USA > Missouri > Scotland County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 6
USA > Missouri > Lewis County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 6
USA > Missouri > Clark County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 6
USA > Missouri > Knox County > History of Lewis, Clark, Knox, and Scotland counties, Missouri. From the earliest time to the present, together with sundry personal, business and professional sketches and mumerous family records > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124
59
STATE OF MISSOURI.
In 1836 there was another inpouring of settlers. The west- ern, northwestern and southwestern portions of the county were fairly well occupied, and a large number of tracts of land entered. About this time the first farms in the prairie were opened. There was great distrust of the value and adaptability of the prairie lands for agricultural purposes among the pioneers, and all of the first comers avoided them and settled in the timber. In very early days, too, there was another reason why the prairies were not settled upon and an attempt made to cultivate them. The wild sod was so thick and tough that the light, inferior plows then in vogue would not break it, and the soil was not subjugated until huge plows were constructed for the especial purpose. These plows were drawn by from three to five yoke of oxen, and the work of breaking prairies even then was slow and difficult.
The following description of the county in 1836 is given by " Wetmore's Gazetteer " of that year :
" DRAINAGE, ETC.
" The county of Lewis is very advantageously portioned out by nature into prairie and timber, and the soil is exceedingly rich. The springs of pure water are numerous, and the mill- streams furnish an abundance of power for sawing and grind- ing. These streams are the Wyaconda, the North Fabius and the head branches of South Fabius. The Wyaconda falls into the Mississippi about the middle of the eastern line of the county, which is washed for twenty-four miles by this great navi- . gable river. The Fabius empties into the Mississippi in the adjoining county of Marion. This county was made out of ter- ritory north of and formerly attached to Marion County. The remainder of the territory north, and between Lewis and the Des Moines River, is now in the first stage of the organization of a county to be called Clark. This new county of Clark is very happily situated, having the Mississippi and the Des Moines on the east and northeast, and being likewise well watered in the interior with the head branches of the Wyaconda and a large stream called by the abominable name of 'Stinking Creek.' The next General Assembly will certainly have good taste enough to change the name of this fine stream to accord with that given
60
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
by the compiler, and accordingly inserted in his map-' Aromatic River.' [Fox River-COMPILER. ] The first town above the Mar- ion line is La Grange, situated on a beautiful shore of the Missis- sippi. The site is high and dry, and it is surrounded with a well settled farming country. The first stream above this town is Fox River,* a small stream; the timber on its banks is good. The next town on the river, in ascending, is Canton, likewise a promising place, and situated in a large prairie. From this prairie the country is generally timbered and exceedingly rich to the Des Moines. The fort for the protection of this frontier is situated twelve miles above the mouth of the Des Moines, on the bank of the Mississippi.
" Monticello is the seat of justice of Lewis County, and it is located in a central position. This corner of Missouri enjoys the local advantage of a market, created by the wants of those in the military service of the United States and the miners in Wisconsin. Although the mineral district is a rich farming country, its inhabitants are in the habit of searching for wealth beneath the surface of the earth, and consequently agriculture is neglected. If the winters were milder there, the northeast corner of Missouri would be a country more desirable than any portion of the earth. Those accustomed to the hard winters of the New England States would, however, feel no inconvenience in any climate in this parallel of latitude."
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
The postoffices of the county in 1836 were Monticello, with J. H. McBride as postmaster; La Grange, C. S. Skinner; Tully, Thomas Gray; Barnes View, G. A. Barnes; St. Francisville (in Clark), George Haywood; Sweet Home (in Clark ), M. Couchman. Rates of postage varied. From the beginning of the postal system until 1845 they were from 6 to 25 cents on a letter weighing a half ounce or less, dependent upon the distance it was carried; for each additional half ounce additional postage was charged.+
* The author evidently did not know that Fox River and "Stinking Creek" are practically one and the same stream .- COMPILER.
+From July, 1845, to July, 1851, the rates were 5 cents for a half ounce if carried less than 300 miles, and 10 cents if carried 300 miles or over. From July, 1851, to October, 1883, the rate was uniformily 3 cents for any distance within the United States less than 3,000 miles; for a time letters to California and Oregon were charged double postage. Since October, 1883, the standard rate has been 2 cents.
61
STATE OF MISSOURI.
Stores were few in number, and merchandise was costly. Judge Anderson gives the following entries from the day book of Will- iam Ellis, a pioneer merchant of Monticello:
August 6, 1838, Benjamin Walker, dr. to 3 yds. cassinett @ $2 .. .$6 00 August 6, 1838, William H. Edwards, dr. to 6 yds. black lawn @ $1. 6 00
August 9, 1838, John Loudermilk, dr. to 2 yds. calico @ 37₺c ..
75
August 9, 1838 Paschal Buford, dr. to 1} yds. calico @ 37¿c .. 47
August 16, 1838, Joseph Anderson, dr. to 16 yds. calico @ 33} c. 5 33
September 3, 1838, William Kendrick, dr. to 8 1b. nails @ 12₺ c .. 1 00 October 6, 1838, Martin Basket, dr. to 1 bushel salt 1 50
October 6, 1838, William Agee, dr. to 1 bushel salt. 1 50
Produce was low; pork $1.25 to $2.50 per cwt .; cows and calves, $8 to $12; good four-year-old steers, $9 to $15; horses, $20 to $50; wheat, 25 to 50 cents per bushel; corn, 12} and 15 cents; oats, 10 cents ; potatoes, 10 cents, etc.
THE FLORIDA AND THE MORMON VOLUNTEERS.
In 1837 a company, commanded by Capt. John H. Curd, was raised in Marion County for the Florida war. It formed a part of Col. Richard Gentry's Missouri regiment, and fought at the battle of Okeechobee. Valentine Sublett, of this county, was a member of this company, and on his return home was elected sheriff.
In the latter part of the month of October, 1838, two com- panies of militia from this county were ordered into service to assist in the expulsion of the Mormons from Caldwell County and the State. These companies were commanded by Capts. Chilton B. Tate and Chauncey Durkee. The battalion was under the command of Lieut .- Col. Oliver H. Allen, and formed a part of Gen. David Willock's division, composed of the militia of Marion, Lewis, Clark, Shelby, and Monroe Counties. Gen Willock marched his division as far as Keytesville, in Chariton. On his arrival at that point, he was informed of the surrender of the Mormons, and of their agreement to the rigorous terms imposed upon them, and he was ordered to halt. The command returned in a few weeks.
62
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Gen. George W. Hinkle, the commander of the Mormon forces at the time of the surrender, had visited this county about two years previously, as a Mormon missionary, and in company with another preacher named Groves held a number of meetings in the southeastern part of the county. Hinkle was a Kentuckian and a very forcible and plausible speaker. He made a few con- verts. A man named William Bates and his family, and Squire Bozarth, Abner Bozarth and John Bozarth, Jr., the latter sons of old John Bozarth, were among the number, and accompanied him to Caldwell County in 1837, where they resided during the trou- bles. A negro woman, a slave of Lite Hampton, was another convert, and was baptized in the Fabius, near Nunn's mill. Hinkle and Groves held meetings at the houses of William Bates, Judge Nunn, and at other houses on the Dickerson prairie.
IMPROVEMENTS.
By the organization of Clark County, in 1838, of Scotland, in 1841, and of Knox, in 1845, the county of Lewis was reduced to its present boundaries, and it is only from the latter date that it can be written of distinctly and without confusion. Prior to 1845 to speak of Lewis County was to include Knox, and often much other territory.
No very notable incidents occurred in the decade between 1840 and 1850. There was a general development of the county. The towns of Tully and La Grange increased to respectable pro- portions, Canton and Monticello were considerable villages, Kennonsville had a local habitation and a name, and the country came to be fairly well improved. In 1840 the total population, including Knox and Scotland, was 4,966 whites, 1,074 colored- total, 6,040; but, in 1850 the population of Lewis County proper was 5,357 whites, 1,221 colored-total, 6,578. The colored were, of course, nearly all slaves; the free negroes in 1850 did not number more than 100.
THE ABOLITION LIBERATORS.
A few years after 1840, intense indignation was aroused in the county against some abolitionists across the river, in Illinois, who had been tampering with the slaves in this and adjoining
63
STATE OF MISSOURI.
counties. The headquarters of the abolitionists were at Quincy, where they had a college, presided over by Dr. Richard Eels, and called the Eels Institute, or the Mission Institute, but num- bers of them were scattered along the east bank of the Mississipi. In July, 1841, three abolition " liberators " named George Thompson, James Burr and Alanson Work crossed the river from Quincy, and came into the northeastern part of Marion County, with the design of spiriting away a number of slaves belonging to R. N. Woolfolk and others. A previous arrangement had been made with the negroes, who, however, were really faithful to their masters and betrayed the scheme. When the would-be liberators came over, they were met and decoyed into an ambush, and actually arrested by the very slaves they had come to free. They were taken to Palmyra, where they were tried and sentenced to twelve years in the penitentiary. In the fall of 1842 a dozen or more slaves, in this and Marion County, ran away from their masters, and, aided by Illinois abolitionists, made good their escape. In August two negro men near La Grange-" Tom," a slave of Dr. John Lafon, and "Lew," a slave of William Hagood -made a break for their freedom. On a charge of assisting them, John A. Johnson and William Warner were indicted for grand larceny and " an attempt to commit grand larceny." John- son was tried at Monticello in November and acquitted, and Warner took his case to Monroe County, where he too was cleared.
In November (the 8th) Dr. Richard Eels, of the Abolition Institute, was himself arrested while, as is alleged, "in the very act of assisting a runaway slave, the property of Chauncey Durkee, to escape." A preliminary examination resulted in his admission to bail until the circuit court, then in session, should take action in the case. In a few days he was indicted for grand larceny, in " stealing a negro man slave named Charles, of the value of $800." He was never brought to trial, however, or even arrested.
Soon after this episode an anti-abolition meeting was held in Canton. As the report of the proceedings, published in the Palmyra Whig, shows strong denunciatory resolutions of the doctrines and practices of the abolitionists were adopted, and vig-
64
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
orous measures were perfected to keep them out of the country, and put a stop to negro stealing. The meeting resolved to " take the law in our own hands," and to administer to all aboli- tionists "such punishments as we may deem necessary." Vigi- lance committees were appointed in every township, whose duty it was to keep vigilant watch and ward over the community, and a keen eye on the Illinois shore. All strangers passing through the country were to be examined by the vigilance committee, and if they could not give a satisfactory account of themselves they were to be banished from the State. If they returned they were to receive fifty lashes, and again sent out of the State, and if they again returned they were to do so at their own peril. A poster at the ferry landing at Canton and Tully (a copy is still preserved) said they were to be hung by the neck till they were " DEAD! DEAD !! DEAD !!! " (The capitals and exclamations are the poster's. )
Even Quincy held a meeting this year, and denounced the abolitionists in the severest terms. This meeting was presided over by W. G. Flood. A committee on resolutions was composed of Isaac N. Morris, Dr. Ralston, Samuel Holmes, C. K. Bacon and Dr. H. Rogers. The meeting was addressed by Hon. O. H. P. Browning, afterward a prominent Republican, and Secretary of the Interior under President Johnson. In March, following, Dr. Eels' college was burned by a party from Palmyra that crossed the river on the ice and returned unmolested. Very many of the people of Quincy acquiesced in, if they did not endorse and approve, the burning, and no prosecution was ever made of the incendiaries, who openly acknowledged what they had done, and defied arrest or interference.
DEVELOPMENT, ETC.
The "hard times" of the early days were continued up to about 1845. In 1840 the Whigs had elected their presidential candidate, Gen. Harrison, upon a promise to reform the condi- tion of affairs and bring about better times. But the people were disappointed, as they have often been since when they have expected sudden and substantial prosperity as the result of gen- eral legislation.
65
STATE OF MISSOURI.
The development of the county went on, however, and by the year 1850 it was fairly prosperous. The people were chiefly engaged in agriculture; stock raising was not general. Consid- erable quantities of hemp were grown in the bottom lands, and rope walks were established. The father of Gen. Ben M. Pren- tiss operated a rope walk below La Grange for a number of years, and the General himself worked in it. Hemp, corn, wheat, tobacco, bacon, and all other articles of produce were sent to the markets of the world by the river. Steamboats were run- ning regularly and landing at Tully, Canton, Smoot's Landing and La Grange.
TROOPS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
In 1846 a company was raised for service in the Mexican war, but too late to be received. Ten men from Lewis joined Capt. Shepherd's Marion County Company and served in New Mexico with Maj. David Willock's " extra battalion," which was attached to Col. Sterling Price's Second Regiment Missouri Mounted Vol- unteers. These men were Samuel F. Burnett, Thomas G. Cald- well, George W. Givens, James C. Hall, William H. Johnson, Thornton P. Mathews, Walter M. Parish, Walter Scott Sinclair, R. G. Stowers and Richard West. Three died in service, viz .: Samuel F. Burnett, at Santa Fe, March 6, 1847; James C. Hall, at Santa Fe, November 18, 1846; and R. G. Stowers, at Los Vegas, in April, 1847.
Gen. O. H. Allen enlisted as a private in the company, and at Fort Leavenworth was elected lieutenant-colonel of the regiment by a large majority of the men; but Col. Price refused to recog- nize him or to assist him in procuring his commission, as Presi- dent Polk had already appointed D. D. Mitchell, of St. Louis, to the position. Accordingly Gen. Allen returned to his home, in this county, but not long afterward removed to California.
EVENTS SUBSEQUENT TO 1850.
In the spring of 1851 the extraordinary flood in the Missis- sippi covered the low lands, and occasioned considerable loss of property. The town of Tully was submerged, and almost entirely destroyed. The inhabitants became discouraged, and went else-
66
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
where. Canton endured the floods better, although the waves washed Third Street, and the current ran through Second like a mill-race. After the subsidence of the deluge Canton grew apace, and indeed the substantial upbuilding of the town dates from the high waters of 1851, and the downfall of Tully. The prosperity of the one was established on the misfortunes of the other.
From 1850 to 1860 the county passed through a period of general prosperity. The farms were generally in a superior state of cultivation, and produced bountifully. The pioneer log cabins gave way to comfortable and valuable frame and brick houses, and the farmers were prosperous. In proportion to the white population there was a considerable number of slaves whose labor contributed in no small degree to the production of the wealth of the country, and the slaves themselves were as valuable here as their fellows in the cotton and cane fields of Mississippi and Lou- isiana. Cattle, horses, and other live stock were abundant. Many of the best prairie lands of the county, however, had not yet been disturbed by the plowshare, and lay virgin and beauti- ful. There was still room for improvement.
The effects of the panic of 1857 were felt. The common circulating medium was made up of the bills of the free banks, and so many of these institutions failed that everybody who had any money lost something. The country was flooded with for- eign paper currency, the greater portion of which became either worthless or greatly depreciated. It is worthy of note, in this connection, that the notes of the old State bank of Missouri were uniformly at par during the panic, and practically for all time, except during the civil war.
The towns were built up during this period to nearly their present proportions. Canton and La Grange were the markets and also the depots of supplies for many of the people in the westward counties, even as far as Adair and Putnam. Hogs and cattle were driven in, and produce hauled from the tribu- taries of the Chariton, and exchanged for goods at the river towns. The attraction of trade brought in business men of capital, and some of the massive and imposing structures yet standing in La Grange and Canton were built, and large stocks of goods were exposed for sale.
67
STATE OF MISSOURI.
ELECTIONS FROM 1840 TO 1861.
The following abstracts of election returns have been com- piled from the poll books and official records in the office of the county clerk :
That memorable episode in the history of political cam- paigns, the presidential canvass of 1840, remembered as the " Tippecanoe and Tyler too," or the " Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign, passed without especial incident in this county. The Democrats carried the county by a small majority, the vote by townships being as follows:
TOWNSHIPS.
Van Buren, Democrat.
Harrison, Whig.
Canton.
78
45
Union.
70
111
Dickerson.
167
185
Highland
36
20
Allen (partly in Knox)
31
52
Central (now in Knox).
61
14
Benton (Scotland and Knox).
50
68
Mount Pleasant (Scotland).
109
47
Totals.
602
542
At the August election in 1844 the vote for governor in Lewis County stood: John C. Edwards, the regular Democratic nominee, 399; Charles H. Allen (commonly called "Horse " Allen ), independent Democrat, supported by the Whigs, 400, a majority of 1 for the old "Horse," who, however, was badly defeated in the State. There was a tie in the vote for repre- sentative between William Ellis and N. F. Givens, each receiv- ing 415. On a contest, Ellis was given the certificate of election and finally awarded the seat. At the presidential election the vote stood: For Polk and Dallas, 403; for Clay and Freling- huysen, 380; Democratic majority, 23.
In 1846 Hon. James S. Green was elected to Congress from this (the third) district. This was the first election when Missouri congressmen were elected by districts. Previously they had been chosen on a general ticket.
August election, 1848-For governor, Austin A. King, Dem- ocrat, 501; James S. Rollins, Whig, 464. For congressman, James S. Green, Democrat, 534; Robert Wilson (of Andrew), Whig, 419. For State senator, James Ellison, Whig, 460; N. F.
68
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
Givens, Democrat, 486. For representative, H. M. Woodyard, Whig, 473; Samuel Brown, Democrat, 464. At the November election the vote for President was a tie: Taylor, 479; Cass, 479. Mr. Green was re-elected to Congress.
August election, 1852-For governor, Sterling Price, Dem- ocrat, 538; James Winston, Whig, 521. For congressman, James S. Green, Democrat, 571; John G. Miller, Whig, 489. For representative, J. A. Hay, Whig, 558; A. C. Waltman, Dem- ocrat, 498. In November, at the presidential election, the vote stood: For the Pierce and King electors, 408; for the Scott and Graham electors, 398; Democratic majority, 10.
Presidential election, 1856-Buchanan, Democrat, 761; Fill- more, Whig and Know-Nothing, 642.
At the August election, 1860, the vote in Lewis County stood : For governor, C. F. Jackson, Douglas Democrat, 1,018; Sample Orr, Bell-Everett, 848; Hancock Jackson, Breckinridge Dem- ocrat, 101. Congressman, M. O. Hawkins, Bell-Everett, 1,079; John B. Clark, Democrat, 884. A. C. Waltman, "Democrat, was chosen representative by a vote of 993 to 975 for David Wagner, Whig. Following was the vote by precincts at the presidential election :
PRECINCTS.
Bell.
Breckinridge.
Douglas.
Lincoln.
Monticello.
201
172
89
8
Williamstown
56
29
12
10
Canton
174
207
85
14
Tully
36
19
20
2
La Grange
237
75
185
2
Highland
20
23
14
4
Deer Ridge
37
41
44
La Belle.
25
18
13
2
Salem.
47
13
6
1
Totals.
833
597
468
43
FIRST YEAR OF THE CIVIL WAR.
The results of the presidential canvass of 1860, and the elec- tion of Lincoln and Hamlin, was received by the people of Lewis County with dissatisfaction, but a majority were entirely dis- posed to acquiesce in the accomplished fact. The Bell and Douglas men generally accepted the situation, but nearly every man among the 600 supporters of Breckinridge was for resistance
69
STATE OF MISSOURI.
of some sort, many declaring openly for immediate secession. Senator Green, who had been a Breckinridge man, and to whose influence in the county the considerably Southern Rights vote was largely due, was a pronounced Secessionist, and his following was numerous and noisy. The unconditional Union men were few and undemonstrative. The conditional Unionists, those who were for the Union with ifs, buts and provisos, were the most numerous class, Opposition to emancipation, or abolition, and to coercion was well nigh universal. Many who afterward be- came practical coercionists and radical abolitionists were at one time zealous and profuse in their expressions of opposition to interference with slavery in any form, and to a war against the South in any shape.
The first organized or formidable expression of public opinion was made at a public meeting, held at Monticello, December 8, 1860. Humphrey M. Woodyard was chairman, and J. Thompson and R. S. Briscoe, secretaries. The meeting was really secession in character, and there was but little attempt made at concealment or disguise. This was a week before South Carolina seceded. The participants of the meeting were from all parts of the county, and numbered many of the most prominent and influential citi- zens. Among the members of the committee on resolutions were Judge Ralph Smith, chairman, Henderson Davis, Martin E. Green, and E. K. Sayre. The resolutions themselves were severe- ly denunciatory of "Northern fanatics," called for a redress of grievances "long endured at the hands of the enemies of our vested rights," asserted that " the old Constitution is not the pres- ent," and while they did not broadly endorse secession, it was noticeable that they did not condemn it, or even mildly disapprove of the policy or the principle. The resolutions were adopted, practically nem. con., as was a supplementary sentiment offered by Hon. J. G. Blair, declaring that "should a dissolution of the Union take place, we will be compelled to join the Southern Confederacy."
Mr. Woodyard and a few others mildly declared their dis- sent to some of the views expressed, but did not persist in their opposition; they seemed content that the meeting had not declared itself out and out for secession. It is perhaps the truth that the
70
HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY.
resolutions voiced the prevailing sentiment of the people at the time.
The Legislature of 1861, on January 17, passed a bill calling a State convention, to be composed of three delegates from each Senatorial district, appointing February 18 as the day on which the delegates should be chosen, and February 28 as the day on which the convention should assemble. To this convention was delegated all power over the question of secession, or of the rela- tion of the State to the Federal Government, limited only by Section 10 of the act which contained the following important provision :
No act, ordinance, or resolution of said convention shall be deemed to be valid to change or dissolve the political relations of this State to the Govern- ment of the United States, or to any other State, until a majority of the qualified voters of this State, voting upon the question, shall ratify the same.
The candidates for the convention from this Senatorial district were Henry M. Gorin, of Scotland, N. F. Givens, of Clark, and E. K. Sayre, of Lewis. All three were anti-secession and anti- coercion; conservative Union men, with toleration for conditional secession sentiments, and strong dislikes for everything anti_ slavery. In this county Judge William Kendrick was voted for by a few Secessionists, while Isaac N. Lewis, of Clark, was an independent unconditional Union candidate. The vote in the county was 743 for Sayre, 970 for Givens, 985 for Gorin, 7 in La Grange and 48 in Reddish for Kendrick, 14 in La Grange and 52 in Reddish for Lewis, and 13 for William M. Hamilton.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.