Pulaski County is available for adoption.
If you have a local connection to Pulaski 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 the State Coordinator 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
Pulaski County, Missouri
Pulaski County was organized on January 19, 1833, from territory previously part of Crawford County and named for General Casimir Pulaski, the Revolutionary War hero. The county seat, Waynesville, was selected early in its formation and developed along the historic Roubidoux Creek, becoming a central hub for courts, trade, and early settlement.
The first permanent settlers arrived during the 1820s and 1830s, many migrating from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas. They established farms, mills, and small communities along the Gasconade and Roubidoux rivers, where the valleys provided transportation routes through the rugged Missouri Ozarks. These early families left behind land records, probate files, and cemetery sites that remain essential to genealogical research.
During the Civil War, Pulaski County experienced divided loyalties and intermittent military activity. The strategic Wire Road—later part of historic Route 66—ran directly through Waynesville, bringing troop movement, supply lines, and military encampments to the region. These events generated valuable military and civilian records for researchers tracing mid‑19th‑century ancestors.
A major turning point came in 1940 with the creation of Fort Leonard Wood, which dramatically reshaped the county’s population, economy, and cultural landscape. The fort brought new residents from across the nation, expanded infrastructure, and established a long‑term military presence that continues to influence local family histories.
Today, Pulaski County preserves a rich heritage through its courthouse archives, cemetery records, military connections, and long‑standing Ozark communities. For genealogists, the county offers a deep record trail spanning frontier settlement, Civil War activity, Route 66 development, and 20th‑century military growth.