My goal is to keep this page updated and to continue to add new features as I receive them. All that I have or know of general research material is and will be posted on these pages.  I hope you find these pages helpful.  If you have information you want to share, I would love to hear from you.      This site relies on YOUR contributions...

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Polk County Research Helps

Polk County now has its own mail list!  To subscribe send a message to MOPOLK-request@rootsweb.com     
please turn off your signature, leave the "subject line" blank and place one word in the message:  <<<<     subscribe    >>>>>

We have wonderful look up helpers, follow the link to Published Resources and Lookup Volunteers.

Polk County Topography and Migration

The Ozark Plateau is the states largest land region. Forested Hills and low mountains give it scenic beauty. The plateau rises 500 to 1,00 feet or more above sea level. The river valleys are about the only flat land in the Ozark Region. The plateau is one of the nation's major tourist areas because of it's many caves, large springs and lakes, and clear fast-flowing streams. The Springfield Plateau makes up much of the Ozark Plateau. Polk County sits on the Springfield Plateau. The Pomme De Terre River runs through the center of Polk County, with the South End of The Pomme De Terre Lake at the top of the county.

 

1903 Polk County Plat Book Online- Courtesy of Judy Reustle      

1930 Missouri Counties Plat Book Online - published by W.W. Hickson, and Co. in 1930 and held in the Special Collections Department of Ellis Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Township of Polk County Map

Towns  (then and now) according to Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1889.

Aldrich, in Madison Twp.;
Bolivar, the county seat is located at the county's geographical center; 
Brighton, located in Looney Twp. abt. 12 miles E of Bolivar;
Cliquot (note the L),
Dunnegan (Dunnegan Springs), Campbell Twp.;
Eudora, 
Fair Play,  in N part of Madison Twp. abt 10 miles W of Bolivar;
Flemington,
Goodnight, Mooney Twp. 16 miles from Bolivar;
Goodson,
Graydon (Graydon Springs) Jackson Twp.;
Halfway, Benton Twp. abt 12 miles E of Bolivar;
Humansville, in Johnson Twp. abt 17 miles NW of Bolivar, named in honor of James Human;
Huron,
Morrisville, Looney Twp. 10 miles S of Bolivar, founded in 1870 by Morris Mitchell;
Orleans, in Jackson Twp. abt. 12 miles SW of Bolivar;<<Read the story
Pleasant Hope, Mooney Twp. is in the SE corner of the county, abt. 14 miles from Bolivar; 
Polktown (Polk post office) located in Greene Twp. abt. 12 miles NE of Bolivar;
Rondo, in Jefferson Twp. abt. 12 miles NE of Bolivar;
Sentinel Prairie, in Greene Twp. abt. 13 miles NE of Bolivar;
Shady Grove, Madison Twp. abt. 12 miles SW of Bolivar;
Sharon was located in Jackson Twp. near the southern county line, the post office was known as Gulf; 
Slagle, north part of Looney Twp. abt. 5 1/2 miles from Bolivar;  
Wishart, (Frisco post office).

The Polk County Genealogical Society    Visit their website.

Please use your browser's BACK button to return to Polk Co., MOGenWeb

Polk County Courthouse
102 E. Broadway
Bolivar, MO 65613
417-326-4031

Clerk Circuit Court, Room 14

Recorder of Deeds, Room 8

Bolivar, (417) 326-4924 or 326-4912.

Clerk County Commission, Polk County Courthouse, Room 11, Bolivar, (417) 326-4031.

For a list of available records either print or microfilm, see Bibliography (Near Top of this page).

Funeral Homes

PITTS FUNERAL HOME INC
316 E Broadway St.
Bolivar, 65613-1626
417-326-5211

BUTLER FUNERAL HOME
407 E Broadway St.
Bolivar, 65613-2018
417-326-5233

MURRAY FUNERAL HOMES
911 W. Broadway St., Bolivar, 65613,(417) 326-7900
220 N. Bolivar Rd, Humansville. 65674,(417) 754-2215

Polk County Libraries

The Polk County Library (formerly called Southwest Regional Library) has two facilities. Humansville and Bolivar. Each is located in the central part of their respective towns. The Bolivar facility has a wide variety of genealogical materials. All of the newspapers listed here are available on microfilm.  (These are copies of extant newspapers).
The mailing address is 1690 W. Broadway (West Hwy 32), Bolivar, MO 65613                  Phone: 417.326.4531

They do not do genealogy research.....Closed Sunday;
        Hours:  9-6 M-W-F; Evening Hours 9-9 on T-T; 9-4 Sat.

The Humansville branch of the Library has a collection of Obituaries from Humansville and Bolivar papers for the past 12 years. Ask for a surname search by using interlibrary loan request or write the library sending SASE with request.

The Southwest Baptist University Library is open to the public. Though it should be noted that the SBU Library has very little if any historical and genealogy related material.

The North Ward Museum operated and maintained by the Historical Society is open May through September. The archive room houses many early county court records.  

The museum is closed for the winter months, remember they open again in May.....

When the museum is open the hours are; 1 - 4 pm Mon. through Sat. 
          The phone number is:  417-326-6850.

The Historical Society of Polk County: PO Box 423, Bolivar MO 65613.

Books for Sale by the Historical Society of Polk County 

The Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell, Springfield MO, The third floor, Shepard Room, is genealogy and local history.

Not a library but will add for good measure: The courthouse has never burned so all records are available except what neglect and time have damaged and those that have been given to the Historical society.. It is open M-F, 8 - 5.

State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia is the preeminent research facility for the study of the Show Me State's heritage.

The Ozarks Genealogical Society, Inc.
OGS Library
534 W. Catalpa
Springfield, MO 65807

Ozar'kn is a Quarterly publication of the Ozarks Genealogical Society, Inc.

Polk County FAQ's

Polk County Historic Sites of Interest

North Ward Schoolhouse Museum

The Polk Co. Historical Society operates and maintains a museum which is housed in the North Ward Schoolhouse in Bolivar. It is open from May through September. A small admission fee is charged. The North Ward building was built in 1903 and was the high school until a high school building was built in 1927. Many of the earliest county court records are housed in the archive room of this building. The original probate packets are in the archive room also. The originals have been microfilmed by the MO Archives and are available for viewing in the courthouse or at the state archives.

The Butterfield Overland Mail Route ran through Bolivar.

Bolivar has a beautiful wooded park in the north part of town.

The county courthouse on the public square was built in 1907.

Bolivar is home to Southwest Baptist University.

A statue of Simon Bolivar, the great liberator of South American, is in Neuhart Park. The statue was a gift of the Republic of Venezuela to the city of Bolivar. July 5, 1948 was Bolivar's big day in history as President Harry Truman and Venezuelan president, Romulo Gallegos were in Bolivar to dedicate the statue.

Area Reunions

Private web sites with Polk County connections

Descendants of Peter Price (1780)

Descendants of Peter Price (1826)

Polk County Databases

Polk County Missionary Baptist Association Obituary Index

Church letter -- Andrew J and Mary Ann Mitchell

Polk County Pension List January 1883

Autograph Book from Morrisville Academy

Polk County School - web site's 

Moore Cemetery, Huron, Polk County

Cemetery (Near) Sentinel  Submitted by Calvin Doub [calvin1927  [at] comcast [dot] net]  PDF File

Richardson Cemetery #1, Johnson Twp.

Shady Grove Cemetery, #1 Union Twp., Aldrich  <Partial list> <Some Pictures>

Shady Grove Cemetery, #2 Johnson Twp., Humansville

Trimble Cemetery  - SW of Fair Play

Some Polk County restaurants and motels

About the MOGenWeb Project

Polk County Links

Polk County Genealogical Society

THE BOLIVAR HERALD-FREE PRESS

Main Page                            Obituaries

Bolivar High School Alumni/Faculty Directory
Fair Play High Alumni/Faculty Directory
Marion C. Early High, Morrisville Alumni/Faculty Directory
Halfway Secondary Alumni/Faculty Directory
Humansville High Alumni/Faculty Directory
Pleasant Hope High Alumni/Faculty Directory

                            MOGenWeb Links

Return to Missouri Genealogy MOGenWeb Page

The Missouri Tombstone Transcription Project

 The Missouri Census Transcription Project                   

                   
   Visit The Missouri Archives /  Polk County Records in the Missouri Archives --Polk County Birth Register and Resister of Stillbirths  +  Other Records         

   1900 Polk County Census Images

  Visit our neighbor to the West, Cedar County                              

  Visit our neighbor to the South-West, Dade County                          
 

Visit our neighbor to the North, Hickory County

Visit our neighbor to the North, St. Clair County


Visit our neighbor to the North-East, Dallas County


Visit our neighbor to the South-East, Webster County


Visit our neighbor to the South, Greene County


GENDEX: The WWW Genealogy Index (Gene Stark)

Genealogists' Index to the World Wide Web (John Rigdon)

Geographic Names Information System  (GNIS)

MOGenWeb Project USGenWeb Project WorldGenWeb Project

State Coordinator:  SC.MOGENWEB@GMAIL.COM

Updated: 6 July 2025: