How to Find Mississippi Death Records

How to Find United States Deaths Mississippi Deaths

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

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Next Step: When did the death occur?

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 * Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's death record:


 * Deaths before 1879
 * Deaths from 1879 thru 1912
 * Deaths from 1912 thru the present
 * I don't know when the death is


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Deaths before 1879
Before 1879, no deaths were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s death date and place.

Return to top: Choose another death year

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 FamilySearch Catalog for the name of the county and look under "Vital Records."

The State Department of Health has early records for Harrison, Hinds, and Pike counties. Return to top: Choose another death year

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:

If you do not know the exact date or place of death: the Mississippi State Department of Health 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 other records with death information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another death year

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