This page brought to you through the combined effort of the Missouri Historical Records Grant Program and the Dedicated Volunteers of the Vernon County Historical Society

Every Missouri county courthouse has stacks of old probate records stored somewhere in basements, back rooms or sheds. Often these papers are eventually destroyed.

When Vernon County presented the Vernon County Historical Society with the option to take old probate records, we gladly accepted them, not really knowing the amount of work we had before us to clean, index, accession, and make available to the public these historic documents.

Why did we think that the old probate records were valuable enough to take on this type of project? After all, they had already served their primary purpose, settling the estates of individuals. We believed that they have a valuable secondary purpose – helping to tell the story of Vernon County and its citizens.

In June of 2001 the Vernon County historical Society applied for and received the first of two Missouri Historical Records Grants, which provided the funds to purchase archival shelving, boxes, file folders, enclosures, and cleaning supplies to properly preserve and archive the documents and paper artifacts that were already in our collections as well as those we continue to receive.

These supplies also allowed us to tackle the thousands of probate records that had been given us by the county. But the purchases were just the beginning of a 4-year project! Next came the gargantuan job of sorting all of those thousands and thousands of papers into the correct file folders, labeling them, noting dates, administrators, heirs, and putting them in alphabetical order. Then, someone needed to put all of that information into a format that could be used on our website.

This extensive project has provided the opportunity for several of our local high school’s Advanced American History students to learn the value of primary source research as well as the basics of document preservation.

We have also had the opportunity to enjoy several “Probate Parties” at the museum when many of our volunteers have spent the entire day working together. And, of course, we have a few “die hard” volunteers who have worked week after week determined to see this project through to the very end.

We were extremely fortunate to have had a genealogist, Becky Siple, contact us while doing family research. We told her about our project and our hope to one day be able to make the probate index available on line. She said that if we go the information to her she would be happy to create the database. (Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he is a she living in Conyers, Georgia.)

After of hundreds of hours of work by our volunteers and Becky we were finally ready to go on line. However we did not have the funds to pay a Webmaster to create the user interface on our website with the needed search options. Then the possibility of receiving an enhancement grant from the Missouri Historical Records Grant Project came to our attention and Eureka we found the way over the last hurdle.

The probate records make available an immense amount of information on Vernon County and its communities. We can document the ownership and value of property, including slaves prior to the Civil War.

The oldest records contain a wealth of information on local businesses, including what goods and services were available at different times and the costs.

Probate records offer glimpses into the private lives of local residents and their lifestyles. More detailed views of day-to-day activities in Vernon County are exposed. We can find what schoolbooks were used to teach the various classes in the first schools of the county and what the instructors received in pay.

Excellent examples of primary source information can be found in the probate records of William Withers, a merchant in Old Montevallo, who died Oct. 15, 1858. Because he owned the dry goods store and was a partner in the steam mill he has an extensive file.

Old Montevallo was located in the southern part of the county and was one of the largest towns in the county at that time. Since most customers kept running accounts, the accounts receivable inventory offers us a good list of residents of that area at a time between census dates. It also gives us an idea of the wealth of the community by telling us who was able to buy what goods, and just what goods were available. Mr. Withers made personal loans, as there were no banks at that time, leaving us knowledge of the interest rates and terms of these loans.

As it took several years for Mr. Withers’ estate to go through the probate court (the Civil War stopped all county business for a number of years) his files document how the local economy was affected during those turbulent years on the border and which military forces were responsible for local loses.

Probate records can also shed additional light on known events. For example we know that on Dec. 20, 1858 John Brown and a group of Kansas marauders raided three farms in Vernon County. They shot and killed one man, stole 11 slaves and thousands of dollars in additional property.

One of the farms raided was owned by the heirs of the late James Lawrence. After his death and prior to Brown’s raid, his estate had been completely inventoried.

By comparing the new inventory taken after the raid we know just how devastating this was to the financial security of the heirs. Mr. Lawrence’s probate files also contain the depositions taken during the indictment hearing of John Brown and his men so we have an eyewitness account of that particular raid.

These types of records also contain information on medical practices including the treatment costs as well as funeral expenses. Frequently old probate records provide information on burial locations.

Sometimes personal correspondence has been included in the files that provide intimate glimpses into the everyday lives of individuals.

All of this gives us a more complete idea of life in our region at different times in our history. It aids us in understanding the reasons for some of the social and economic changes we have experienced through the ages.

The Bushwhacker Museum further utilizes the information in these documents to help identify and interpret the artifacts used in museum exhibits and to help prepare the varied educational programs we do with students in all of Vernon County’s schools from elementary to college level.