St. Louis County, Missouri

Founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclede, St. Louis was located in the territory owned by Spain and France prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The Spanish governmental records were retained in 1803 and moved to Havana, Cuba, and then to Seville, Spain. Those records are on microfilm as part of the Cuban Collection housed at the Clayton Library in Houston, Texas. The records are not currently available at any other U.S. library.

The most unique aspect of St. Louis history was the separation or divorce between St. Louis County and St. Louis City that occurred in 1876. Prior to 1876, what is today St. Louis City and St. Louis County was all under the jurisdiction of St. Louis County. The county courthouse was in sight of the river. There were several small communities in the county, to the north, south, and west of the City of St. Louis. The City fathers decided they did not want to support the outlying communities, thus forming an independent City of St. Louis with its current boundaries. You can learn more about the mayors in the City of St. Louis at the St. Louis Public Library website. The remainder of St. Louis County formed its own government in 1877 and established its courthouse in Clayton.

Therefore, when researching a St. Louis ancestor, it is often necessary to check both the City and County records for events that occurred after 1876. The records for all events that occurred before that date remained with the City and are available through the appropriate office in the City of St. Louis.