Prior to 1821 when MO became a state it was part of the Louisiana Purchase. In order to find original land records, one would probably have to gain access to the original plat maps for the area. Permanent boundaries for most of our states were not established until the late 1800s, and cartographers were still drawing maps and exploring regions in the Midwest prior to the Civil War and beyond when railroads came into vogue. Much of the early historic material for the Midwest is maintained in large university collections, but for information on the Louisiana Purchase lands, I believe the French records are located in New Orleans. Judy Neu Springwater, NY