Smith County, Mississippi Genealogy

Guide to Smith 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 Major David Smith. The County has Raleigh as its seat and the County was created 1833. The County is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Smith County Courthouse Main St; PO Box 39 Raleigh, MS 39153 Phone: 601.782.9811 Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1912 and court records. Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate, land and military records from 1892.

Parent County
1833--Smith County was created 23 December 1833 from the Choctaw Cession. County seat: Raleigh

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
1892, 1915--Some records were lost.

Neighboring Counties

 * Covington
 * Jasper
 * Jones
 * Newton
 * Rankin
 * Scott
 * Simpson

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 $


 * 1841 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1845 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1853 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1866 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.


 * 1880 -, courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

Maps

 * 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 Smith 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 Smith County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry Reserves
 * Company B - Nixon’s Company
 * - 6th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
 * Company D - Lowry Rifles
 * - 8th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
 * Company A - Yankee Terrors
 * Company C - True Confederates [also listed as Co. D]

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

 * 1834-1899 -, 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 $
 * 1912-1920 - Smith County Marriage Books 1 and 2 Index 1912-1920. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Smith County Mississippi Genealogical Society PO Box 356 Raleigh, MS 39153 Telephone Number: 601-426-6749 E-mail:[mailto:scmgs@smithcountygenealogy.org scmgs@smithcountygenealogy.org] Website Website

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

Websites

 * Smith County, MS History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Mississippi Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Mississippi Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.