Genealogy Research
Uncovering Your Family's History at Bellefontaine
Learning about one's past through genealogy research has become increasingly popular in recent years. Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum (BCA) offers resources to help you connect with your ancestors, whether you are seeking a simple burial confirmation or a detailed family history search of our records. T
here
may be additional spaces for your or your family at Bellefontaine Cemetery, there could be room left for you! Family lots were often designed with future generations in mind, and if you have roots in the greater St. Louis area, it may be time to check your family tree.
Burial Confirmation (Free of Charge)
For quick inquiries, our staff will gladly look to see if an individual is buried in our cemetery, or use our online search tool, described below.
Information Provided: If an individual is interred here, we will provide you with their name, lot location, and burial date.
How to Request: Contact us by phone, mail, or email to place your request.
Online Search Tools
You may peruse our records on your own via our online search tools:
Visit our “Burial Search” page of our website. This tool is especially useful for mapping the location of graves, as well as discovering the names of all those buried on a particular family lot.
Search the world-wide community burial search tool, findagrave.com.
Search Now
Detailed Genealogical Research
We understand that sometimes families are on a quest for more than just names and burial dates. As part of our volunteer services, Bellefontaine Cemetery offers assistance with detailed genealogy and family history searches of our Cemetery records.
Research Fee
Research requires a fee of $15 per individual, payable upon submission of your request by cash, check, or charge.
Records Included
Date of death, Place of birth, Place of death, Late residence, Age, Photos of markers/monuments at the gravesite
Other Facts
we will share other interesting facts should we discover them.
To begin, download and send us your completed Genealogical Research Request Form and return it to the office along with payment. A member of our team will contact you. Please allow up to 3 weeks for research to be completed.
Additional Sites, Tools, and Resources
Though our staff and volunteers are well-versed in the documents available at the cemetery, you may find the information that you seek is beyond what we can provide. In this case, we would recommend consulting the following sites and organizations to help further your research:
The Missouri Digital Heritage Website
More than 9 million records can be accessed, including Missouri birth and death records (pre-1910), Missouri Death Certificates, Missouri County Histories, Missouri County Plat books, and a variety of educational resources.
St. Louis Genealogical Society
St. Louis Genealogical Society (SLGS): SLGS is a volunteer organization providing genealogical resources, classes, and membership services.
Our Rich Archival Resources
The history of Bellefontaine Cemetery is richly preserved in our extensive archives. In 2019, Bellefontaine created its first dedicated archive room, where staff and volunteers spend countless hours cataloging and organizing historic collections of maps, research documents, photographs, and significant artifacts.
These irreplaceable resources help confirm family details and paint a picture of St. Louis's past. Our archives include:
- The “Books of the Dead,” which date all the way back to 1849 (the year of our founding).
- Family histories and interment files.
We are currently working to digitize these archives to ensure these treasures are preserved and accessible forever, further supporting the historical and genealogical community.