Bolivar County, Mississippi Genealogy

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



Description
This county was named for Simón Bolívar. Bolivar County is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Bolivar County Courthouse District 1 801 Main Street P.O. Box 205 Rosedale, MS 38769 Phone: 662-759-3762 Bolivar County Courthouse District 2 200 S. Court Street P.O. Box 670 Cleveland, MS 38732 Phone: 662-846-5877 Bolivar County Website Clerk Circuit Court in Cleveland, Mississippi, has marriage and court records. Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate and land records. Clerk Circuit Court in Rosedale, Mississippi, has marriage records from 1866 and court records from 1870. Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate and land records.

Chancery and Circuit Clerks offices are in both Courthouses. Rosedale records go back about 20 years earlier than Cleveland.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1660-1820 U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 at Ancestry$
 * 1792-1866 Mississippi, State and Territorial Census Collection, 1792-1866 at Ancestry$
 * 1805-1890 Mississippi, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1805-1890 at Ancestry$
 * 1850  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and some images
 * 1850 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1860 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

State Census Returns
 * 1841 State Census Returns 1845 -  Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
 * 1866 State Census Returns 1866 -  Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
 * 1870 State Census Returns 1870 -  Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places


 * 1910-1919  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Court Records

 * 1856-1869 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans 


 * 1863-1866  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1865-1872  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * The Freedmen's Bureau Marriage Records at Mississippi Department of Archives and History - index and transcription

Funeral Homes

 * Byas Funeral Home in Clarksdale.
 * Cleveland Funeral Home in Cleveland.
 * Johnson & Scott Funeral Home in Cleveland.
 * Ray Funeral Home in Cleveland.
 * T.L. Redmon Funeral Home in Cleveland.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Maps of Mississippi (1785-1918)

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1812-1941 Military grave registrations - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only
 * 1940-1941 Register of Military Commissions - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

Mexican-American War 
 * 1846-1848  How to Use this Collection;  at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War 
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images at partner site
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images at partner site
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry free index
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry free index
 * 1889-1942  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1900-1974  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1936-1939 Civil war records a Memorial list of those that served in the Civil War - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only


 * - 1st Battalion, Mississippi Cavalry (Miller's)
 * Company A - Mississippi Rifles
 * - 1st Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry
 * Company H - Bolivar Troop

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Obituaries

 * Selected Bolivar County Obituaries Scroll down on the page to Obituaries. USGenWeb Archives

Other Records
 State Archives
 * 1820-1951   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images - incomplete - Topics covered: Ex Slave Narratives, list of military veterans,  Military grave registrations, Naturalizations and some Land records.

VOTER List
 * 1871-1967 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Probate Records
Online Records


 * 1780-1982 Mississippi Wills and Probate Records 1780-1982 at Ancestry index and images $
 * 1781-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1861-1924 (*); Chancery Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1865-1870 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1900-1924 (*); Chancery Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

School Records

 * 1850-1892; 1908-1957   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

 * 1836-1896 County Tax rolls 1836-1896 - Bolivar County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

Marriage
Marriage books 4 and 13 are missing from the Family History Library collection. In addition, marriage books 5, 6, 20, 24, and 25 (first series) were apparently skipped when the IGI was created.

The second series of marriage books include both white and colored marriages:


 * 1776-1935 Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 at Ancestry $
 * 1800-1825 Mississippi Marriages to 1825 at Ancestry $
 * 1800-1911  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1826-1850 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-50 at Ancestry$
 * 1826-1900 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-1900 at Ancestry $
 * 1858-1979  at FamilySearch for various counties - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1866-1873 Bolivar County Marriage Books 1 thru 3 Index 1866-1873. Batch  at FamilySearch
 * 1883-1885 Bolivar County Marriage Books 7 and 8 Index 1883-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch
 * 1886-1892 Bolivar County Marriage Books 9 and 10 Index 1886-1892. Batches  and  at FamilySearch
 * 1893-1895 Bolivar County Marriage Books 14 and 15 Index 1893-1895. Batch  at FamilySearch

Death

 * 1822-1921   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index, some images
 * 1912-1943   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1912-1943 Reclaim the Records: Mississippi Death Index at Archive.org - images of index

Societies

 * Bolivar County Historical Society 1615 Terrace Road Cleveland, MS 38732 Website Facebook

Websites

 * Bolivar County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network
 * Mississippi Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Bolivar County, MSGenWeb Project
 * Bolivar County, USGenWeb Archives
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.