Mississippi Counties and Historical Facts

Mississippi County records vary widely from county to county in both quality and quantity. Some have been carefully preserved while others have been much abused and neglected. Some Mississippi records have simply disappeared.

For genealogists doing research in Mississippi there is no effective replace for an on-site search of county courthouse records.

Mississippi Counties Map
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Mississippi Map of Counties

Mississippi County Records

A large collection of county records from Mississippi can be found at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History on microfilm. However, it is not a complete collection. The FHL can also provide copies of those records on microfilm.

However, the various courthouses in each county should still be consulted, since some records may not have been moved to the archives yet. Many of those records, including probate records and marriage licenses, can contain genealogical data.

Researchers should note that marriage records for both African Americans and white people can be found at the chancery clerk’s office at the county courthouse in each county, along with probate records and deeds.

Deeds, probate records, and divorces may be found at the chancery clerk at the county courthouse. Microfilmed marriage books for both whites and blacks are indicated, in that order, under “Marriages” and can be found in the county Clerk of Circuit Court.

Court records may be found in the appropriate clerk’s office at the courthouse.

See also a list of links to county and county seat government run websites.

List of Mississippi Extinct Counties

Mississippi has counties that no longer exist because they were discontinued, renamed or merged with another county.

A lot of these counties were established and disbanded within the 19th century; county borders have changed very little since 1900.

These are important for genealogy research purposes. Pay attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was eliminated or joined with some other county.

See the History of Mississippi Counties for more details.

List of Mississippi Counties with Burned Courthouses

Mississippi burned county courthouse
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The damage to courthouses greatly has a bearing on genealogists in every way.

Not only are these historic structures torn from our lifetimes, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others.

Once destroyed they’re lost forever. Although they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too.

However, not all records were damaged or lost in some counties.

  • Alcorn County Courthouse – Corinth – Record Loss in 1917
  • Attala County Courthouse – Kosciusko – 1858, 1860 and 1896
  • Bolivar County Courthouse – Rosedale and Cleveland – Fire in 1863, Flood in 1865
  • Calhoun County Courthouse – Pittsboro – Fire in 1922
  • Chickasaw County Courthouse – Houston – Fire in 1863
  • Choctaw County Courthouse – Ackerman – Fire 1874, 1888
  • Covington County Courthouse – Collins – Record loss in 1904
  • Desoto County Courthouse – Hernando – Record loss in 1940
  • Franklin County Courthouse – Meadville – Fire in 1877
  • Greene County Courthouse – Leakesville – Fire in 1875
  • Holmes County Courthouse – A courthouse fire in 1884 destroyed many of the records, but the deeds were housed in a separate building and Will Book I was rescued.
  • Jackson County Courthouse – Pascagoula – Fire in 1875
  • Jefferson County Courthouse – Fayette – Record loss in 1904, Fire in 1990
  • Jones County Courthouse – Laurel and Ellisville – Unknown Date
  • Kemper County Courthouse – DeKalb – Fire in 1882
  • Lee County Courthouse – Tupelo – Fire in 1873 & 1904
  • Lincoln County Courthouse – Brookhaven – Unknown 1893
  • Montgomery County Courthouse – Winona – Record loss, 1903.
  • Newton County Courthouse – Decatur – Record loss, 1877 and 1910.
  • Oktibbeha County Courthouse – Starkville – Record loss, 1880.
  • Panola County Courthouse – Sardis – Record loss, 1886
  • Perry County Courthouse – New Augusta – Record loss, 1877
  • Pike County Courthouse – Magnolia – Record loss, 1882
  • Prentiss County Courthouse – Booneville – Record loss, 1912.
  • Simpson County Courthouse – Mendenhall – Record loss, 1840, 1872
  • Smith County Courthouse – Raleigh – Record loss, 1892, 1915
  • Sunflower County Courthouse – Indianola – Record loss, 1870.
  • Tallahatchie County Courthouse – Charleston/Sumner – Record loss at Sumner, 1908
  • Tippah County Courthouse – Ripley – Record loss, 1863
  • Union County Courthouse – New Albany – Record loss, 1882
  • Wayne County Courthouse – Waynesboro – Record loss, 1892

List of Mississippi Counties

List of Mississippi Counties

CountyDate FormedParent CountyCounty Seat
Adams1799One of two original countiesNatchez
Alcorn1870Tippiah and Tishomingo CountiesCorinth
Amite1809Wilkinson CountyLiberty
Attala1833Madison CountyKosciusko
Benton1870Marshall and Tippah CountiesAshland
Bolivar1836Tallahatchie and Washington CountiesCleveland and Rosedale
Calhoun1852Chickasaw, Lafayette and Yalobusha CountiesPittsboro
Carroll1833Lowndes, Monroe, Washington and Yazoo CountiesCarrollton and Vaiden
Chickasaw1836Monroe County and Un-OrganizedHouston
Choctaw1833Lowndes, Madison, Monroe and Yazoo CountiesAckerman
Claiborne1802Jefferson (Pickering) CountyPort Gibson
Clarke1833Wayne CountyQuitman
Clay1871Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe and Oktibbeha Counties (formerly (Colfax County)West Point
Coahoma1836Un-OrganizedClarksdale
Copiah1823Franklin and Hinds CountiesHazlehurst
Covington1819Lawrence and Wayne CountiesCollins
Desoto1836Monroe and Washington CountiesHernando
Forrest1906Perry CountyHattiesburg
Franklin1809Adams CountyMeadville
George1910Greene and Jackson CountiesLucedale
Greene1811Wayne CountyLeakesville
Grenada1870Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie and Yalobusha CountiesGrenada
Hancock1812Un-OrganizedBay Saint Louis
Harrison1841Hancock CountyGulfport and Biloxi
Hinds1821Un-Organized (Choctaw Cession of 1820)Jackson and Raymond
Holmes1833Yazoo CountyLexington
Humphreys1918Holmes, Sunflower, Washington and Yazoo CountiesBelzoni
Issaquena1844Washington CountyMayersville
Itawamba1836Monroe CountyFulton
Jackson1812Un-OrganizedPascagoula
Jasper1833Jones and Wayne CountiesBay Springs
Jefferson1799One of two original Counties (formerly Pickering)Fayette
Jeffrson Davis1906Covington and Lawrence CountiesPrentiss
Jones1826Covington and Wayne Counties (formerly Davis (1865-1869 (Civil War))Laurel
Kemper1833Lowndes, Rankin and Wayne CountiesDe Kalb
Lafayette1836Monroe CountyOxford
Lamar1904Marion and Pearl River CountiesPurvis
Lauderdale1833Rankin and Wayne CountiesMeridian
Lawrence1814Marion CountyMonticello
Leake1833Madison and Rankin CountiesCarthage
Lee1866Itawamba and Pontotoc CountiesTupelo
Leflore1871Carroll and Sunflower CountiesGreenwood
Lincoln1870Amite, Copiah, Franklin, Lawrence and Pike CountiesBrookhaven
Lowndes1830Monroe County and Un-OrganizedColumbus
Madison1828Yazoo CountyCanton
Marion1811Amite, Franklin and Wayne CountiesColumbia
Marshall1836Monroe CountyHolly Springs
Monroe1821Un-Organized (Chickasaw Cession of 1816)Aberdeen
Montgomery1871Carroll and Choctaw CountiesWinona
Neshoba1833Jones, Madison, Rankin and Wayne CountiesPhiladelphia
Newton1836Neshoba CountyDecatur
Noxubee1833Lowndes and Rankin CountiesMacon
Oktibbeha1833Lowndes CountyStarkville
Panola1836Monroe and Washington CountiesBatesville
Pearl River1890Hancock and Marion CountiesPoplarville
Perry1820Greene CountyNew Augusta
Pike1815Marion CountyMagnolia
Pontotoc1836Monroe CountyPontotoc
Prentiss1870Itawamba and Tishomingo CountiesBooneville
Quitman1877Coahoma, Panola, Tallahatchie and Tunica CountiesMarks
Rankin1828Hinds CountyBrandon
Scott1833Covington, Jones and Rankin CountiesForest
Sharkey1876Issaquena, Warren and Washington CountiesRolling Fork
Simpson1824Copiah CountyMendenhall
Smith1833Covington, Jones and Rankin CountiesRaleigh
Stone1916Harrison CountyWiggins
Sunflower1844Bolivar CountyIndianola
Tallahatchie1833Washington and Yazoo CountiesCharleston
Tate1873DeSoto and Marshall CountiesSenatobia
Tippah1836Monroe CountyRipley
Tishomingo1836Monroe CountyIuka
Tunica1836Washington County and Un-OrganizedTunica
Union1870Lee, Pontotoc and Tippah CountiesNew Albany
Walthall1912Marion and Pike CountiesTylertown
Warren1809Claiborne CountyVicksburg
Washington1827Warren and Yazoo CountiesGreenville
Wayne1809Washington County (AL)Waynesboro
Webster1874Chickasaw, Choctaw and Montegomery Counties (formerly Sumner County)Walthall
Wilkinson1802Adams CountyWoodville
Winston1833Lowndes, Rankin, and Wayne CountiesLouisville
Yalobusha1833Monroe, Washington and Yazoo CountiesWater Valley
Yazoo1823Hinds CountyYazoo City
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