Cape Girardeau County
Missouri Genealogy Trails
This county was one of the 5 original counties of MO formed in 1812. 


Divider


Welcome to Missouri Genealogy Trails site for Cape Girardeau County.

 This county is in need of a host.  To host a Missouri County please read our Volunteer Information and e-mail Kim.
In the meantime, I will be the temporary host.  My name is Anna.
If you want to contribute data, please read here, and then e-mail me.
We regret that we are unable to perform personal research for individuals.  We are adding to this site on a regular basis.  
We thank you for visiting and hope you will check back again to view the updates we make to this site.


Divider

BIOGRAPHY OF HISTORIC CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY
Source:  A Project of the Bicentennial Commission of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  No copyright.
HOW THE CITY GOT ITS NAME, by Jess E. Thilenius (excerpts) 
How Cape Girardeau received its name stems from old records that show almost two and a half centuries ago a young ensign named Jean Baptiste Girardot (Girardeau) was with the "French Royale Troupes de Marines" stationed at Kaskaskia and crossed to west of the Mississippi River to establish his trading post on a rock promontory, now known as "Cape Rock Park." This picturesque eminence with the current of the river striking its base made a cove, or cape, that gave this French soldier and trader extensive view and shelter for his boats.
Don Louis Lorimer established Cape Girardeau as a permanent settlement in 1793.  He was a Frenchman who traveled to the Upper Louisiana area of the Louisiana Purchase.  Lorimer was born in 1748 in Etienne, Montreal, Canada.  Lorimer built a residence, which was called the "Red House."
On January 1, 1807, Joseph McFerron was appointed the first postmaster of the area by President Thomas Jefferson. He was elected in 1808 one of the five trustees of the new town.  Jackson was designated the county seat of the newly formed Cape Girardeau County.

Divider

SEARCH ENGINE
 
GO TO THIS LINK TO SEARCH MISSOURI
AND GENEALOGY TRAILS MAIN SITES

http://genealogytrails.com/search.html



INDEX


small iconBiographies  updated
small iconBirths  
small iconCemeteries  updated
small iconCentenarians   
dotDeath Notices updated
Events new
Historic Churches
small iconHistory
Cities, Towns and/or Villages
Townships
Post Offices--Past & Present
small iconMarriages
1800's /  1900's
small iconMilitary  updated
small iconNewspaper Articles updated
small iconObituaries  updated

Divider


CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY COURTHOUSE
1 Barton Square
Jackson, MO 63755-1878
Phone:  573-243-1052
Year organized:  1812
Square Miles:  579
Courthouse burned in 1870
small icon
Cape Girardeau Public Library
(573)334-5279
Our Mailing List
Missouri Genealogy Trails State Page
Genealogy Trails Main Site
About Us!
Surrounding Counties
Perry County (north)
Union County, Illinois (northeast)
Alexander County, Illinois (east)
Scott County (southeast)
Stoddard County (south)
Bollinger County (west)
 COUNTY POPULATION
1821=7,852
1830=7,430
1840=9,359
1850=13,912
1860=15,547
1870=17,558
1880=20,998
1980=58,745
1990=61,633
2000=68,693

Visitors since April 21, 2006

©April 2006-2007 Candi Horton, Missouri Genealogy Trails
©2008 Anna Newell Missouri Genealogy Trails
(Unless otherwise stated, all data is transcribed and submitted by the hosts.)

©2006-2009 Missouri Genealogy Trails. This copyright includes all contents of this site and does not extend to any other entity. It may not be quoted or retransmitted 
without a full citation to the author, and may not be put into print--in whole or part--without the individual author's express permission.