Bolivar County, Mississippi Genealogy
Guide to Bolivar County, Mississippi ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
This county was named for Simón Bolívar. Bolivar County is located in the northwest area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Bolivar County Courthouse District 1
801 Main Street
P.O. Box 205
Rosedale, MS 38769
Phone: 662-759-3762
Bolivar County Courthouse District 2
200 S. Court Street
P.O. Box 670
Cleveland, MS 38732
Phone: 662-846-5877
Bolivar County Website
Clerk Circuit Court in Cleveland, Mississippi, has marriage and court records.
Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate and land records.
Clerk Circuit Court in Rosedale, Mississippi, has marriage records from 1866 and court records from 1870.
Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate and land records.
Chancery and Circuit Clerks offices are in both Courthouses. Rosedale records go back about 20 years earlier than Cleveland.[3]
Bolivar County, Mississippi Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1 Nov 1912 | 1866 | 1 Nov 1912 | 1870 | 1836 | 1861 | 1810 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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1863, 1865 Rosedale and Cleveland – Fire in 1863, flood in 1865.
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Mississippi county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Mississippi County Boundary Maps" (1785-1918) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website. |
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]
| Cities | ||
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| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 1,356 | — |
| 1850 | 2,577 | 90.0% |
| 1860 | 10,471 | 306.3% |
| 1870 | 9,732 | −7.1% |
| 1880 | 18,652 | 91.7% |
| 1890 | 29,980 | 60.7% |
| 1900 | 35,427 | 18.2% |
| 1910 | 48,905 | 38.0% |
| 1920 | 57,669 | 17.9% |
| 1930 | 71,051 | 23.2% |
| 1940 | 67,564 | −4.9% |
| 1950 | 63,004 | −6.7% |
| 1960 | 54,464 | −13.6% |
| 1970 | 49,409 | −9.3% |
| 1980 | 45,965 | −7.0% |
| 1990 | 41,875 | −8.9% |
| 2000 | 40,633 | −3.0% |
| 2010 | 34,145 | −16.0% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Bolivar County census records online, see: Mississippi Census.
Federal Census
- 1660-1820 U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 at Ancestry$
- 1792-1866 Mississippi, State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866 at Ancestry$
- 1805-1890 Mississippi, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1805-1890 at Ancestry$
- 1850 United States Census (Mortality Schedule), 1850 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
- 1850 United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1850 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1860 United States Census (Slave Schedule), 1860 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
State Census Returns
- 1841 State Census Returns 1845 - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
- 1866 State Census Returns 1866 - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
- 1870 State Census Returns 1870 - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Mississippi denominations, view the Mississippi Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- 1910-1919 Mississippi, Church Records, 1910-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African Americans
- 1863-1866 Mississippi, Freedmen's Department (Pre-Bureau Records), 1863-1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
- 1865-1872 Mississippi, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
- The Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records at Mississippi Department of Archives and History - index and transcription
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Mississippi Land and Property for additional information about early Mississippi land ownership. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Bolivar County. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Mississippi Local Histories.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Maps of Mississippi (1785-1918)
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Multiple Wars
- 1812-1941 Military grave registrations - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
- 1940-1941 Register of Military Commissions - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
Mexican-American War
- 1846-1848 United States Mexican War Index and Service Records, 1846-1848 How to Use this Collection; at FamilySearch — index and images
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images at partner site
- 1861-1865 Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images at partner site
- 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry free index
- 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry free index
- 1889-1942 Mississippi, Confederate Records, 1889-1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
- 1900-1974 Mississippi, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1900-1974 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
- 1936-1939 Civil war records a Memorial list of those that served in the Civil War - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
Regiments. Men in Bolivar County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Bolivar County:
- - 1st Battalion, Mississippi Cavalry (Miller's)
- Company A - Mississippi Rifles
- - 1st Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry
- Company H - Bolivar Troop
World War I
- 1917-1919 Mississippi, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1917-1918 Mississippi, World War I Army Veterans, Master alphabetical index, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Selected Bolivar County Obituaries Scroll down on the page to Obituaries. USGenWeb Archives
Other Records[edit | edit source]
State Archives
- 1820-1951 Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images - incomplete - Topics covered: Ex Slave Narratives, list of military veterans, Military grave registrations, Naturalizations and some Land records.
VOTER List
- 1871-1967 Mississippi, Voter Registration, 1871-1967 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate records are held by the Bolivar County, Mississippi Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Bolivar County, Mississippi Genealogy Courthouse. Microfilmed records can be found online at Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930. See the wiki page Mississippi Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.
Online Records
- 1780-1982 Mississippi Wills and Probate Records 1780-1982 at Ancestry index and images $
- 1781-1930 Mississippi Probate Records 1781-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
School Records[edit | edit source]
- 1850-1892; 1908-1957 Enumeration of Educable Children, 1850-1892; 1908-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Mississippi tax records replace missing censuses and provide lists of residents during years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see Mississippi Taxation.
- 1836-1896 County Tax rolls 1836-1896 - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. Mississippi law did not require keeping birth or death records until 1912. Births and deaths are kept by the Mississippi Bureau of Vital Statistics. Marriage records are kept by the county. See also How to order Mississippi Vital Records or order electronically online.
See Mississippi Vital Records for more information on getting Mississippi records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Marriage books 4 and 13 are missing from the Family History Library collection. In addition, marriage books 5, 6, 20, 24, and 25 (first series) were apparently skipped when the IGI was created.
The second series of marriage books include both white and colored marriages:
- 1776-1935 Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 at Ancestry $
- 1800-1825 Mississippi Marriages to 1825 at Ancestry $
- 1800-1911 Mississippi, Marriages, 1800-1911 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1826-1850 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-50 at Ancestry$
- 1826-1900 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-1900 at Ancestry $
- 1858-1979 Mississippi, County Marriages, 1858-1979 at FamilySearch for various counties - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1866-1873 Bolivar County Marriage Books 1 thru 3 Index 1866-1873. Batch M516751 at FamilySearch
- 1883-1885 Bolivar County Marriage Books 7 and 8 Index 1883-1885. Batch M516753 at FamilySearch
- 1886-1892 Bolivar County Marriage Books 9 and 10 Index 1886-1892. Batches M516754 and M516755 at FamilySearch
- 1893-1895 Bolivar County Marriage Books 14 and 15 Index 1893-1895. Batch M516756 at FamilySearch
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1822-1921 Mississippi Deaths and Burials, 1822-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
- 1912-1943 Mississippi, Death Certificate Index, 1912-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1912-1943 Reclaim the Records: Mississippi Death Index at Archive.org - images of index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Bolivar County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Mississippi Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Bolivar County. For state-wide library facilities, see Mississippi Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Bolivar County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Mississippi Societies.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Bolivar County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network
- Mississippi Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Bolivar County, MSGenWeb Project
- Bolivar County, USGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mississippi.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bolivar, Mississippi," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivar_County,_Mississippi."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mississippi.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Bolivar County, Mississippi . Page 378-384 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 379-381.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mississippi.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Bolivar County, Mississippi," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivar_County,_Mississippi, Last accessed 3 September 2019.