Hancock County was
established in 1812 from the Mobile District.
It was named in honor of
John Hancock.![](images/john-hancock.jpg)
The county
population in 1990 was 31,760.
Bay St. Louis,
the county seat, was incorporated in 1817 and was the first city
incorporated in the state of Mississippi.
In 1818 it was called
Shieldsborough; in 1882 the name was changed to Bay St. Louis. It
is the 3rd oldest city on the Gulf Coast having been discovered in 1699
by a scouting party sent out by d'Iberville. It was named in honor of
King Louis IX, Saint Louis, as it was discovered on his birthday.
The area was inhabited in
the 1700's by French settlers.
The city of Waveland was
chartered as a city in 1888.
![](images/Hancock%20County%20Courthouse%201911.jpg)
Hancock County Courthouse, built 1911 - Bay
St. Louis, Mississippi
NEW!
at the Mississippi Department of Archives &
History
A great source for articles on genealogy &
history, see Dick Eastman's Online
Genealogy Newsletter.
Looking for meetings or webinars on Mississippi
Genealogy? Be sure to check out this site:
CONFERENCEKEEPR.ORG
CALENDAR FOR MISSISSIPPI
I have misplaced the materials sent to me for the New Cedar Rest Cemetery photos
contriibuted to me by Sue Minner and her husband!
I'm trying to locate those items as soon as I can, but have
moved more than once since she provided those to me.
I've got my fingers crossed that I can find those soon. My
sincere apologies to Sue and husband.
![](images/hancock.jpg)
Hancock County - Source: 1895 US Atlas - located on
WebArchive
Index to Mississippi Towns & Cities
Hancock County, Mississippi
1996 - present | Last updated December 2023 |