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Mississippi Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
PROBATE RECORDS Probate records Mississippi probate records include dockets Transcripts
State registration of births and deaths began in November 1912, and was generally complied with by 1921. The Family History Library does not have copies of the state records. You can obtain information by writing to:
Individuals who were born prior to 1912, or who for some reason do not have a birth certificate, can apply for a delayed certificate of birth
A few counties kept birth and death records as early as 1879. These early records were kept intermittently and are very incomplete. The Family History Library has copies of these records for Hancock, Harrison, Lauderdale, Panola, and Tallahatchie counties. The State Board of Health has early records for Harrison, Hinds, and Pike counties.
For information about county birth and death records prior to 1912, contact the local county health department. The county health departments do not usually have records of births and deaths occurring after November 1, 1912. The clerks in these offices cannot do research for genealogists. However, they can send a copy of a specific record of an individual.
State registration of marriages began in 1926. The State Board of Health (address above) has records from 1 January 1926 to 31 July 1938 and from 1 January 1942 to the present. Records for the 1938 to 1942 interim period are available from the county circuit court office in each county.
The Department of Archives and History has an index of pre-1926 Mississippi marriages. The State Board of Health has an index to marriages (male names only) from 1926 to the present. The Family History Library does not have copies of the state records or indexes.
Many counties began recording marriages as early as 1800. Unfortunately, only about one-half of the pre-1850 marriage records have survived. The circuit courts have the county marriage records from the earliest years to the present.
The Family History Library has microfilm copies of most existing marriage records to about 1926. For example, the library has 26 microfilms from the Adams County Circuit Clerk that include marriage records, (1802-1927), an index to white marriages, (1802-1927), and an index to African-American (designated as “colored”) marriages (1866-1942).
Divorce proceedings are usually kept by the chancery court in each county and are usually interfiled with other court matters. The Family History Library has microfilmed the chancery court records for most Mississippi counties.
A statewide index
You can learn more about the history and availability of Mississippi vital records in Guide to Vital Statistics in Mississippi: Volume 1, Public Archives (Jackson: Historical Records Survey, 1942; FHL book 976.2 V23h; film 1036275).
Some additional information about research and records in Mississippi is in Richard Stephen Lackey, “Mississippi,” Genealogical Research: Methods and Sources, vol. 2: 188-218 (Washington, D.C.: American Society of Genealogists, 1980; FHL book 973 D27gr).
Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992. (FHL book 973 D27rb 1992; computer number 594021.) Contains bibliographies and background information on history and ethnic groups. Also contains maps and tables showing when each county was created.
The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:
Paper publication: Second edition July 1997. English approval: 7/97.
©1998, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
of Mississippi have been kept by the chancery courts or probate courts. You can obtain copies of the records by contacting the clerk's office in each county courthouse. Some probate papers are housed at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
, wills, settlements, petitions, letters, guardianships, claims, and minutes. The Family History Library has copies of many Mississippi probate records, such as Hinds County inventories (1822 to 1882), bonds (1823 to 1869), wills (1870 to 1919), and executors' letters (1872 to 1919).
of wills for 1799 to 1835 for Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Hinds, and Warren counties have been published in J. Estelle King, Mississippi Court Records, 1799-1835, 1936, Reprint (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969; FHL book 976.2 S2k 1969; 1936 edition on misc. film 547551). Some probate references can also be found in Mary L. Hendrix, Mississippi Court Records From the Files of the High Court of Errors and Appeals, 1799-1859 (Jackson, Miss.: M.L.F. Hendrix, 1950; FHL book 976.2 P2h).
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VITAL RECORDS
State Records of Births and Deaths
Vital Records
The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces (Hyattsville MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993; FHL book 973 V24vw). Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and at many Family History Centers.
State Department of Health
2423 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39216
Telephone: 601-960-7981
. The State Board of Health began keeping delayed certificates of birth in 1912. Some of the records are kept at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
County Records of Births and Deaths
State Records of Marriages
County Records of Marriages
Divorce Records
of divorces (male names only) from the 1920s to the present is available at the State Board of Health. This office will search the divorce index for a fee.
Inventory of Vital Records
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FOR FURTHER READING
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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Publications Coordination
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3400
USA
[FamilySearchTM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 6/9/2001]