Missouri Marriages Before 1840; by Susan Ormesher; Published: 1982, Reprinted: 2006; Paperback; 317 pp.; ISBN: 9780806309859; Item: CF4335D

This extraordinary compilation contains the records of 16,000 marriages from fifty-one Missouri counties formed before 1840. Its importance as an aid to research is incontestable, for it is now the chief means of identifying those settlers who were in the state of Missouri prior to the first and second censuses of 1830 and 1840.

The majority of the marriage records in this work were copied from the original marriage books on file in various county courthouses. Others were copied from previously published compilations; some from both. All Missouri counties with marriage records prior to 1840 are covered except St. Louis County and City, which have been adequately covered elsewhere.

The marriages listed here are arranged alphabetically by grooms' surnames, and each includes the name of the bride, the marriage date, and the name of the county in which the full record is located. The researcher can write to the county recorder's office to obtain a copy of the record needed. The book ends with an index of brides' names that includes all 16,000 women mentioned in the marriage records.