Cemeteries in Missouri (State)

Missouri became the 24th state on August 10, 1821, following the Missouri Compromise that resolved the national slavery debate. Early settlers came from Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and European nations including significant German immigration from 1820-1860. French settlers had established communities during colonial rule, while enslaved African Americans comprised ten percent of Missouri's population. The state's economy developed through agriculture with cotton in the Bootheel, livestock farming, and mining operations throughout Missouri's diverse regions.

Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis stands as Missouri's most prominent burial ground, founded in 1849 as the first rural cemetery west of the Mississippi River. This 314-acre cemetery was designed by landscape architect Almerin Hotchkiss and contains the Louis Sullivan-designed Wainwright Tomb. Cemeteries in Missouri preserve the state's settlement history, with burial grounds reflecting German, French, African American, and southern settler communities. These cemetery records provide essential genealogical resources documenting Missouri's diverse population and the families who shaped the state's development across agricultural, mining, and urban centers.