Search St. Louis County Obituary Records

St. Louis County obituary records can be searched through the county Recorder of Deeds in Clayton, the St. Louis County Library system, and multiple state archive databases. The county is the most populous in Missouri and separate from St. Louis City, which has its own record system. With death records going back to the 1876 county-city split, St. Louis County has a deep archive. Whether you need a recent death certificate or want to find an obituary published decades ago in the Post-Dispatch, this page covers the key offices and databases for your search.

St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds

The St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds is at 41 S. Central Ave., Clayton, MO 63105. Call 314-615-7100. This office keeps marriage records and land records for the county. They provide an online search tool for recorded documents. While death certificates come through the health department, the Recorder's office can help with property transfers, burial deeds, and other documents that come up during obituary research in St. Louis County.

The office is in Clayton, the county seat. Walk-in requests are accepted during business hours. You can also mail requests with a check or money order. For marriage records tied to an obituary search, this is a solid starting point. Keep in mind that St. Louis County and St. Louis City are separate jurisdictions. If the person you are searching for lived in the city, you need to contact city offices instead.

St. Louis County Obituary Index

The St. Louis County Library at 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131, is one of the best resources for obituary research in the region. Their History and Genealogy department maintains the St. Louis Obituary Index, which covers St. Louis Post-Dispatch obituaries from 1880 to 1931, 1942 to 1945, 1960 to 1970, and 1992 to the present. This index is a major tool for anyone searching for death notices in the St. Louis County area.

The library also provides access to genealogy databases, newspaper archives, and local history collections. Staff in the genealogy department can help with lookups and point you toward the right sources. The library system has multiple branches across St. Louis County, though the main genealogy collection is at the Lindbergh location.

The St. Charles City-County Library also serves as a resource for researchers in the greater St. Louis metro area, with genealogy and local history materials available at several branches.

The St. Louis County Library system at slcl.org maintains one of the most complete obituary indexes in Missouri, covering more than a century of Post-Dispatch death notices.

Death Certificates in St. Louis County

The St. Louis County Office of Vital Records is at 6121 N. Hanley Rd., Berkeley, MO 63134. Call 314-615-1720 or email DPH.VitalRecords@stlouiscountymo.gov. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The first Friday of each month opens at 9:00 a.m. instead. They issue birth certificates from 1920 to the present and death certificates from 1980 to the present.

Death certificates cost $14 each. Extra copies are $11. Under RSMo 193.255, you must have a direct and tangible interest. That means close family, legal guardians, and authorized agents. You can order in person, by mail, or online through VitalChek. Online orders carry an extra handling fee. For St. Louis County obituary research on older records, death certificates over 50 years old do not require the same ID rules.

For records before 1980, contact the Missouri Bureau of Vital Records in Jefferson City. Records older than 50 years have moved to the Missouri State Archives.

St. Louis Genealogical Society

The St. Louis Genealogical Society is a valuable resource for anyone doing obituary research in the St. Louis County area. They maintain extensive collections of family files, cemetery records, and published indexes. The society offers research assistance to members and the public. Their website has links to databases and research guides specific to the St. Louis region.

The Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center at 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112, also holds archives and manuscript collections relevant to St. Louis County obituary research. Call 314-746-4599 for information. Their collections include funeral home records, church records, and other documents that often contain death and burial details not found in official vital records.

St. Louis County at State Archives

The Missouri Digital Heritage website has pre-1910 birth and death records for St. Louis County available for free. The Missouri State Archives death certificate database covers 1910 through about 1974, with scanned images of original certificates. Under RSMo 193.225, death records over 50 years old transfer to the Archives and cost $1 per copy.

The Missouri Death Index covers 1954 to 2024, with over 3.8 million records statewide. All three databases are free to search. For St. Louis County obituary research, these state-level tools often fill in gaps when local sources come up short. The pre-1910 records are especially useful since county-level death recording was inconsistent before that time.

Note: Remember that St. Louis City and St. Louis County have separate records after the 1876 split.

Public Access to Records

Under the Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo Chapter 610), public records are open for inspection. Vital records have restrictions. Under RSMo 193.245, sharing vital record data is limited except as the law allows. Death records over 50 years old may be disclosed to anyone. The St. Louis Obituary Index, State Archives databases, and newspaper collections are all open to the public with no eligibility requirements.

Cities in St. Louis County

St. Louis County has many municipalities. Florissant is the largest city in the county. All obituary records and vital records for St. Louis County residents are filed through county offices in Clayton and the health department in Berkeley.

Nearby Counties

St. Louis County borders several other Missouri counties. If you are not sure which county holds the records, check where the person lived or died.