Mississippi Vital Records

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U.S. Vital Records

Mississippi

Vital Records

Mississippi Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online

Births

• 1826-1850 Mississippi, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1826-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)

Marriages

• 1600s-1900s US Marriages – Mississippi at Findmypast — index & images ($)
• 1776-1935 Mississippi Compiled Marriage Index, 1776-1935 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1800-1825 Mississippi Compiled Marriages, 1800-1825 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1800-1911 Mississippi Marriages 1800-1911 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1826-1850 Mississippi, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1826-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1826-1900 Mississippi Compiled Marriages, 1826-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1858-1979 Mississippi County Marriages, 1858-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1894-1970 US Marriages – Mississippi at Findmypast — index & images ($)
• Mississippi Marriage Search at GenLookups — index

Deaths

• 1822-1921 Mississippi Deaths and Burials, 1822-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1826-1850 Mississippi, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1826-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1912-1943 Mississippi Death Certificate Index, 1912-1943 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1912-1943 Mississippi Death Records (1912 - 1943) at Virtual Genealogy — images

City & County Databases

• 1835-1905 Mississippi, Adams County, Natchez Death Index, 1835-1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1858-1979 Mississippi, Tippah County Marriages, 1858-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Birth and Death Records

State registration of births and deaths in Mississippi began in November 1912, and was generally complied with by 1921. The FamilySearch Library does not have copies of the state records. You can obtain information by contacting:

Mississippi State Department of Health
2423 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39216
Telephone: 601-960-7981

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 through the Mississippi State Department of Health. Delayed certificates of birth began in 1912 and can be requested from the Mississippi State Department of Health.

County Records of Births and Deaths

A few counties kept birth and death records as early as 1879. These early records were kept intermittently and are very incomplete. The FamilySearch 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.

Cause of Death

• Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Marriage Records

State Records of Marriages

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 FamilySearch Library does not have copies of the state records or indexes.

County Records of Marriages

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 FamilySearch 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 Records

Divorce proceedings are usually kept by the chancery court in each county and are usually interfiled with other court matters. The FamilySearch Library has microfilmed the chancery court records for most Mississippi counties.

A statewide index 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.

Substitute Records

Mississippi Church Records

Mississippi Cemetery Records

Mississippi Census

Mississippi Obituaries

Mississippi Newspapers

Mississippi Periodicals

Mississippi Military Records

Mississippi History

Tips

• Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
• If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage,, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriges and deaths.
• Records of African Americans may be recorded in separate files with separate indexes.
• Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital arecords recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
• Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Mississippi to locate records filed by the State and then search thename of the county to locate records kept by the county.

Lost or Missing Records

Calhoun 1922, Choctaw County 1888, Covington 1904, DeSoto 1940,Franklin 1877, Greene 1875, Hancock 1853, Harrison 1916, Jasper 1932, Jefferson 1904, Jones, Kemper 1882, Lamar 1934, Lawrence, Montgomery 1903, Newton 1877 & 1910, Oktibbeha 1880, Panola 1886, Perry 1877, Pike 1882,Prentise 1912, Simpson 1840, 1872, Smith 1892,1915, Sunflower 1870, Tallahatchie 1908, Tippah 1863, Union 1882,Wayne 1892, 

Archives, Libraries and Societies

Mississippi Archives and Libraries

Inventory of Vital Records

You can learn more about the history and availability of Mississippi vital records in Guide to Vital Statistics in Mississippi: Volume 1.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

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