
Another type of genealogy record that provides tremendous value is tax records. Like city directories and voting registers, they provide information for us between federal censuses. They also can go back to colonial times.
Types of Taxes
- Income tax
- Federal direct tax
- Poll or head tax
- Real property, e.g., land
- Personal property, e.g., livestock, equipment, carriages, enslaved persons
- Other, such as special levies for roads, schools, etc.
Types of Information
- Date
- Residence address; property, license, or goods; value; tax amount; possibly profession, occupation, or trade
- Name of taxpayer, usually white adult males
- Town/township/city, county, and state of residence
- Owner and/or renter of the property
- Number of white adult males in the home
- Type and value of property
- Livestock owned
- Personal property owned
- Amount of tax owed
- Profession, occupation, or trade
- Number of school-aged children
- Number of enslaved persons
Derivative information, such as birth date, death date, and date of marriage can often be estimated or determined from the presence or absence of a person in a tax list.
Good primers regarding the genealogical value of tax records and more details can be found in these articles:
- The Genealogical Benefits of Tax Records
- Using Poll Tax Records for Genealogy
- Genealogy 101: Tax Records
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 1
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 2
- Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 3
- United States Taxation
- The Value of Using US Tax Records in Genealogy Research
Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
(Updated December 2022)
Listed below are links to tax records that are available for free online for the state:
- Audrain County, Tax Records, 1838-1906
- Bollinger County, Court Records,1866-1958; Indexes, 1866-1967
- Barry County, Taxpayers & soldiers, 1888
- Boone County, 1821 Tax List
- Boone County, Poll Tax Book 1900
- Buchanan County, Tax Books, 1840, 1842, 1846
- California City, Assessment List for 1879
- Callaway County, Tax List of 1823
- Callaway County, Tax Records, 1829-1899
- Cape Girardeau County, Court Records, 1815-1922; Index to Court Records, 1815-1900
- Carroll County, Tax Lists, 1833-1858
- Christian County, Land Tax Records of 1876
- Christian County, Personal Property Tax Index 1879-1900
- Christian County, Land Assessments, 1868-1885
- Franklin County, Tax Assessment Records, 1875-1876
- Gasconade County, 1828 Tax List
- Gasconade County, Court Records, 1821-1928
- Henry County, Missouri 1845 Assessor’s Book
- Howard County, Delinquent Taxpayers, 1826
- Howell County, Personal Property Tax List
- Johnson County, 1843 Delinquent Tax List
- Laclede County, 1897 Assessment List of Personal Property
- Lincoln County, Tax List, 1836
- Madison County, Tax Records, 1943-1997
- Marion County, Tax List 1827
- Marion County, Delinquent Taxpayers, 1829
- McDonald County, 1861 Tax Lists
- McDonald County, Taxpayers of 1861
- Mississippi County, Court Records, 1845-1951
- Missouri, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists, 1862-1866
- Missouri, Miscellaneous Records relating to Missouri Lands, 1700’s, 1800’s, 1900’s
- Monroe County, 1869 Delinquent Tax List
- Montgomery County, Tax List of 1819
- Morgan County, 1865 Tax List
- Osage County, Tax Books, 1856-1862
- Pettis County, Taxpayers’ Directory , 1901-1902
- Phelps County, Land Tax Books, v. A-B, 1885-1886
- Platte County, 1865 Pettis Township Personal Tax List
- Platte County, Personal Property asssessment List of 1839
- Polk County, 1863 Tax Assessors Boo
- Ray County, Assessors List, 1821
- Reynolds County, Land Assessment Book, 1881
- Saline County, Taxpayers of 1876
- St. Francois Township, Cape Girardeau County, 1815 Tax List
- St. Louis County, Miscellaneous Records, 1802-1892
- St. Louis, 1805 Tax List
- St. Louis, 1811-1812 Tax Lists
- Ste. Genevieve County, Delinquent Taxpayers, November 1834:
- Stone County, Tax Records, 1868-1900
- United States Internal Revenue Assessment Lists, 1862-1874
- Vernon County, 1907 Property Tax List For Center Twp
- Vernon County, Back Taxes Index of 1893
- Wayne County, Tax Records, 1891-1899
- Wayne County, Court Records, 1893-1955
- Webster Groves, Real Estate Tax Records, 1897 to 1947
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