Burning of Records

On the l9th day of April, 1860, the Court House at Kingston was burned. The Circumstances seem to indicate its destruction was the work of an incendiary, but who the guilty party was has never been ascertained. It was suspicioned by some that it was done by parties under indictment for crimes, who hoped in that way to escape punishment by a destruction of the evidence against them. Be the motive for the destruction what it may, it was a great misfortune to the people of our County, as it left the origin of many land titles in doubt. Lucky were those who had preserved the old deeds to their lands.

The records of both the circuit and county court were wholly destroyed. The records of deeds and mortgages were also destroyed. In fact all records except those of the probate court were destroyed. The probate court was established in 1857, and Judge Boggs had its records at his residence, and thus they escaped the destruction that befell the rest of the records.

Crosby Johnson, An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Caldwell County, Missouri.   1876.  Edwards Br