St. Louis Genealogy & Local History | St. Louis County Library

The Great Divorce

Prior to 1877, St. Louis County encompassed the City of St. Louis plus all other areas within the county boundaries including such towns as Kirkwood and Florissant. During that time, the county seat was the City of St. Louis. Often called the "Great Divorce," the split occurred after the citizens of St. Louis County (that included both city and county) voted on the question of whether the City of St. Louis should separate from the county and become an independent city.

The vote took place 22 Aug 1876, and the initial count indicated that the separation question had failed by just over 100 votes. Supporters of separation then brought charges, including fraud, and a recount was ordered. The recount took four months so it was late 1876 before it was determined that the vote for separation had passed. The story of the split is really much more complex than that, so consult the reading list below for more in-depth material.

Prior to the split (through 1876)

All City and County records created prior to the split were kept by the City of St. Louis and are housed by various governmental offices for the City of St. Louis in downtown St. Louis. Many of those records are available on microfilm and many microfilms have been digitized by FamilySearch.

After the split (1877 to present)

City records created after the split are maintained and housed by city governmental offices for the City of St. Louis in downtown St. Louis. Many of those records are available on microfilm and many have been digitized by FamilySearch.

County records created after the split are maintained and housed by county governmental offices for the County of St. Louis. In late 1877, Clayton, Mo. was selected as the new county seat and that is where most of the county governmental offices are located today. Many of those records are available on microfilm and have been digitized by FamilySearch.