Original 7th Missouri Infantry at the town courthouse, Lexington Missouri in
early May of 1862, being presented their U.S. National Colors by the citizens of Lexington.
Lafayette County is available for adoption.
If you have a local connection to Lafayette County
or an interest in Missouri in general,
Please consider joining the MOGenWeb as a County
Coordinator.
Requirements are simple, peruse them here.
https://mogenweb.org/moccguide.htm
MOGenWeb Policies and Procedures
https://www.mogenweb.org/pol-pro.htm
Contact Bob
Jenkins if you are interested.
In addition:, we would appreciate any
contribution that you would like to make to this
site: biographies, obituaries, birth,
marriage, death info, grave info,
photographs....etc
Lafayette County, Missouri
🕰️ Brief History of Lafayette County, Missouri
Lafayette County was organized on November 16, 1820 as Lillard County, named for James Lillard of Tennessee. In 1825, it was renamed in honor of Marquis de La Fayette, the Revolutionary War hero who toured the United States that year.
Early settlers came largely from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, bringing with them Southern traditions and cultivating crops such as hemp and tobacco. This gave the region its identity as part of “Little Dixie”, where enslaved people made up more than 25% of the population by 1860.
The county seat, Lexington, became a hub of commerce and culture. During the Civil War, Lafayette County was deeply divided: many residents supported the Confederacy, while a growing population of German immigrants—settling in towns like Concordia, Higginsville, and Wellington—favored the Union.
After the war, Lafayette County grew into a diverse community of farming towns and small cities. By the late 19th century, settlements such as Odessa, Concordia, Dover, and Wellington dotted the map, reflecting both Southern and German-American heritage.
