This site contains what you need to know to research your Vernon County ancestors and includes many indexes. Please email the County Coordinator (email link at the bottom of the page) 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.

 

search tips      advanced search

search engine by freefind

 Updated 20 February 2026

Recommend using the "advanced search" option for better search results. Some Marriage Record Indexes on this site cannot be searched and must be browsed. Monthly newsletters which include many transcribed newspaper articles are searchable from this search field.

NEWSPAPER PRESERVATION PROJECT

We have an opportunity to join with the State Historical Society of Missouri in locating issues of old area newspapers that have not previously been microfilmed. Our ancestors did not stop at the county line, and papers from Cedar, Bates, and Barton Counties in Missouri are also being sought for microfilming.

If you have any of these old newspapers stored in your attic, basement, etc., that  have not previously been microfilmed, we would like to have them for this preservation project.  A copy of the microfilm will be obtained for the Nevada Public Library Genealogy Department at Nevada, Missouri, where it will be available to researchers. Your papers will be returned to you after the microfilming, or you can donate them to your county's historical society/museum.

Newspapers that have already been microfilmed are at these links

Vernon County https://files.shsmo.org/research/newspapers/counties/Vernon.pdf

Cedar County  https://files.shsmo.org/research/newspapers/counties/Cedar.pdf

Bates County  https://files.shsmo.org/research/newspapers/counties/Bates.pdf

Barton County  https://files.shsmo.org/research/newspapers/counties/Barton.pdf

If you need assistance in determining if your issues of papers have previously been microfilmed, please email a list containing the newspaper name and publication dates of each issue to the Cedar & Vernon County Missouri Genealogical Society.

The newspapers can be mailed to or dropped off at the Nevada Public Library beginning now until March 15th. The newspapers will be sent to the State Historical Society of Missouri for microfilming and then will be returned to Vernon County. For any questions, please contact the Bushwhacker Museum at (417) 667-9602.

Deaths and Burials Vernon County Missouri :

Including Sources and Burials Elsewhere

CLICK HERE FOR ORDER FORM

     The ALL-NEW Vernon County Missouri cemetery directory has been received from the printer, and copies can be purchased by cash, personal check, credit card, or organization purchase order at the Bushwhacker Museum, 212 W. Walnut St., Nevada, Missouri, Bushwhacker Museum

     This 1,563-page, 3-volume set includes an every-name index with women's married and maiden names cross-referenced, 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 and burials included. Additionally, source citations for the death and burial information is included, such as the newspaper and publication date of an obituary. Active cemeteries in Vernon County were resurveyed, and those listings are in map order to assist in locating specific gravestones within the cemetery. No on-line website contains this information. Sample pages 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 immensely 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 in the United States. Meeting location is the Nevada Public Library, 218 W. Walnut St., Nevada, MO (off the northwest corner of the court square). A Membership Form is at this link. Everyone who enjoys family history research is invited to attend the free programs; you do not have to be researching ancestors who lived in Cedar or Vernon County, Missouri. The society's new 2026 email address is Cedar & Vernon Co MO Genealogical Society. If you would like to join the Society, membership benefits include receiving the emailed monthly newsletter, program information and handout when available following meetings, free queries in the monthly newsletter, and free lookups in the 2024 Deaths and Burials Vernon County Missouri (see above). Newsletters from previous years are at this link.

Researching your ancestors? Check out the free monthly family history research program held at the Nevada Public Library. Program covers researching anywhere your ancestors lived--not just west central Missouri. An emailed newsletter which focuses on research and this geographic area is provided to members and attendees. 

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. Many comparison tools are free and some advanced features require a small monthly fee. If you tested at Ancestry.com, you can download your test data and also upload it to FamilyTreeDNA.com and GEDmatch.com without re-testing. Transferring your results will help you and other researchers 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 officially organized as a county 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. 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.