How to Find Mississippi Death Records

<a href="How to Find United States Death Records">How to Find United States Deaths</a> <img src="/learn/wiki/en/images/b/b1/Gotoarrow.png" _fck_mw_filename="Gotoarrow.png" alt="" /> Mississippi Deaths

Statewide registration of deaths began in 1912 in Mississippi. Counties have copies of these records.

Next Step: When did the death occur?

Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's death record: <a href="How to Find Mississippi Death Records#Deaths_before_1879">Deaths before 1879</a> <a href="How to Find Mississippi Death Records#Deaths_from_1879_thru_1912">Deaths from 1879 thru 1912</a> <a href="How to Find MississippiDeath Records#Deaths_from_1912_thru_the_present">Deaths from 1912 thru the present</a> <a href="How to Estimate United States Death Information">I don't know when the death is</a>

<a href="How to Find United States Death Records#Tips_about_Searching_United_States_Death_Records">Learn more about U.S. Death Records</a>

Deaths before 1879

Before 1879, no deaths were recorded by the county or state. You must search <a href="Substitute Records For United States Death Information">substitute records</a> to locate your ancestor’s death date and place.

Records that give death information:
<a href="Mississippi Cemeteries">Cemetery Records</a> <a href="Mississippi Newspapers">Newspapers</a> <a href="Mississippi Probate Records">Probate (wills, etc)</a>	<a href="Mississippi Church Records">Church Records</a> <a href="Mississippi Census">Census</a> <a href="Mississippi Bible Records">Bible Records</a>

<a href="How to Find Mississippi Death Records#Next_Step:_When_did_the_death_occur.3F">Return to top: Choose another death year</a>

Deaths from 1879 thru 1912

In 1879, Mississippi law required counties to record deaths, although records are incomplete. Records are known to exist for Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Lauderdale, Panola, Pike, and Tallahatchie counties.

Obtain the Records

Death records from 1879 to 1912 are available on microfilm through the Family History Library for Hancock, Harrison, Lauderdale, Panola, and Tallahatchie counties. To locate these records, search the <a href="https://familysearch.org/catalog-search">Family History Library Catalog</a> for the name of the county and look under "Vital Records."

The <a href="http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/31,0,109.html">State Department of Health</a> has early records for Harrison, Hinds, and Pike counties.

<a href="How to Find Mississippi Death Records#Next_Step:_When_did_the_death_occur.3F">Return to top: Choose another death year</a>

Deaths from 1912 thru the present

The state of Mississippi began recording deaths in 1912. Currently, there are no online indexes to Mississippi death certificates.

Obtain the Certificate

You can order a copy of the death record for a fee from the following locations:

To Order Death Certificates
<a href="http://vitalrec.com/ms.html#County">From County of Death</a>		<a href="http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/31,0,109.html">From MS Dept. of Health State office</a>
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
May be less expensive and faster than ordering from the state	County websites can be more difficult to use	Offers a search of the state index for free	May be more expensive than ordering from the county

If you do not know the exact date or place of death: the <a href="http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/31,1248,109,62.html">Mississippi State Department of Health</a> will do a 5-year search for free.

Restrictions for persons who died within the last 50 years:
To obtain a copy of the death certificate for those who died within the last 50 years, you must be:

• The parent of the person on the certificate
• The spouse, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild of the person on the certificate
• The informant of the person listed on the certificate
• The legal guardian of the person listed on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the death record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 50 years have passed from the date of the death.

If you do not want to order the death record, there are <a href="Substitute Records For United States Death Information">other records with death information</a> you can search.

<a href="How to Find Mississippi Death Records#Next_Step:_When_did_the_death_occur.3F">Return to top: Choose another death year</a>

Related Wiki Articles

• <a href="How to Find United States Birth Records">How to Find United States Birth Records</a>
• <a href="How to Find United States Death Records">Learn more about U.S. Death Records</a>
• <a href="United States Record Selection Table">United States Record Selection Table </a>
• <a href="U.S. Vital Records Overview">U.S. Vital Records Overview</a>
• <a href="United States Vital Records">United States Vital Records</a>
• <a href="Locating United States Vital Records">Locating United States Vital Records</a>
• <a href="United States Birth Records">United States Birth Records </a>
• <a href="United States Marriage Records">United States Marriage Records</a>

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Category:Mississippi_Vital_Records">Mississippi_Vital_Records</a> <a _fcknotitle="true" href="Category:How_to_articles">How_to_articles</a>