Jefferson County, MississippiA Proud Part of the Mississippi GenWeb!
Contact Us:
State Coordinator: Jeff Kemp
County Coordinator: Gerry Westmoreland
Jefferson County is located along the Mississippi River in southwest Mississippi. The entire region was covered in a forest of various species of pines, oaks, dogwoods, magnolias, gum, willow, cottonwood, sycamore, elm, cypress, ash, cedar, and other hardwood trees. With rich lands, an abundance of water, plenty of wild game, plentiful timber, and a pleasent climate, the area was ideal for settlement. By 1795 settlers were arriving in large numbers.
The French claimed the area from the time of La Salle's exploration of the Mississippi River until 1763. The English claimed it from 1763 till 1781 and Spain claimed it from 1781 to 1798. In 1785 Georgia claimed it as her western lands, organized the County of Bourbon and sold territory in this region. This was the time that Thomas Cumming, Nicholas Long, Thomas Glasscock, A. Gordon and others bought all of the territory which included the area that is now Jefferson County.
Jefferson County MSGHN has records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, and more. Check out the Menu at the top for links to all of the available data here.
Birth Records - The Mississippi Department of Health maintains records of births after November 1, 1912. This was the year Mississippi began keeping official birth records. You can order official copies of birth certificates on their website. For births before November 1, 1912 you will need to determine birth information from census records, bible records, baptismal records, cemetery tombstones, etc.
Death Records - The Mississippi Department of Health maintains deaths recorded after November 1, 1912 on file. This was the year Mississippi began keeping official death records. You can order official copies of death certificates on their website. Since there are no official death records before November 1, 1912 for deaths prior to that date you will need to determine death information from census records, bible records, funeral home records, cemetery tombstones, etc.
January 16, 2026
Added a page for Brandywine Creek.
January 6, 2026
Added a history of Alcorn State University.
December 28, 2025
Added ten obituaries to the Bios / Obit page.
December 26, 2025
Added a history of Rodney, MS.
December 19, 2025
Added page for McBride, MS.
December 11, 2025
Added page for Union Church, MS.
November 24, 2025
Added page for Bayou Pierre.
September 19, 2025
Added page for the Mississippi River.
August 2, 2025
Added page for Elmo Baptist Church.
June 10, 2025
Added page for Poplar Hill AME Church.
June 10, 2025
Added page for Poplar Hill School.
