So, you think your ancestors may have lived in St. Charles County?

Because official vital statistics were not kept by the State of Missouri until 1910, one key to locating older records can be church baptisms. Perhaps you don't know what church, or even what religion.

This index of old St. Charles churches is offered a finding tool. The name is that given at baptism, spelling is as it was recorded at the time, and the year might be either the date of baptism or the birth date. While the actual records are held by the individual churches, St. Charles County Historical Society has indexes of these church records which will include more information for you: typical information might be the names of the parents and the full dates of birth and baptism. The maiden name of the mother is frequently given. If you see your family name listed in a church's baptism records, you may want to also check the entire index of that church for marriage and burial information. Locating their church may pinpoint the region of St. Charles County where your family resided.

You are invited to contact the Archives for research on your family, or come in to do your own research.