Mississippi County Resources

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

This article is part of
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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
County Map of Mississippi

Microfilm and original copies of a large, although incomplete, collection of Mississippi county records are in the collection held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Microfilm copies are also generally available through the FHL. Researchers will still want to consult county courthouses for those materials that have either not been transferred or microfilmed, including'but not limited to'marriage licenses, probate files, court records, etc.

In 1798 when Mississippi became a territory, Adams, Pickering, and Washington counties were organized. Pickering was renamed Jefferson in 1802. As new counties were formed in the territory, some counties in both Alabama and Mississippi duplicated names from territorial days. For a visual representation of this county formation problem, see William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Map Guide to U.S. Federal Census Records, 1790'1920 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987).

Dates in the chart that follows indicate those materials jointly held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the FHL. Known record losses from fires and other causes are indicated. Deeds, probate records, and marriages may be found at the chancery clerk at the county courthouse. Microfilmed marriage books for both whites and African Americans (see Mississippi Vital Records) are indicated, in that order, under 'Marriages.' Court records may be found in the appropriate clerk's office at the courthouse. Updated listing of contact information for county chancery clerks can be found at www.mslawyer.com/mssc/chanclk.html.

Many sources for Mississippi research are available online and are increasing in quantity through the state's USGenWeb project (www.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/ms/msfiles.htm).


Map County County Address Date Formed Parent County(ies) Birth Marriage Death Land Probate Court
H2 Adams Natchez 39120-1008 1799 Natchez District 1802/1866 1780 1800 1781*
*Some early records are Spanish.
A7 Alcorn Corinth 38834-0069 1870 Tippah/Tishomingo 1876/1871 1870 ? 1881
Record loss, 1917.
J3 Amite Liberty 39645-0680 1809 Wilkinson 1809/1866 1810 1809 1809
D5 Attala 230 W. Washington St., Kosciusko 39090 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1892/1892 1858 1858 1858
Bainbridge (renamed Covington)Lawrence/Wayne
A6 Benton Ashland 38603-0218 1870 Marshall/Tippah 1870/1909 1870 1871 ?
B3 Bolivar Rosedale 38769-0698 and Cleveland 38732 1836 Choctaw cession, 1830 1866 1836 1861? 1836
B6 Calhoun Pittsboro 38951-0008 1852 Lafayette/Yalobusha ? ? ? ?
D5 Carroll 1 Pinson Sq., Carrollton 38917 and Vaiden 39176 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1834/1915 1834 1834 1834
B6 Chickasaw 101 N. Jefferson St., Houston 38851 and Okalona 38860 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1863/1863 1836 1863 1863
Record loss, 1863.
D6 Choctaw Ackerman 39765-0250 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1881/1881 1880 1879 1881
G2 Claiborne 410 Main St., Port Gibson 39150 1802 Jefferson 1802/1805 1802 1802 1805
G7 Clarke Quitman 39335-0616 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1853/1865 1834 1837 1867?
C7 Clay West Point 39773-0815 1871 (as Colfax; renamed 1876)Chickasaw/Lowndes/Oktibbeha 1872 1872 1872 1872
B3 Coahoma 5 First St./P.O. Box 579, Clarksdale 38614 and Friars Point 38631 1836 Choctaw cession, 1830 1849/1849 1839 1856? ?
Colfax 1871 (renamed Clay, 1876) Chickasaw/Lowndes/Oktibbeha
G3 Copiah Hazlehurst 39083-0551 1823 Choctaw cession, 1820 1823 1823 1823 1856?
H5 Covington Collins 39428-1679 1819 (as Bainbridge; renamed) Lawrence/Wayne 1904/1904 1853 1854 1857
Record loss, 1904.
A4 DeSoto 2535 Hwy. 51 S, Hernando 38632 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1845/1866 1836 1836 1854
Record loss, 1940.
J6 Forrest Hattiesburg 39401-1310 1906 Perry 1906 1906 1906 ?
H2 Franklin Meadville 39653-0297 1809 Adams 1825/1825 1842* 1842 1836
Record loss, 1877.
K7 George 355 Cox St., Lucedale 39452 1910 Greene/Jackson 1910/1910 1910 1910 1910
J7 Greene Leakesville 39451-0460 1811 Amite/Franklin/Wayne 1874/1910 1876 1878 1898
Record loss, 1875.
C5 Grenada Grenada 38520-1280 1870 Carroll/Yalobuska/Choctaw/Tallahatchie 1870/1880 1834* 1870 1870
*Earlier records from parent counties are included.
K5 Hancock P.O. Box 429, Bay St. Louis 39520 1812 Mobile District 1853 1853 1853 1853
Record loss, 1853.
H6 Harrison P.O. Box CC, Gulfport 39501 1841 Hancock/Jackson/Perry 1841/1907 1841 1853 ?
Record loss, 1916.
F3 Hinds Raymond 39154-0686 and Jackson 39201 1821 Choctaw cession, 1820 1870/1871 1870 1823 1854*
*Index and partial records begin 1854 with fragments earlier.
D4 Holmes Lexington 39095-0239 1833 Yazoo 1884 1833 1833 ?
D3 Humphreys Belzoni 39038-0547 1918 Holmes/Washington/Yazoo/Sunflower 1918? 1918? 1918? 1918?
E2 Issaquena Mayersville 39113-0027 1844 Washington 1866 1843 1849 1849
B8 Itawamba Fulton 38843-0776 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1837 1836 1854 1854
K7 Jackson Pascagoula 39567-0998 1812 Mobile District 1875 1875 1874 1875
Record loss, 1875.
G6 Jasper Paulding 39348-1047 and Bay Springs 39422 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1906/1906 1904* 1904*
*Indexes available for earlier dates. Record loss, 1932.
H2 Jefferson Fayette 39069-0145 1799 (as Pickering; renamed 1802)Natchez District 1805/1869 1798 1805 1802
Record loss, 1904.
H5 Jefferson Davis Prentiss 39474-1137 1906 Covington/Lawrence 1906/1906 1906 1906 1906
H6 Jones Ellisville 39437-1468 and Laurel 39440 1826 Covington/Wayne 1882/1888 1828 1894 1857
Record loss.
E7 Kemper DeKalb 39328-0188 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1912/1912 1881 1881 1881
Record loss, 1882.
A5 Lafayette Oxford 38655-1240 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1850/1876 1836 1836 1836
J5 Lamar Purvis 39475-1240 1904 Marion/Pearl River 1903 1836* 1901 ?
*Includes former Marion County records. Record loss, 1934.
F7 Lauderdale Meridian 39301-1587 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1839/1870 1837 1849 1856
H4 Lawrence Monticello 39654-1160 1814 Marion 1818/1910 1815 1836 1815
Record loss.
E5 Leake Carthage 39051-0072 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1836 1834 1852 1844
B7 Lee Tupelo 38801-1785 1866 Itawamba/Pontotoc 1867/1867 1867 1867 1867
C4 Leflore Greenwood 38930-0250 1871 Carroll/Sunflower/Tallahatchie 1844/1894 1837* 1845* ?
*Includes records from parent counties.
H3 Lincoln Brookhaven 39601-555 1870 Franklin/Lawrence/Copiah/Pike/Amite 1893/1893 1894 1893 ?
D7 Lowndes Columbus 39701-1364 1830 Monroe 1830/1881 1830 1830 1837
F4 Madison Canton 39046-0404 1828 Yazoo 1830 1828 1828 1828
J5 Marion 215 Broad St., Columbia 39429 1811 Amite/Wayne/Franklin 1812/1908 1821? 1812 1812
A5 Marshall Holly Springs 38635-0219 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1836 1856* 1836 1839
*Two early deed books missing.
B7 Monroe Aberdeen 39730-0578 1821 Chickasaw cession, 1816 1821 1821 1825 1825
C5 Montgomery Winona 38967-0071 1871 Carroll/Choctaw 1891/1901 1871 1872 1872
Record loss, 1903.
E6 Neshoba 401 Beacon St., Philadelphia 39350 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1877/1895 1835 1837 1859
F6 Newton Decatur 39327-0068 1836 Neshoba 1872/1876 1876 1876 1876
Record loss, 1877 and 1910
D7 Noxubee Macon 39341-0147 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1834/1834 1834 1834 1834
D7 Oktibbeha 101 E. Main St., Starkville 39759 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1861/1861 1834 1880 1836
Record loss, 1880.
A4 Panola 151 Public Sq., Sardis 38666 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1871/1884 1836 1845 1836
Record loss, 1886.
K5 Pearl River Poplarville 39470-0569 1890 Hancock/Marion 1890/1909 1890 1899 1890
J6 Perry New Augusta 39462-0198 1820 Greene 1877/1892 1862 1889 ?
Record loss, 1877.
Pickering 1799 (renamed Jefferson, 1802) Natchez District
J4 Pike 218 E. Bay St., Magnolia 39652 1815 Marion 1882/1882 1882 1882 1882
Record loss, 1882.
B6 Pontotoc Pontotoc 38863-0209 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1849/1880 1836 1836 1872?
A7 Prentiss Booneville 38829-0477 1870 Tishomingo 1870 1836* 1870 1872
*Earlier deeds from parent county. Record loss, 1912.
B4 Quitman 230 Chestnut St., Marks 38646 1877 Panola/Coahoma/Tunic/Tallahatchie 1877/1877 1877 1878 1878
F4 Rankin 305 Government St., Brandon 39042 1828 Hinds 1828 1824 1828 1819
F5 Scott Forest 39074-0630 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1872/1865 1835 1835 1867?
E3 Sharkey Rolling Fork 39159-0218 1876 Washington/Issaquena 1876 1876 1877 1877
G4 Simpson Mendenhall 38114-0637 1824 Choctaw cession, 1820 1872/1872 1872* 1872 1872
*Plat (Tract) book from 1832. Record loss, 1840, 1872.
G5 Smith Raleigh 39153-0160 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1912 1892 1893 ?
Record loss, 1892, 1915.
K6 Stone Wiggins 39577-0007 1917 Harrison ? 1917? 1917? 1917?
Records not on microfilm.
Sumner 1874 (renamed Webster, 1882)Montgomery/Choctaw
C3 Sunflower Indianola 38751-0998 1844 Bolivar/Washington 1871/1871 1817* 1884 1844
*Record loss, 1870.
B4 Tallahatchie Charleston 38921-0350 and Sumner 38957 1830 Choctaw cession, 1830 1856/1880 1835 1834 1841
Record loss at Sumner, 1908.
A4 Tate 201 S. Ward St., Senatobia 38668 1873 Marshall/Tunica/DeSoto 1873/1873 1873* 1873 1873
*Transcripts from parent counties available.
A6 Tippah Ripley 38663-0099 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1858/1888 1836 1855 1849
Record loss, 1863.
A8 Tishomingo 1008 Battleground Dr., Iuka 38852 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1842/1866 1836 1836 1856
A4 Tunica Tunica 38676-0639 1836 Chickasaw cession, 1832 1858 1836 1839 1839
A6 Union New Albany 38652-0847 1836 Pontotoc/Tippah 1878/1892 1872 ? ?
School Commissioner Minutes 1846'59. Record loss, 1882.
J4 Walthall Tylertown 39667-0351 1914 Marion/Pike 1914/1914 1913 1913 1913
F3 Warren Vicksburg 39180-0351 1809 Natchez District 1846/1860 1810 1810 1810
D2 Washington Greenville 38701-0309 1827 Warren/Yazoo 1891/1858 1828 1839 ?
H7 Wayne 609 Azalea Dr., Waynesboro 39367 1809 Washington 1881 ? 1879 ?
Record loss, 1892.
C6 Webster Walthall 39771-0398 1874 (as Sumner; renamed 1882)Montgomery/Choctaw 1874/1909 1873 1874 1879
J1 Wilkinson Woodville 39669-1284 1802 Adams 1804/1823 1803 1808 1822
D6 Winston Louisville 39339-0069 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1834/1908 1835 1834 1856
B5 Yalobusha Water Valley 38965-0664 and Coffeeville 38922 1833 Choctaw cession, 1830 1847/1866 1834 1834 1834
E4 Yazoo Yazoo City 39194-1106 1823 Choctaw cession, 1820 1845 1824 1834 1867?