Monroe County, Mississippi Genealogy

United States

Mississippi

Monroe County

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

County Facts County seat: Aberdeen Organized: 9 February 1821 Parent County(s): Chickasaw Cession Neighboring Counties Chickasaw  • Clay  • Itawamba  • Lamar (AL)  • Lee  • Lowndes  • Marion (AL) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

This county was named for James Monroe. Monroe County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse

Monroe County Courthouse
301 S. Chestnut Street
Aberdeen, MS 39730
Phone: 662-369-8143
Monroe County Website

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

Monroe County, Mississippi Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1 Nov 1912	1836	1 Nov 1912	1839	1821	1821	1810
Statewide registration started in Nov 1912 for births and deaths. General compliance by 1921.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

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

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:

The usage of "Mormon" and "LDS" on this page is approved according to current policy.

Cities
Aberdeen (county seat)	Amory
Towns
Hatley	Nettleton‡	Smithville
Villages
Gattman
Unincorporated communities
Athens Bartahatchie Becker Bigbee Binford Bristow Central Grove Darracott Flinn	Gibson Greenwood Springs Lackey Mormon Springs Muldon Parham Prairie Quincy	Riggins Sipsey Fork Splunge Strong Tranquil Wise Gap Westville Wren
Census-designated places
Hamilton	New Hamilton
Ghost towns
Bolivar	Camargo	Cotton Gin Port

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

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Monroe County, Mississippi online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com MSGenWeb Tombstone Project MSInterment EPodunk Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves
See Mississippi Cemeteries for more information

 

• 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 Records

For tips on accessing Monroe County census records online, see: Mississippi 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 $
• 1815-1817 1815-1817 Territory Census Returns at FamilySearch
• 1816 1816 Territory Census Returns at FamilySearch
• 1841 1841 State Census Returns at FamilySearch
• 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 1880 State Census Returns at FamilySearch

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Mississippi denominations, view the Mississippi Church Records wiki page.

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 C714251 at FamilySearch
• 1851-1895 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Aberdeen, Marriage Index 1851-1895. Batch M714251 at FamilySearch

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.

Funeral Homes

• E. E. Pickle in Amory

Land and Property Records

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Mississippi Land and Property for additional information about early Mississippi land ownership. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Monroe County. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Mississippi Local Histories. Aberdeen, MS: TomBigbee Country, 2002. 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.

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.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 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 Google Books ($).

Military Records

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 1861-1865 Mississippi, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1889-1942 Mississippi, Confederate Records, 1889-1942 at FamilySearch
• 1900-1974 Mississippi, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1900-1974 at FamilySearch

Regiments. Men in 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

World War I

• 1917-1919 Mississippi, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — index
• 1917-1918 Mississippi, World War I Army Veterans, Master alphabetical index, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images

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 & 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 & 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 & 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

Probate records are held by the Monroe County, Mississippi Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Monroe County, Mississippi Genealogy Courthouse. Microfilmed records can be found online at Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930. See the wiki page Mississippi Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.

Online Records

• 1780-1982 Mississippi Wills and Probate Records 1780-1982 at Ancestry $
• 1781-1930 Mississippi Probate Records 1781-1930 at FamilySearch

Tax Records

Mississippi tax records replace missing censuses and provide lists of residents during years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see Mississippi Taxation.

• 1816-1892 Territorial and County Tax Rolls at FamilySearch
• 1848 Nickles, Lillian Plant. 1848 Tax Assessment Roll: Aberdeen, Athens, Camargo, Cotton Gin Port, and Monroe County, Mississippi. Aberdeen, Miss.: The author, 1960.

Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. Mississippi law did not require keeping birth or death records until 1912. Births and deaths are kept by the Mississippi Bureau of Vital Statistics. Marriage records are kept by the county. See also How to order Mississippi Vital Records or order electronically online.

See Mississippi Vital Records for more information on getting Mississippi records.

Marriage

• 1776-1935 Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935 at Ancestry $
• 1800-1825 Mississippi Marriages to 1825 at Ancestry $
• 1800-1911 Mississippi, Marriages, 1800-1911 at FamilySearch
• 1821-1850 Jones, Elizabeth C. Monroe County, Mississippi Marriages [1821-1825 and 1834-1850]. Aberdeen, Miss.: The author, 1962.
• 1821-1858 Thomas, Betty Wood. Mississippi Marriages: Lowndes County, 1830-1868; Monroe County, 1821-1858. s.l.: s.n., 1979.
• 1858-1979 Mississippi, County Marriages, 1858-1979 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1821-1900 Monroe County, Mississippi, 1821-1900. Hammond, La.: Nicholas Russell Murray, Hunting for Bears, 1982. 3 vols. (Computer indexed marriage records)
• 1821-1916 Monroe County Marriage Books 1-28 Index 1821-1916 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
• 1826-1850 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-50 at Ancestry $
• 1826-1900 Mississippi Marriages, 1826-1900 at Ancestry $

• Nickles, Lillian Plant. Marriage Book 4, Monroe County, Mississippi. s.l.: s.n., n.d.

Death

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

Divorce

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

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

Libraries

• Evans Memorial Library
  105 N. Long Street
  Aberdeen, MS 39730
  Website
  Excellent local genealogy collection

Societies

• Monroe County Historical Society
  30062 Sandhill Rd
  Aberdeen, MS 39730
  Website
  
• Aberdeen Genealogical Society
  General Delivery
  Aberdeen, MS 39730

Websites

• Mississippi Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Mississippi Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Monroe County, Mississippi Genweb
• FamilySearch Catalog – 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.