Mississippi Research Guide
Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, and Death
Records)
Death Records
: The state of
Mississippi began requiring records of deaths in November 1912. There are several partial, no comprehive
digital index of Mississippi deaths. Microfilm index of deaths from 1912 – 1942
is available at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library (4th floor – History
Department) and the Mississippi State Archives.
Birth Records
: The state of Mississippi began requiring
records of deaths in November 1912. Some
older residents whose births were not recorded immediately had delayed birth
certificates issues (sometimes when they were adults).
Marriage Records
: Dates of available marriage records vary from
county to county. Digital indexes are
available at:
·
Ancestry.com (1776 – 1935)
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7842/
·
Mississippi Marriage Index for Selected Counties
(Forrest, Franklin, Greene, Harrison,
Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Marion, Perry, Rankin, Stone)
http://mallen4896.tripod.com/Marriages/Marriages.html
Physical
records can be obtained from
:
·
Mississippi Department of Archives and
History https://www.mdah.ms.gov/
Due to safety precautions for COVID-19, appointments are recommended for research in the Archival and Media Reading Rooms. Available appointment times are Monday–Friday at 9–11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., and 2–4 p.m. Call 601-576-6837 to schedule your time. Patrons without an appointment will be accommodated as space allows.
o The index and microfiche copies of death certificates from November 1912 to 1942.
o Marriage records are available in individual county records.
Letter-sized copies can be made at the cost of $0.20 for self-service and $0.25 by research staff. Consult the fee schedule for a complete list of costs.
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On-Site Research |
Research Requests |
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William F.
Winter Archives and History Building
Reading Room Hours
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Reference Request
$10 for Mississippi Residents; $35/hour for all others |
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· Mississippi State Department of Health https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/31,0,109,809.html
· (Application forms are available for download at the website.)
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By Mail: |
In Person: |
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Mississippi
Vital Records
Post
Office Box 1700
Jackson,
Mississippi 39215-1700 |
Underwood
Building
571
Stadium Drive
Jackson,
MS
Phone:
(601) 576-7981/Fax
:
(
601) 576-7505 |
o Birth, death, and marriage records are $17 each. (Include copy of your photo ID of with request)
§ For births and marriages less than 100 years ago and deaths less than 50 years ago, you must be the registrant, parent, guardian, spouse, sibling, or grandparent, or child of registrant (proof of relationship required)
§ For births and marriages 100 years ago or more and deaths 50 years ago or more, you can request a birth certificate. Specify “Genealogy” as purpose and include relationship to registrant. Plain-paper instead of certified certificates are provided.
§ Marriage records are available from January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938 and for January 1, 1942 to the present.
Digital Collections
Various digital records (photograph collections, maps, documents, etc.) are available:
Digital Collections – University
of Mississippi https://libraries.olemiss.edu/using-digital-collections/
Includes (partial list):
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John Elon Phay Collection
– photographs of public school students in several
Mississippi schools in the 1940s and 1950s before desegregation |
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Civil War Archive |
University of Southern Mississippi Digital Collections https://digitalcollections.usm.edu/
Includes (partial list):
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Oral History Digital
Collection (
includes transcripts of interviews
of Civil Rights activists) |
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Historical Manuscripts and Documents Collection |
Mississippi Department of Archives and History http://da.mdah.ms.gov/ (Only some images are indexes. Others can be browsed only.)
Includes (partial list):
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Mississippi Confederate Pension Applications |
Mississippi Educable Children Records (1850-1965) |
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World War I Statement of Services Cards and Indices
(Mississippi) |
Numerous Photograph and Map Collections |