Local History: Genealogist’s delight: Resources and guides

I was all set to write another column entirely, about the history of copper domes in architecture. I thought that would be interesting to dive into, seeing as how the copper dome on the 1908 courthouse is being redone, and Southeast Missouri State University’s Academic Hall copper dome was redone a few years ago, but it turns out, not so much. Where I hoped to find information on the Masons’ contributions, or some symbology information, or something, all I found was “copper domes in particular are probably a nod to the impressive nature of the heavens.” Thanks!

So instead, you get a column about some good resources to get started on your genealogy journey.

I am not affiliated with any of these sites, but I am an enthusiastic supporter.

www.findagrave.com

This site is a good starting place but has many errors. Volunteers have added cemeteries and burial information, as well as death certificates, obituaries and family information where available. Free to access.

www.familysearch.org

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) operates this site, a rich repository of digitized records and user-added family trees. Since trees are editable by users who might not have all of the information (or everything correct), proceed with caution, but do search records for information about ancestors. Free to use but requires registration.

www.billiongraves.com

Another free, volunteer-run site, but the burial listings for Cape Girardeau County include all information collected by Archive Center volunteers and staff during the ongoing cemetery project.

Missouri Secretary of State Digital Heritage

Personally, I find this site a bit difficult to navigate directly, but by going to your favorite search engine and plugging in the name of the collection you’re after, you might have better results. The collection I use most often is death certificates from 1910 to 50 years ago, as they’re online and fully transcribed. Each county also has a digital repository of records — Cape Girardeau County’s is a good one to check out.

Speaking of Cape Girardeau County’s online presence, the county’s website, www.capecounty.us, has three pages that are good to review for anyone beginning a genealogical journey.

www.capecounty.us/archive-center

On this site, you’ll find the ongoing cemetery project I mentioned above, and the Cape Girardeau County Commission minutes, fully digitized and accessible for free from 1811 to 2021. Very helpful to get an idea of the various projects and appointments the county government has conducted for more than 200 years. Some military information is on the site as well. There’s also a Contact Us form. We love hearing from researchers!

www.capecounty.us/recorder-of-deeds

The Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds’ website has a wealth of digitized records, including deeds and marriages. The index is free to view, so a researcher can search by name and get the book and page numbers to make eventual lookup in the actual records much easier.

www.capecounty.us/assessor

The assessor’s website has parcel maps, so one may look up a parcel of land in the county and see current ownership information. Some parcels have some of the purchase history, as well.

If you want a more interactive experience, I am giving a lecture at Riverside Regional Library in Jackson, and we’ll livestream it on Facebook, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, about genealogy resources in Cape Girardeau County. You’re welcome to drop by the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center, 112 E. Washington St. in Jackson, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to meet with us and check out our resources in person.

Marybeth Niederkorn is the director of the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center in Jackson. She is a member of various societies devoted to the region’s history, and is on Jackson’s Historic Preservation Commission. Educated at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, she holds degrees in philosophy and professional writing.