| Gentry County | |
| Organized February
14, 1845, from Clinton County and named for Richard Gentry, Seminole War
general.
County Seat: Albany Address: Gentry County |
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| Photographs | |
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| History | |
| The name of the county
seat of Gentry County, originally Athens, was changed to Albany in 1857.
Isaac Cameron was commissioner of the first courthouse, which dates from
1845. The court order, issued June 7, 1845, called for a hewn-log,
two-story building, 24 by 20 feet. There were three upper rooms, a brick
chimney and two fireplaces. Two doors and two windows were in the lower
story, and one window and one door in each upper room. The courtroom was
located in the lower floor with curved bar and judge's bench. The
courthouse and lot sold for $275 to Judge Elias Parrot when a new
building was anticipated.
The second courthouse in Gentry County was a temple-type building erected between 1853-55 by George H. Mosley, who sub-contracted some of the work. It was a brick building, 60 by 45 feet, two stories with a 12-foot-wide portico on the south. There were four rooms upstairs for a public hall and jury rooms. The courtroom originally was located in the lower story and measured 40 by 45 feet. During remodeling in 1875, the courtroom was moved to the second story. Exterior stairs may have been added at that time. Total appropriations for the building came to about $6,000. The building was destroyed by windstorm on July 13, 1883. The third and present courthouse, a three-story brick building, dates from 1884-85. Designed by Edmond J. Eckel, one of the northwest Missouri's finest architects, it was built by Rufus K. Allen, St. Joseph, Missouri, who first contracted for the exterior and roofing of the 200-foot-square building for $22,000, and later completed the interior work. The cost was $29,100. Cornerstone for the building was laid August 24, 1884; the building was accepted June 5, 1885 (see Figure 2). Other Missouri courthouses by Eckel's firm include Nodaway, 1881, Atchison, 1882 and DeKalb, 1885. Copyright 2002 University of Missouri. Published by University Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia. |
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| Additional History | |
| The county courthouse, constructed in 1884, is probably the only thing in Albany which has escaped drastic change over the decades, although it has been tampered with by remodeling and partial facelifts. The structure you see today is Gentry County's third courthouse, built for $29,100. It is a good example of Second Empire (1884-1885). This massive three-story brick courthouse has a mansard roof with dormers, an imposing clock tower with bracketed eaves, and decorative arched drip molding. Two war memorials are on the courthouse lawn: a large elaborately landscaped fountain and a WWI doughboy statue with fixed bayonet. | |
| Records at Courthouse | |
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Recorder
of Deeds:
transcript of deeds conveying real estate. Gives name of grantor and
grantee, description and location of property, consideration, dates of
transfer and filing, acknowledgment and certificate of recorder.
Includes warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, sheriffs'
deeds, etc. Arranged chronologically by date filed. 1849-1857. Marriage
record:
record of marriages performed, giving names and residence of contracting
parties, date of marriage, signature of party officiating, date of
filing and certificate of recorder. Arranged chronologically by date
filed. Parental consent is noted for parties under age, but the name of
parent consenting is rarely given. Later records include marriage
license and certificate of marriage. 1903-1915. |
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| More Links | |
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Birth & Death Records Database Search
for Gentry County on Archives'
Online Catalog Roll
by Roll Listing of Microfilm Local Records Inventory Database Missouri Birth & Death Records Database: Search & Record Availability |
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