Boone County Obituary Records

Boone County obituary records can be searched through the county Recorder of Deeds, local public libraries in Columbia, and the state archives in Jefferson City. The county seat sits in Columbia, home to the University of Missouri and several strong genealogy collections. Boone County has kept marriage records since 1821, and local offices hold death records going back to the early days of Missouri statehood. Whether you need a recent death certificate or a historical obituary from a Boone County newspaper, this page covers the offices and databases you can use to find what you are looking for.

Boone County Recorder of Deeds

The Boone County Recorder of Deeds is at 801 E. Walnut, Room 132, Columbia, MO 65201. You can call them at 573-886-4345. This office keeps marriage records from 1821 and land records for the county. They also provide online search tools for land transactions. While death certificates come through the health department, the Recorder's office can help point you to related records like burial deeds and property transfers that often come up during obituary research in Boone County.

The Boone County Clerk's office is at 801 E. Walnut in Columbia. Reach them at 573-886-4295. They hold county administrative records and can direct you to the right office for the type of record you need. Both offices sit in the same building, which makes it easy to check multiple sources in one visit when you are searching for Boone County obituary information.

The Boone County Recorder website at showmeboone.com/clerk provides online access to land records and other county documents that may support obituary research.

Boone County Obituary Collections

The Genealogical Society of Boone County and Central Missouri runs the Wilson-Wulff Library at the Boone County History and Culture Center. The center sits at 3801 Ponderosa in Nifong Park, Columbia, MO 65205. You can call at (573) 443-8936 or email info@BooneCoMoGen.org. The library is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 12 to 4 PM.

Their online catalog has over 430 entries tied to Boone County records. The collection includes Cemetery and Tombstone Records from 1821 to 1870, Marriage Records from 1821 to 1870, Land Ownership Maps from 1875, 1898, and 1917, City Directories for selected years, and Savitar Yearbooks from the University of Missouri going back to 1897. They also maintain a card catalog name and subject index to the Columbian Missourian newspaper from 1908 to 1929. Surname Files with Family Group Sheets round out the collection. These are strong tools for anyone tracing an obituary or death notice in Boone County.

The Boone County Historical Society at boonecomogen.org holds over a century of local genealogy records including cemetery records, marriage records, and newspaper indexes.

Death Certificates in Boone County

The Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services office issues certified death certificates for Missouri deaths from 1980 to the present. You can reach them at 573-874-7355 or email VitalRecords@CoMo.gov. Birth certificates for births from 1920 forward are also available here.

Death certificates cost $13 per record. Each additional copy of the same record costs $10. Birth certificates run $15 each. You can order in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. Online orders carry an extra $11.25 handling fee from VitalChek on top of the state cost. Under RSMo 193.255, you must have direct and tangible interest to get a certified copy. That means immediate family members, legal guardians, and official representatives qualify. For Boone County obituary research on older records, death certificates more than 50 years old do not require the same ID rules.

For records older than 1980, contact the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City. They hold death certificates from 1910 to the present. Records over 50 years old have been transferred to the Missouri State Archives, where you can search and get copies for just $1 each.

Boone County Records at State Archives

The Missouri Digital Heritage website has pre-1910 birth and death records for Boone County available for free online. These records date back to the 1883 attempt at statewide registration. You can search by name, county, or both. The system uses keyword matching, so a search for a last name will return variations as well.

The Missouri State Archives death certificate database covers Boone County deaths from 1910 through about 1974. Each record links to a scanned image of the original certificate. Under RSMo 193.225, death records over 50 years old transfer to the Archives. Copies cost $1 per certificate. The Missouri Death Index also covers Boone County deaths from 1954 to 2024, with over 3.8 million statewide records in the database. All three of these tools are free to search.

Library Resources for Obituary Research

The Daniel Boone Regional Library serves Columbia and Boone County. Their local history and genealogy section is a good starting point for obituary research in the area. The Missouri State Library genealogy guide links to key databases for death records, cemetery searches through Find a Grave, and the Military Gravesite Locator for veteran burial information.

The State Historical Society of Missouri sits on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, right in Boone County. This gives local researchers easy access to a major collection of Missouri newspapers, manuscript collections, photographs, maps, and county records. The society's newspaper collection is one of the best places to look for Boone County obituary notices and death announcements from the 19th and 20th centuries. Their research room is open for in-person visits.

Note: The Columbian Missourian index from 1908 to 1929 at the Genealogical Society library is one of the few indexed newspaper collections for early Boone County obituary research.

Public Access to Boone County Records

Under the Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo Chapter 610), public records are open for inspection and copying. Vital records have some limits. Under RSMo 193.245, it is unlawful to disclose vital record information except as the law allows. But death records over 50 years old may be disclosed to anyone. A listing of persons who died on a certain date can also be shared, though it is limited to name and date of death only.

For Boone County obituary research, this means recent death certificates are restricted to family and authorized parties. But historical records are much more open. The State Archives databases, pre-1910 records, and newspaper obituary collections are all available to the general public with no eligibility requirements. Genealogists representing a family member and professionally recognized genealogists may also get copies of more recent death certificates in Boone County.

Cities in Boone County

Columbia is the largest city in Boone County and the county seat. All obituary records and vital records for Boone County residents are filed through county offices in Columbia. The Columbia/Boone County Health Department handles death certificate requests for the area.

Nearby Counties

If you are not sure which county holds the records you need, check the county where the person lived or died. Boone County borders several other Missouri counties that maintain their own obituary resources.