Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Mississippi

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes images of records filmed at the Mississippi State Archives in Jackson, Mississippi. It includes narratives from former slaves, land records from the Office of the Secretary of State, lists of military veterans, military grave registrations, and naturalization records. The collection is being published as images become available. The military grave registrations have been indexed. The event place is the place of burial. Many colonial records for the lower Mississippi Valley were placed in archives in France, Spain, and England. These include correspondence about military and governmental affairs, some censuses, birth and burial registers, land grants, and surveys. Many of these records were transcribed by Dunbar Rowland and collected in a set of manuscript volumes known as the Mississippi Provincial Archives. This collection is at the Mississippi Department of History and Archives and on microfilm at the Family History Library.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History was founded in 1902. It is the second-oldest state department of archives and history in the country. A comprehensive historical agency, the department collects, preserves, and provides access to the archival resources of the state, administers museums and historic sites, and oversees statewide programs for historic preservation, government records management, and publications.

What Can these Records Tell Me?

 * Early census records lists names of free white males
 * Names of free white females

State Census records of 1870 include the following information:


 * Names of white and colored males over 21
 * Names of white and colored males under 21
 * Names of white and colored females over 21
 * Names of white and colored females under 21
 * Names of all adult males who are qualified to vote
 * Names of all adult males who are not qualified to vote

State Census records of 1880 include the following information:


 * Names of every individual enumerated
 * Their age, race, nativity, and occupation

Tax records for the State of Mississippi listed all persons from whom monies were received.

Military Commissions for regimental records required the following:


 * Name of individual and enlistment date
 * Rank, company and commanding officer

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * Their age

Search the Index
Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page then:
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes with the information you know.
 * 2) Click Search. This will provide possible a list of matches.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page then:
 * 1) Select County
 * 2) Select Record Type, Date Range and Volume

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate a birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, marriage, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Mississippi, United States Genealogy.
 * Search in the Mississippi Archives and Libraries.
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image. Collection Citation

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation:

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