Phelps County Obituary Records

Phelps County obituary records can be searched through the courthouse in Rolla, a strong local genealogical society, and several state-level databases. The county was formed in 1857, and Rolla serves as the county seat. Phelps County has an active genealogy community based in the Old Phelps County Courthouse that maintains cemetery records, marriage records, and family histories. Whether you need a recent death certificate or an old obituary from a Rolla newspaper, this page covers every resource you can tap into for Phelps County obituary research.

Phelps County Courthouse Records

The Phelps County Courthouse is in Rolla, MO 65401. The Recorder of Deeds handles marriage and land records. The County Clerk holds birth and death records from the pre-1910 registration period. The Circuit Court Clerk manages court and divorce records. Marriage records, land records, and court records all date back to the county's formation in 1857.

The courthouse is the starting point for Phelps County obituary research when you need supporting records like marriage licenses, probate files, or property transfers that often surface during genealogy work. The Recorder of Deeds can also point you to military discharge records for veterans who lived in Phelps County.

Phelps County Genealogical Society

The Phelps County Genealogical Society is at P.O. Box 571, Rolla, MO 65402-0571. You can call 573-364-5977 or email pcgsrolla1982@gmail.com. The society is housed in the Old Phelps County Courthouse, where they share space with the Phelps County Historical Society. This is one of the better local genealogy resources in the area, and they maintain a dedicated research room for family history work.

Their collection includes cemetery records, census records, marriage records, and quarterly publications. The society produces regular publications that cover Phelps County families, obituary transcriptions, and local history. If you are doing in-depth Phelps County obituary research, a visit to their research room in the Old Courthouse is well worth the trip. They can help guide you to the right sources for the time period and family you are looking into.

Note: The Phelps County Historical Society at 305 W 3rd Street in Rolla shares the same building and has additional historical archives and local history collections.

Phelps County Death Certificates

The Phelps-Maries County Health Department is at 200 N. Main, Suite G51, Rolla, MO 65401. Call (573) 364-3381 for information. They issue birth certificates from 1920 to the present at $15 each. Death certificates from 1980 to the present cost $13 each. You will need valid ID. Under RSMo 193.255, only those with direct and tangible interest can get a certified death certificate.

For deaths before 1980, contact the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City. The Missouri Birth and Death Records Database at the State Archives has over 185,000 records from 87 counties, covering both the pre-1910 and the 1910 to 1961 periods. Records more than 50 years old transfer to the Archives, where copies cost $1.

Phelps County Obituary Sources

Several online sources carry Phelps County obituary information. The Rolla Daily News obituaries from 2009 to the current day are available at Genealogy Bank (subscription required). Coverage from 2003 to 2010 is on Ancestry.com. The Phelps County Obituary Index appears across multiple sites, including Missouri Genealogy Trails, Missouri GenWeb, Obits Index, and USGenWeb Archives. The Phelps County Focus publication also carries obituaries from throughout the county.

Local funeral homes are another important source for Phelps County obituary records. The area is served by several funeral homes including Birmingham-Martin Funeral Home in Dixon, Fox Funeral Home in Licking, James and Gahr Mortuary in Rolla, Jones Funeral Home in St. James, Long-Kloppel Funeral Home in Dixon, Null and Son Funeral Home in Rolla, and Teague and Son Funeral Home in Newburg. Many of these post obituaries on their websites.

Phelps County Records at State Archives

The Missouri Digital Heritage site has free access to pre-1910 birth and death records for Phelps County. The Missouri State Archives death certificate database covers deaths from 1910 through about 1974 with scanned images. The Missouri Death Index covers 1954 to 2024. Under RSMo 193.225, death records over 50 years old go to the Archives. All three databases are free to search.

The Missouri State Library genealogy guide and the State Historical Society of Missouri offer more tools for Phelps County obituary research, including newspaper archives and cemetery search databases.

Public Access to Phelps County Records

Under the Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo Chapter 610), public records are open for inspection. Recent death certificates are restricted to authorized parties. But records more than 50 years old are open to anyone. Newspaper obituaries, cemetery records, genealogical society collections, and state archives databases are all freely available to the public for Phelps County obituary research.

Missouri Genealogy Resources

The Missouri State Library genealogy guide connects researchers to key databases for death records, cemetery searches, and other genealogy tools that cover Phelps County.

This portal is a good starting point for anyone new to Phelps County obituary research who wants an overview of available resources.

Cities in Phelps County

Rolla is the county seat and largest city in Phelps County. It is home to Missouri University of Science and Technology. All vital record requests for Phelps County go through offices in Rolla. No cities in Phelps County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Phelps County borders several other Missouri counties. If you are not sure where the death occurred, check neighboring counties as well.