Marshall County was established February 9, 1836, the year in which the Chickasaw session of 1832 was divided by the commonwealth into political organizations. It was named for Chief Justice John Marshall and formerly included within its area a considerable portion of Benton, Tate, and several other counties. The act creating the county defined its limits as follows:
"Beginning at the point where the line of the basis meridian intersects the northern boundary line of the State, and running thence south with the said basis meridian line, to the center, of township 6; thence west through the center of township 6, according to the sectional lines, to the center of range 5 west; thence north through the center of range 5 west, according to the sectional lines, to the northern boundary line of the State, and thence east with the said boundary line, to the beginning."
Its original area was about 23 townships or 828 square miles. In 1870 it gave up part of its territory on the east to Benton County, and in 1873 it gave up another portion of its area to assist in the formation of Tate County, and received in lieu of the portion surrendered to Tate, all that portion of De Soto County lying within townships 1 and 2, R. 5 west.
The following is a list of its civil officers for the year 1837: William H. Bourland, Clerk of Probate; James C. Alderson, Clerk of Circuit Court; Thomas Lane, Probate Judge; M.J. Blackwell, Surveyor; Frederick Wells, Assessor and Collector; Thomas J. Oliver, Treasurer; Benj. Daluron, Coroner; T. McCrosky, Sheriff; G.W. Graham, Ranger; Dickson Rogers, Henry White, Wm. Hicks, W.C. Edmundson, E.H. Patts, Board of Police; John Roaks, T.L. Treadwell, D.E. Brittonum, Henry Moore, Milton P. Johnson, Geo. W. Wry, T.M. Yancy, J.C. Randolph, J.B. Cockran, Robert Carson, Justices of the Peace; John P. Planes, James Rhodes, Sillmane Weaver, John M. Malone, Lewis Johnston, Constables.
Marshall County received its full share of settlers during the early rush of emigration into the newly opened Chickasaw cession. By the year 1840, it had a population of about 17,500, and by the year 1850 the population was 29,089. Among these were many prominent families and wealthy planters.
Three of the earliest settlements were at Tallaloosa, located about 8 miles southwest of Holly Springs, on the Pigeon Roost Creek, Waterford, one mile west of the station of the same name on the Illinois Central railroad, and the place of muster for the militia of that part of the State; and Hudsonville, about 4 miles southwest of old Lamar, on the stage road from Lagrange, Tennessee, to Holly Springs, Mississippi. All three places are now practically extinct. Its chief town and county seat is Holly Springs, the "City of Flowers".
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Dates following a slash indicate those materials jointly held by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the FHL
Marshall County Clerk of Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1836 and Court Records from 1836 and is located at P. O. Box 459, Holly Springs, Mississippi 38635;
Phone: 252-3434, Fax: 252-0004 . Duties of the Circuit Clerk include
Receivin and fileing all law suits, indictments, motions and other related papers in all Civil and Criminal Cases filed in the Circuit or County Courts and issues all process including summons and subpoenas,
Draws Jurors and qualifies Juries,
Keeps a record of all Judgments and Executions,
Issues marriage licenses and keeps records of marriages.
Marshall County Chancery Court Clerk has Land Records from 1856 (Two early deed books missing) and Probate Records from 1836 and is located at P. O. Box 219, Holly Springs, Mississippi 38635;
Phone: 252-4431, Fax: 252-0004.
The Chancery Clerk occupies perhaps the most unique and diverse office in all of Mississippi government. The various duties given the Chancery Clerk by statute, or assumed voluntarily by the individual Clerk, cover a wide range of vitally important functions. Some of the duties and functions of the Chancery Clerk are recording the official minutes. As public recorder, the Clerk handles the recording and storage of several types of documents and maintains various indexes that aid people in researching these records. The primary records are deeds and mortgages relating to real property, but the Clerk also records federal tax liens, Lis Pendens ( notices of pending lawsuits ) and military discharges. The Clerk is in charge of the storage and authorized disposal of older land rolls, tax receipts and many other County records after their active use lifespan. As Clerk of the Chancery Court, the Clerk handles a multitude of tasks such as matters of estates, guardianships, conservatorships, divorces, child custody, adoption, property disputes and other matters of equity.
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Mississippi Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Mississippi Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
Marshall County Health Department has Birth
and Death
Records from November of 1912 .and is located at 225 South Market, P. O. Box 340, Holly Springs, MS 38635; Phone: 662-252-4621 . You may go to any county health department in the State of Mississippi to obtain a certificates can be issued while you wait.
Contact Chancery Clerk for County Divorce Records (See Marshall County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Clerk of Circuit Court Judge For County Marriage Records (See Marshall County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in county where license was issued
Mississippi Department of Health is located in the Underwood Building, 571 Stadium Drive, just off North State Street near Woodrow Wilson Avenue in Jackson, Mississippi. The phone number is 601.576.7981. They have the following records:
Birth Certificates: The Mississippi Department of Health began filing birth certificates in November of 1912 for persons born in Mississippi.
For earlier records, contact the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at (601) 576-6876.The certified copy of the birth certificate is available for $12.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates.
Death Certificates: The Mississippi Department of Health began filing death certificates in November of 1912 for persons who died in Mississippi. For earlier records, contact the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at (601) 576-6876. The fee for a certified copy of a death certificate is $10.00. Each additional copy ordered at the same time is $2.00. You can download an application online for Death Certificates. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
Marriage Certificates: The Mississippi Department of Health began filing Marriage records from January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938, and for January 1, 1942 to present. for marriages that occurred in Mississippi. (Information for marriages prior to 1926 must be obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court office in the county where the marriage license was issued.).The fee for a search of the records and a certified copy is $10.00. Additional copies ordered at the same time are $2.00 each. You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates.
Checks or Money Orders should be made payable to "Vital Records." Please do not send cash. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Mississippi Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates or Death Certificates. You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Federal Population Schedules that exist for Mississippi are 1820, 1830 (Partial), 1840, 1850, 1860 (Partial), 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. In
1817 Mississippi became the twentieth state to enter the union;
therefore, the first federal population census available is
that of 1820.
Variations of this census appear in three printed forms, none
of which include slave or miscellaneous information.
Enumerations for Pike County are missing in 1830, but the Gillis
index used extant tax records to supplement their index. Transcriptions
are subject to error; use these reprints simply as a guide to
the original records.
A significant addition to the 1840 census supplies the names
and ages of pensioners. Schedules are missing for Hancock, Sunflower,
and Washington counties in 1860.
By 1870, with slavery abolished, all blacks, natives, and Chinese
were included, along with information regarding citizenship.
With the destruction of the 1890 population schedules, only
the schedules enumerating Union veterans are available for Mississippi. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Alabama and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Mississippi showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Mississippi showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries . You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Alabama Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Maps. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Mississippi Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Mississippi (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Local
county courthouses maintain original tax records, both real
and personal. Microfilm copies of the earlier records are found
in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History where
the collection is extensive, but there are gaps. Although not
many, some counties have published selected years of tax rolls.
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Ph. (601) 576-6850, fax (601) 576-6964 Physical Address: 200 North Street, Jackson, MS 39201 Mailing Address: P. O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205-0571
Mississippi Genealogical Society, PO Box 5301, Jackson, MS 39296-5301
Mississippi Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Mississippi Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Marshall County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Internment.net - Mississippi Cemeteries - Browse Cemeteries by County
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Marshall County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Marshall County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Mississippi Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Located
on the northern border of the state, bounded by the
Tennessee state line on the north, Tallahatchie River
on the south, Benton County on the east and DeSoto
and Tate counties on the west, Marshall county is
traversed from northwest to southwest by the Kansas
City, Memphis & Birmingham railroad, and from north to south by the Illinois Central railroad, these two great trunk lines intersecting at Holly Springs, the county seat, which is distant forty-five miles from Memphis, two hundred miles from Birmingham, the great coal and iron center, and about three hundred and seventy-five miles from each of the cities of New Orleans, St. Louis and Louisville. The water courses of the county are Coldwater, Pigeon Roost, Chewalla, Spring creek and Tallahatchie river, on southern border of the county.
The principal products of the county are cotton, corn, small grain and every variety of vegetable that grows in this latitude. The timber growth consists of all kinds of oak, hickory, walnut, poplar, gum, beech, maple, cypress, etc. All kinds of fruits do well, such as apples, peaches, grapes, figs, plums, apricots, etc.; also the small fruits, all of which could be grown with profit for the Chicago and St. Louis markets. Apples and peaches are not a certain crop, owing to the occasional disaster of late frost; but in the absence of such frost, as is the case this year, these fruits are both superior and abundant. At the New Orleans exposition the Marshall county exhibit of apples, peaches and pears took a number of first premiums. Pears, plums, cherries, quinces, strawberries and raspberries grow readily, in the greatest quantities, of magnificent size and of delicious varieties; while blackberries flourish in every fence corner. Grapes of all known American varieties are raised with unfailing success. Pasturage is good and extensive, consisting of Bermuda grass, native grasses and switchcane. Stock farming and sheep husbandry could be made profitable.Few places in Mississippi are so favorably situated. Holly Springs is an important station on the Illinois Central railroad. The railroad company have established here an excellent hotel. The Memphis and Birmingham branch of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf road connects the West with the Alabama and Atlantic seaboard. Thus Holly Springs is most desirably located as regards communication with the rest of the world, which fact, together with its exceptional health, makes it a comparatively good point for manufactories or industrial enterprises of any description.
Besides Holly Springs, population twenty-two hundred and thirty-two, the towns and postoffices of the county are Barton, Bethlehem, Byhalia (population five hundred), Cayce, Chulahoma, Colbert, Coleman, Cornersville, Early Grove, Hudsonville, Law’s Hill, Mahon, Marianna, Mount Pleasant, Orion, Potts Camp, Red Banks, Searcy, Slayden’s Crossing, Victoria, Wall Hill, Watson and Waterford. This county had a population of seventeen thousand five hundred and twenty-six in 1840, twenty-nine thousand and eighty nine in 1850; twenty-eight thousand eight hundred and twenty-three in 1860, twenty-nine thousand four hundred and sixteen in 1870, twenty-nine thousand three hundred and thirty in 1880, twenty-six thousand and forty-three in 1890. In 1860 it had nineteen hundred and seventeen voters and fifteen thousand four hundred and forty-eight taxable slaves. The colored population in 1870 was sixteen thousand four hundred and ninety nine; in 1880, eighteen thousand three hundred and thirty-eight; in 1890, sixteen thousand five hundred and eight.
This section suffered greatly during the war. Holly Springs, which was for a time Grant’s headquarters, is famous historically as the scene of Van Dorn’s raid on the Federal stores. On December 20, 1862, the dashing Southern general, with a small force, surprised the troops left behind the Grant, who was fifty miles away marching on Jackson. The Federals were all captured and paroled. Grant’s immense stores, ammunition, etc., were then entirely destroyed. The medical supplies had been placed for security in a large building used as a foundry and the ammunition in a stable. The loss inflicted on Grant was enormous, amounting to millions of dollars, necessitating his return and an entire change in his plans for the campaign. Many interesting incidents of the raid are told by old residents. The old courthouse was burnt by Grant and most of the city by Van Dorn. Soon after the war the present courthouse was erected. It is a large brick building, surrounded by an unusually well kept grass lawn, at whose edge shade trees in great and rare varieties give an additional charming effect. In the summer, when the foliage and flowers are at their best, the courthouse square is very handsome and the inhabitants have every reason to pride themselves on it.
Marshall county was established February 9, 1836, and was originally settled by a class of planters unusually intelligent, patriotic and public spirited, many of whom became prominent and well known. The merchants who founded Holly Springs were of the same class of large minded men. In ante-bellum times Marshall county was the empire county of Mississippi; its soil was very fertile, and its yield of cotton very large. Its topography is varied, being in the main slightly rolling, and well drained by many streams
