duh), MO, at the crossroads of I-49/U.S. 71 & U.S. 54 near the center of the county. The Courthouse is located in the town square, and its clock tower is visible from much of the town.

Do you have information on the [fill in the name] family? Please check these pages: Biographies, Surnames.  As county coordinator, I personally do not conduct genealogical research or lookups for individuals, however the Bushwhacker Museum does.

Where is Vernon County, Missouri Found in the Federal Census? 

   When was Vernon County, Missouri First Settled?  The first permanent white settlers in the area that is now Vernon County were the three Summers brothers--Jesse J., Moses, and Allen--and their families. They settled near the Osage River in what is now Metz Township, Vernon County, Missouri, in 1829/1830. There were Native Americans in the area at this time, and transient trappers were in the area prior to this time. Vernon County was organized in 1855.

   Were Vernon County's Records Lost During the Civil War? The Vernon County Courthouse was burned by Federal troops in 1863, but the official records had been removed from the courthouse prior to the burning. However, Deed Book B "fell off the wagon" and was lost during the evacuation and return of the records following the war. The Index to Deed Book B is available and is of some help in tracking families and land.