I have been spending a lot of time browsing pages of probate records for Howard County, Missouri, which have been digitized and are available on FamilySearch.
After looking at who knows how many pages of records, I noticed a volume at the beginning of the listings:
I decided to take a look, although my husband’s family that lived in Howard County had moved nearby to Sullivan and Linn Counties by the 1880s.
Entry #1, Malinda Bundy
The first death entry is not until 26 September 1883 and I have no idea how complete the records are since there is no way to tell how many people actually died in Howard County in this time span.
However, there is a lot of data recorded, with the exception of the names of parents.
This database is available on Missouri Digital Heritage, but the original images are not online, just an abstract of the information presented as:
Missouri Digital Heritage suggests that a copy of the record be purchased for $1.00 (no, that is not much money), but at least in the case of the Howard County records, the original entry can be viewed online.
I have found errors in vital records when comparing abstracted information with original entries. Seeing the actual document or page is always better than relying on someone else’s work.
If you have Howard County, Missouri family living there in the latter part of the 1800s, be sure to look at the file on FamilySearch. Because it is included in the probate collection, many people might not know it is there.
Hi Cathy, I was quite surprised when I can across this collection since it wasn’t in with the vital records. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.