Monroe County, Mississippi Genealogy

Guide to Monroe County, Mississippi ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The County was named for James Monroe. The County has Aberdeen as its seat and the County was created 1821. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse 301 S. Chestnut St. Aberdeen, MS 39730 Phone: 662.369.8143

Monroe County Chancery Courthouse 201 W. Commerce St. Aberdeen, MS 39730

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage and court records. Clerk Chancery Court has divorce records, probate and land records from 1821.

Parent County
1821--Monroe County was created 9 February 1821 from the Chickasaw Cession. County seat:Aberdeen

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Mississippi county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Mississippi County Boundary Maps" (1785-1918) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places

 * Aberdeen
 * Amory
 * Becker
 * Bigbee
 * Coontail
 * Darracott
 * Gattman
 * Greenwood Springs
 * Hamilton
 * Hatley
 * Lackey
 * Nettleton (partially in Monroe)
 * New Hamilton
 * New Wren
 * Prairie
 * Smithville
 * Splunge
 * Wren

Neighboring Counties

 * Chickasaw
 * Clay
 * Itawamba
 * Lamar County, Alabama
 * Lee
 * Lowndes
 * Marion County, Alabama

Cemeteries
Evans, William Augustus. Monroe County, Mississippi Cemetery Records. Columbus, Miss.: Lowndes County Department of Archives and History, 1980. [This volume was originally compiled in the 1930s. The unpublished manuscript is located at Evans Memorial Library in Aberdeen, Miss. African-American cemeteries were not surveyed.]

Cantrell, Ann. Cemetery Inscriptions of North Lamar County, Alabama. Cullman, Ala.: Gregath Pub. Co., 19936-96. 2 vols. - Although the primary focus of this volume is neighboring Lamar County, Alabama, several Monroe County cemeteries are included.

Census

 * 1805 - 1890 Mississippi, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1805-1890 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1660 - 1820 U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1792 - 1866 Mississippi, State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1815-1817 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1816 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1841 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1850 - Mann, Lillian. 1850 Census, Monroe County, Mississippi. Aberdeen, Miss.: L. Mann, 1976. 1850 census, Monroe County, Mississippi Includes Index.


 * 1860 - Mann, Lillian. Monroe County, Mississippi, 1860 Census. Princeton, Ky.: Ira L. Fears; Aberdeen, Miss.: L. Mann, 1976.


 * 1880 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

Church Records
Kennedy, Jerry D. Christian Churches in Amory, Mississippi, 1840-1992. Amory, Miss.: The author, 1992.

Baptist
Church Records of the New Hope Primitive Baptist Church, Monroe County, Mississippi, 1819-September 1955. [Available on microfilm at Mississippi State University. BX6480.N496 C58]

Evans, William Augustus. A History of First Baptist Church, Aberdeen, Miss., 1837 to 1945, Inclusive. Aberdeen, Miss.: First Baptist Church, 1945.

Hathcock, Fairybelle Tubb. "New Hope Primitive Baptist Church," Journal of Monroe County History, vol. 2 (1975-76): 38-46.

Minutes Of the Sixteenth Anniversary Of the Primitive Baptist Buttahacha Association (orig. spelling). Online at Primitive Baptist Online.

''Sulphur Springs Primitive Baptist Church, Monroe County, Mississippi. Minutes, May 1859-Dec. 6, 1955''. [Available on microfilm at Mississippi State University. BX6480.S85 M56 1969]

Episcopal
St. John's Episcopal Church, Aberdeen


 * 1850-1885 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Aberdeen, Baptism Index 1850-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1851-1895 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Aberdeen, Marriage Index 1851-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Methodist
''Church Records of the Prairie Methodist Charge. Aberdeen, Monroe County, Mississippi''. 2 microfilm reels, negative. (Prairie, Strong, Hamilton, Friendship). Records borrowed by Mrs. A.C. Honnoll, Caledonia, Miss., February 1957. [Available on microfilm at Mississippi State University. BX8481.P73 C58]

Lann, Felix, comp. Methodism in Aberdeen: A Scrapbook of Historical Sketches from 1836 to 1957. Ed. by Carolyn Evans Sauter for the Sesqui-Centennial Homecoming, First United Methodist Church, Aberdeen, Mississippi, April 6, 1986. Aberdeen, Miss.: First United Methodist Church, 1986.

Vallarian, Rebecca. God Is So Good!: A History of the Methodist Church in Smithville, Mississippi. Smithville, Miss.: Smithville United Methodist Church, 2004.

Whitaker, W. Kirby. Greenbrier United Methodist Church, Becker, Mississippi, 1850-1975. Amory, Miss.: The author, 1975.

Wright, Brynda Martin, comp. We Are One in the Spirit. Amory, Miss.: First United Methodist Church, 1991. - [Cover subtitle: A History of First United Methodist Church, Amory, Mississippi.]

Local Histories
Centennial Committee on the History of Nettleton, 1888-1988: 100 Years. Nettleton, Miss.: The committee, 1988.

Coleman, Brent. The Gulf Ordnance Plant at Prairie (MS), 1942-1945, The Gulf Ordnance Story: A Special edition of TomBigbee Country Magazine. Aberdeen, MS: TomBigbee Country, 2002.

Crawford, Sam Wilburn. Something Good About the Thirties. s.l.: s.n., 1983. - This book is about the city of Aberdeen.

Elliott, Jack D., II and Wells, Mary Ann. Cotton Gin Port: A Frontier Settlement on the Upper Tombigbee. Jackson, Miss.: Quail Ridge Press for the Mississippi Historical Society, 2003.

Evans, William Augustus. Mother Monroe: A Series of Historical Sketches of Monroe County; Pioneer Times in Monroe County: From a Series of Letters Published in the Aberdeen Weekly 1877 and 1878; Who's Who in Monroe County Cemeteries. Hamilton, Miss.: Mother Monroe Pub. Co., 1979. - The Mother Monroe section of the book was originally published as a series of articles in the Aberdeen Examiner between 1936 and 1939.

Howell, George W. It Happened at the City Hall in Aberdeen: Political Activity During the Reconstruction Years, December 5th, 1865 to May 5th, 1876. Aberdeen, Miss.: G. W. Howell, 1961.

Lancaster, Jane Fairchild. Hamilton: Take Your Place in History as the First County Seat of Monroe. Amory, Miss.: Amory Advertiser, 1975.

Leftwich, George J. Cotton Gin Port and Gaines' Trace. s.l.: s.n., 19--? - This is a reprint of pages 263-70 of vol. 7 (1903) Publications of Mississippi Historical Society.

Monroe County Book Committee. A History of Monroe County, Mississippi. Dallas, Tex.: Curtis Media, 1988.

Monroe County, Mississippi: A Pictorial History. Limited ed. Humboldt, Tenn.: Rose Pub. Co., 1999.

Morgan, Ruth Basinger. A Place Called Darracott. Family charts by Nell Basinger Flicker; maps by Julia Lepicier; cover by Cecil Thompson. Aberdeen, Miss.: Allmond Ptg. Co., 1978.

Parish, Ray. The Tubb Family of Monroe County, Mississippi and Their Kin. Pascagoula, Miss.: The author, 1987. - Although this is primarily a family history, it contains a lot of information about the formation of Tubbs Crossroads which later became Hatley, Miss.

Peacock, Lucille. Historical Sketches of Aberdeen, Mississippi. Aberdeen, Miss.: The author, 1961.

Pierce, Jessie. History of Smithville and Surrounding Territory. Amory, Miss.: The author, 1958.

Puckett, E.F. "Reconstruction in Monroe County," in Reconstruction in Northern Counties of Mississippi. Oxford, Miss.: University of Mississippi, Department of History, 1907-1911. - [The essay on Monroe County is dated 1909. This is a nine volume compilation.]

Rodabough, John E. A History of the Negroes of Aberdeen and Monroe County, Mississippi, 1790-1916. Thesis (M.A.). Mississippi State University, 1964.

Rollins, Bertie Shaw. A Brief History of Aberdeen and Monroe County, Mississippi, 1821-1900. Aberdeen, Miss.: s.n., 1957.

Stone, James Herbert. Cotton Gin Port, Mississippi: The History of a Tombigbee River Town. University, Miss.: University of Mississippi, 1969.

Local Library

 * Evans Memorial Library, Aberdeen, MS  - Excellent local genealogy collection

Maps

 * Maps of Mississippi (1785-1918)

Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Monroe County, Mississippi (Deluxe Edition) with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Publishing, 2007. Available online at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index/images
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index/images
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1889-1942 - at FamilySearch — images
 * 1900-1974 - at FamilySearch — images


 * Men from Monroe County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Monroe County.


 * - 2nd Regiment, Mississippi State Cavalry
 * Company C - Martin’s Company
 * Company F - Johnson’s Company
 * Company H - J.V. Harris Guards
 * - 2nd Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry
 * Company I - Lula White Rebels
 * - 2nd Battalion, Mississippi State Cavalry (Harris's)
 * Company C - Moore’s Company
 * - 5th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
 * Company A - Red Rovers
 * - 6th Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry
 * Company C - Pardue’s Company
 * - 9th Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry
 * Company F - Mann’s Company
 * - Perrin's Battalion, Mississippi State Cavalry
 * Company F - Montgomery’s Company
 * - 11th Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry
 * Company K - Martin’s Company
 * - 11th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
 * Company I - Van Dorn Reserve

Newspapers
North Mississippi Advocate. Aberdeen, Miss.: E.H. Vance. - began with July 14, 1838 issue; short-lived.

Southern Tribune, and Aberdeen Commercial. Pontotoc, Miss.: C.A. Bradford &amp; W.W. Leland, 1842-? - [This was published in Aberdeen between Jan. 30 and July 24, 1845.]

Mississippi Advertiser. Aberdeen, Miss.: W.E. Smith. - vol. 1, no. 1 was dated Mar. 5, 1842. A new series began with vol. 1, no. 1 on May 4, 1844. It ceased publication in 1848.

The Weekly Independent. Aberdeen, Miss.: A. Marschalk. - Available issues begin with vol. 3, no. 42 (Jan. 8, 1848 and run through December 1853.

Monroe Democrat. Aberdeen, Miss.: W.D. Chapman &amp; Co. - Available issues begin with vol. 4, no. 48 (April 19, 1848) and run through vol. 9, no. 31 (Dec. 22, 1852).

Sunny South. Aberdeen, Miss.: M.C. Gallaway &amp; Franc M. Paul. - Vol. 1, no. 1 was dated Jan. 10, 1856. It ran through 1863.

Tri-Weekly Examiner. Aberdeen, Miss.: S.A. Jones, 1866.

The Aberdeen Examiner. - Began publication April 28, 1866 and ran until it merged with The Amory Advertiser to form Monroe Journal in 2008.

The Aberdeen Weekly. Aberdeen, Miss.: T.T. Deavenport. - It began in 1878 and ran through vol. 57, no. 36 (Sept. 7, 1933). It was published as the Weekly Ledger from May 6 to June 24, 1897.

Aberdeen News-Herald. Aberdeen, Miss.: Virginia M. King. - It began in 1964 and ran through vol. 15, no. 15 (July 20, 1978).

Amory Advertiser. Amory, Miss.: Monroe Pub. Co. - It is unknown what date this newspaper began publication but it ran until it merged with the Amory News to form the Amory News-Advertiser in 1940.

Amory News-Advertiser. Amory, Miss.: Theron D. Harden. - It ran from vol. 23, no. 8 (May 2, 1940) until it shortened its name back to Amory Advertiser in 1973.

Amory Advertiser. Amory, Miss. - This was formed by the shortening of the name of Amory News-Advertiser and ran until it merged with the Aberdeen Examiner to form Monroe Journal in 2008.

Monroe Journal. Tupelo, Miss.: Journal Publishing. - Formed by the merger of the Aberdeen Examiner and Amory Advertiser in 2008. It maintains offices in both towns, but is published in Tupelo.

Probate Records
Online Records
 * 1780 – 1982 Mississippi Wills and Probate Records 1780-1982 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1781 – 1930 at FamilySearch — images

Taxation

 * 1816-1892 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1848 - Nickles, Lillian Plant. 1848 Tax Assessment Roll: Aberdeen, Athens, Camargo, Cotton Gin Port, and Monroe County, Mississippi. Aberdeen, Miss.: The author, 1960.

Marriage and Divorce
Online Records


 * 1800 - 1911 at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1776 - 1935 Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1826 - 1900 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-1900 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1826 - 50 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-50 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * to 1825 Mississippi Marriages to 1825 at Ancestry.com — index $


 * 1821-1916 - Monroe County Marriage Books 1-28 Index 1821-1916 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Books


 * 1821-1850 - Jones, Elizabeth C. Monroe County, Mississippi Marriages [1821-1825 and 1834-1850]. Aberdeen, Miss.: The author, 1962.
 * 1821-1900 - Monroe County, Mississippi, 1821-1900. Hammond, La.: Nicholas Russell Murray, Hunting for Bears, 1982. 3 vols. (Computer indexed marriage records)
 * 1821-1858 - Thomas, Betty Wood. Mississippi Marriages: Lowndes County, 1830-1868; Monroe County, 1821-1858. s.l.: s.n., 1979.
 * Nickles, Lillian Plant. Marriage Book 4, Monroe County, Mississippi. s.l.: s.n., n.d.

Divorce Records


 * 1901-1950 Divorce records (Monroe County, Mississippi), 1901-1950

Death
1871-1916 Executor's record (Monroe County, Mississippi), 1871-1916 Index Mixed estate and probate court files (Monroe County, Mississippi), 1821-1916 Viewable and arranged by case number.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Monroe County Historical Society 30062 SANDHILL RD Aberdeen 39730 website

Aberdeen Genealogical Society General Delivery Aberdeen, MS 39730

Evans Memorial Library 105 N. Long Street Aberdeen, Mississippi 39730

See also a List of Mississippi Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Websites

 * Monroe County, MS History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Mississippi Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Mississippi Genealogy Network Group on Facebook