Institutions

Researching in the St. Louis area is enhanced by the number and quality of our local archives and libraries.

• Annotated List of Local Repositories

The Little Sisters of the Poor, located in the city of St. Louis, served elderly residents from 1869 into the twentieth century.

• Admittance Records and Inventories from Little Sisters of the Poor

Most hospitals in St. Louis began in the city and migrated west, although there are still a few within the city limits. Some still have their original names; others have been purchased by healthcare corporations, leading to name changes. Today, hospital records are private documents; however, some hospital records have been saved and microfilmed. Some St. Louis City Hospital registers dating from 1846 to 1900 are available on microfilm at the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center and at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City.

• List of St. Louis Hospitals
• Cholera Deaths, 1849
• Quarantine Hospital Patients, Epidemic of 1879

The nineteenth century was a difficult time for many in the St. Louis region, especially children. Orphanages were established to ease the situation for families in need. Sometimes children became orphans when one parent died and the other parent could not financially care for the child. Occasionally, when both parents were living and funds were short, it was necessary to send one or more children to an orphanage.

Early St. Louis adoptions before 1917 may appear mixed in with land records information. The Recorder of Deeds office at St. Louis City Hall maintains a card file that is not open to the public but is searchable by staff. Given a name and date, staff will search the index to see whether an adoption record can be located and in which deed book it is recorded.

• St. Louis Recorder of Deeds

After 1917, Juvenile Court records begin. There was apparently an early Orphans’ Court, which was part of the Probate Court, but no one seems to know where those records are currently. However, Probate Court does have records of guardianship.

Many adoption records are not accessible to the public, making orphanage records very important when they can be found. The Missouri Historical Society has the St. Louis Protestant Orphan Asylum minute book, 1834–1852, which has been abstracted, and the record book of admissions and removals, 1882–1916. Other orphanage records are scattered. Some are with local libraries and historical societies, and some are with religious institutions. Finding the records for a particular orphanage may take skill and patience.

• Deaf Children at St. Bridget’s Half-Orphan Asylum
• St. Louis House of Refuge
• Orphanages Census Information
• Orphanages Bibliography
• Orphanages Timeline
• Orphanages Alphabetical List
• Orphanages Map
• Researching Orphans and Orphanage Care in St. Louis: Purchase as a Book or Downloadable PDF File

School records from the City of St. Louis were donated to the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center after the district’s archives closed in 2016. Some of the records are closed due to privacy issues; contact the library for more information on what is available and how to access the records.

School districts in St. Louis County maintain their own records, although not every district has a complete collection. You should contact the individual school districts to see if records still exist for your ancestors.

Although Susan Blow began a kindergarten program in St. Louis in 1873, it was not until 1905 that Missouri mandated compulsory education.

• History of Education in St. Louis City
• St. Louis Area Schools
• St. Louis Female Academy, 1831
• St. Louis Training School for Nurses, 1884–1912
• Graduates of St. Louis Central High School, 1888
• McKinley High Graduates, 1911
• Yeatman H.S., 1914, and Washington University, 1918
• Lutheran High School Class Photo, 1952