Clay County, Mississippi Genealogy

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



Description
The County was named for U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777-1852). The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Clay County Courthouse PO Box 815 West Point, MS 39773 Phone: 662-494-3124 Clay County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage and court records. Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate and land records from 1872.

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:

Census Records
Federal Census
 * 1660-1820 U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 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
 * 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 $
 * 1880 State Census return - Clay County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

Church Records

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Maps of Mississippi (1785-1918)

Military Records
Multiple Wars
 * 1775-1951 Military grave registrations -Clay County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

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 index free
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry index free
 * 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 -  Clay County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

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

Naturalization and Citizenship

 *  1936-1941 Naturalization index take-off cards  (1936-1941) - Clay County Collection at FamilySearch - index only - very few

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 $
 * 1781-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only

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

 * 1872-1892 County Tax Rolls - Clay County Collection at FamilySearch - images only

Marriage

 * 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 - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1872-1917 Clay County Marriage Books 1-18 Index 1872-1917 in International Genealogical Index 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

 * Clay County Historical and Genealogical Society P.O. Box 1849 West Point, MS 39773 Website

Websites

 * Clay County, Mississippi Genealogy & History Network
 * Mississippi Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb Clay County, Mississippi project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county.
 * – 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.