Mississippi Cemetery Records

This entry was originally written by Kathleen Stanton Hutchison for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.

This article is part of the Mississippi Family History Research series.

History of Mississippi

Mississippi Vital Records

Census Records for Mississippi

Background Sources for Mississippi

Mississippi Maps

Mississippi Land Records

Mississippi Probate Records

Mississippi Court Records

Mississippi Tax Records

Mississippi Cemetery Records

Mississippi Church Records

Mississippi Military Records

Mississippi Periodicals, Newspapers, and Manuscript Collections

Mississippi Archives, Libraries, and Societies

Mississippi Immigration

Mississippi Naturalization

Ethnic Groups of Mississippi

Mississippi Provincial Records

Mississippi County Resources

Map of Mississippi

The card catalog at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History provides access to the numerous cemetery books that have been published for many counties throughout the state. Another card index of value provides volume-by-volume access to Mississippi Cemetery and Bible Records, an ongoing publication project by the Mississippi Genealogical Society since 1949. Individual volumes, without the card index, are on the shelves of many local libraries throughout the state.

The Bible and Cemetery Records Collection, prepared by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), is very useful but is not thoroughly indexed. Although records of individual cemeteries are scattered throughout these compilations, some volumes concentrate on the cemeteries of one county, such as Hinds, Adams, or Bolivar.

Another source to consult is the Genealogical and Cemetery File, which consists of an upright file of folders arranged by county and includes, among other items, unpublished cemetery records donated to the archives by researchers.

To facilitate the process of finding a cemetery in the state, the typescript of 'State Cemeteries' located at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History lists public and private cemeteries, giving section, township, and range. This finding aid and the WPA cemetery list, a typescript listing of public and private cemeteries by county, which also includes the section, township, and range, can be used in conjunction with county maps (see Mississippi Maps). There is a cemetery index available online at the state archives website as well. Also on microfilm are the Mississippi grave registrations, which could help in the location of a veteran who was buried in Mississippi. However, this list is not complete.

All of the above resources are available at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (see Mississippi Maps for location of cemeteries in the state).

Many online cemetery transcriptions are organized here: Mississippi Cemetery Records