Mississippi County Church and Cemetery Records
See Also Research In State Church & Cemetery Records - Church records rank among the most promising of genealogical records available. Indeed, for periods before the advent of civil registration of vital statistics (a very late development in many American states), church records rank as the best available sources for information on specific vital events: birth, marriage, and death. They are also among the most under-used major records in American genealogy. Part of the reason lies in the number of denominations-there are hundreds of them. Identifying and locating the records of these various churches makes even professional genealogists hesitate......
The card catalog at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History provides access to the numerous cemetery books that have been published for many counties throughout the state. Another card index of value provides volume-by-volume access to Mississippi Cemetery and Bible Records, an ongoing publication project by the Mississippi Genealogical Society since 1949. Individual volumes, without the card index, are on the shelves of many local libraries throughout the state.
The Bible and Cemetery Records Collection, prepared by the DAR, is very useful but is not thoroughly indexed. Although records of individual cemeteries are scattered throughout these compilations, some volumes concentrate on the cemeteries of one county, such as Hinds, Adams, or Bolivar.
Another source to consult is the Genealogical and Cemetery File, which consists of an upright file of folders arranged by county and includes, among other items, unpublished cemetery records donated to the archives by researchers.
To facilitate the process of finding a cemetery in the state, the typescript of “State Cemeteries” located at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History lists public and private cemeteries giving section, township, and range. This finding aid and the WPA cemetery list, a typescript listing of public and private cemeteries by county, which also includes the section, township, and range, can be used in conjunction with county maps.
Also on microfilm are the Mississippi Grave Registrations, which could help in the location of a veteran who was buried in Mississippi. However, this list is not complete. All of the above resources are available at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Baptist - Beginning in 1791 the Baptist church in Mississippi showed early signs of strength after the preacher Richard Curtis brought together the first group of Baptists at Coles Creek near Natchez. The Mississippi Baptist Association was formed as early as 1806 with a total of six churches and 706 members. Now it claims the largest membership in the state.
Roman Catholic - The Spanish Dominion brought the strong influence of Catholicism into colonial Mississippi, but Mississippi as a territory witnessed the development of other organized religions that were predominantly Protestant faiths. In actuality, the priest left with the Spanish as the U.S. officially claimed Mississippi Territory, leaving only a handful of Catholic families in the area. In 1798 the remaining Roman Catholic populace was administered to occasionally by priests from Louisiana and Mobile. There was no real growth in the church until after the 1840s when there was a rush of Irish immigrants into the state. A separate diocese was created in 1837, located in Natchez, but ultimately was moved to Jackson.
Lutheran - The Lutheran church was the last protestant church to organize in the state. The New Hope Lutheran Church was first formed in 1846 near Sallis in Attala County. However, in 1855 the Mississippi Synod was assembled as part of the United Synod of the South. There were nine Lutheran churches at the time.
Episcopal - Episcopal church services were held in the Mississippi region in 1790. However, the first church, named Christ Church (at Church Hill in Jefferson County) was not organized until 1815 when it was founded by Adam Cloud. The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi was organized in 1826 with churches located in Church Hill, Natchez, Port Gibson, and Woodville.
Methodist - Although there was not rapid progression of any church during territorial and early statehood days, the Methodist church became the largest antebellum religious group
Presbyterian - The formation of the Presbyterian church in 1800 is attributed to three missionaries: James Hall, William Montgomery, and James Bowman who were sent by the Synod of the Carolinas to preach. The first established Presbyterian church in Mississippi was Bethel at Uniontown in Jefferson County. The Synod of Mississippi was formed in 1835.
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Cemeteries - No statewide systematic or comprehensive inventory of cemeteries or bibliography of published transcriptions have been compiled. Scattered volumes have been published by various patriotic, historical, and genealogical societies. Many individual cemetery transcriptions have been published in periodicals.
Cemetery records and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. Cemetery and other sources of information associated with death include:
| FOR DEFINITIONS OF ALL CEMETERY TERMS SEE THE GENEALOGY ENCYCLOPEDIA | |
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