Marion County, Mississippi Genealogy

Guide to Marion 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 Francis Marion. The County has Columbia as its seat and the County was created 1811. The County is located in the south central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Marion County Courthouse 250 Broad St Ste 2 Columbia, MS 39429 Phone: 601.736.2691 Clerk Chancery Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records.

History


The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion(c1732-1795).

Parent County
1811--Marion County was created 9 December 1811 from Amite, Wayne and Franklin Counties. County seat: ;Columbia In 1811 Marion County, like the rest of what is now Mississippi, was still part of the Mississippi Territory and not yet a state. In 1816, the Mississippi Territory was divided into the states of Mississippi and Alabama.

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.

Neighboring Counties

 * Jefferson Davis
 * Lamar
 * Lawrence
 * Pearl River
 * Walthall
 * Washington Parish, Louisiana

Research Guides
Native American Genealogy Research online sources compiled by Shannon Gorman. 

African Americans
Compilation of resources for African American genealogy research by Shannon Gorman. 

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 $


 * 1816 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1820 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1823 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1824 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1825 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1841 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1845 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1853 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1866 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1870 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

Church Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Columbia

Genealogy
Marion County Mississippi Genealogy Society- fifteen years of community members contributions hosted online for free. Photographs, wills, stories, family trees, postcards, memories and more. Hosted, edited, published, and researched by Shannon Gorman. 

Maps
2008 Map of Marion County, Mississippi 


 * Maps of Mississippi (1785-1918)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) 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 Marion 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 Marion County.


 * - 7th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
 * Company D - Jeff Davis Sharpshooters
 * Company F - Marion’s Men

World War I

 * 1917-1919 - at FamilySearch — index

Newspapers
Mystery Farm Series by Shannon Gorman-1950's series of aerial photographs of local farms in and around Marion County, Mississippi, with follow-up articles on the families that owned the farms. Researched and posted for historical preservation purposes by Shannon Gorman. 

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

 * 1812-1893 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 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 $
 * 1812-1930 - Marion County Marriage Books 1-18 Index 1812-1930 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Marion County Historical Society 200 Second Street, Suite 3 Columbia, MS 39429 Phone: 601-731-3999 Marion County Mississippi Genealogy Society- contact Shannon@MsMarion.com

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

Family History Centers

 * Columbia Mississippi Family History Center

Websites

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