Wilkinson County
is historic ground. It was established January 30, 1802, during the administration of Gov. W.C.C. Claiborne, and was the fifth county to be erected in the new Territory. It was named for Geri. James Wilkinson, in command of the United States troops during the early territorial era of Mississippi. It was created by act of the General Assembly, which recited that “The county of Adams shall be divided as follows, to-wit: Beginning on the river Mississippi at the mouth of the Homochitto River, thence running up the Homochitto River to Richards ferry, thence by a line running due east to the western boundary of Washington County; and all that tract of country south of the above described boundary, to the line of demarcation, shall compose a county, which shall be called Wilkinson.”
From its territory lying east of a line drawn due north from the thirty mile post, east of the Mississippi River, were subsequently drawn the counties of Amite, Pike and the portion of Marion lying west of the Pearl River. June 29, 1822, the river Homochitto was declared to be the dividing line between the counties of Adams and Wilkinson, from its mouth to its intersection with the basis meridian line; and from thence the said river was made the line of demarcation between the counties of Wilkinson and Franklin, as far as the mouth of Foster’s Creek. In 1846, the north channel of the Homochitto, where it forms an island below the lower or western Natchez and Woodville road was declared to be the boundary between Wilkinson and Adams, and Tanzy Island was embraced within the limits of Wilkinson.
This historic region composed the southern part of the old Natchez District, and contained some of the earliest settlements of white people in the State. During the latter part of the eighteenth century, several large settlements had been made in Wilkinson County, along the Homochitto River, Buffalo Bayou and in the vicinity of the Mississippi River. The whole interior of the present State of Mississippi, with the exception of a small district on the Tombigbee River, was at this time in the sole and undisputed possession of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. Many of these early settlers were Anglo-Americans, and some were of Spanish and French descent, due to the successive occupancy of the region by France, England and Spain. Others had emigrated to the district from the United States after the close of the Revolutionary war, under the inducements held out by the Spanish authorities. After the treaty of San Lorenzo in 1795 many more came from the western states, and from the Carolinas and Georgia. The census of 1810 shows that Wilkinson had attained a population of 5,068, and by 1837 it had a total population of nearly 13,000, including slaves. The year after General Wilkinson came to Natchez, in the summer of 1798, he erected a military post at the first highland point on the Mississippi, a few miles above the Spanish line of demarcation, and called it “Fort Adams.” The historic old place is now a small village. A few of the early settlers of Wilkinson County at the beginning of the last century were George Poindexter, Daniel Williams, Abram M. Scott, John Joor, Gerard C. Brandon, Joseph Johnson, all members of the Constitutional Convention of 1817, and elsewhere mentioned in this work; Judge Edward McGehee, Peter Smith, father of Coteworth Pinckney Smith, Chief Justice of the High Court of Errors and Appeals, John Dunkley, Thos. Kirkham, John L. Lewis, Archibald McGehee, London Davis, Hugh Davis, Douglas Cooper, Gen. Wm. L. Brandon, and Wm. and James A. Ventress. Few, if any counties in the State, can furnish a roll of names as distinguished in the annals of the commonwealth and the above list might be indefinitely extended. The following men were commissioned Justices of the Peace, February, 2, 1802: John Ellis, Hugh Davis, John Collins, Richard Butler, William Ogden and Thomas Dawson.
Courts were first held at Fort Adams and Pinckneyville, and a little later the seat of justice was moved to the present county site of Woodville, which was incorporated in 1811. Woodville is situated in the south central part of the county at the terminus of the Bayou Sara and Woodville branch of the Y. & M. V. railroad. This old railroad is noteworthy as one of the first railroads to be built in the United States, and is the oldest line in Mississippi. It was incorporated by Woodville people in 1831, under the name of The West Feliciana Railroad Company. Judge Edward McGehee was one of the active promoters of the road.
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
Wilkinson County Clerk of Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1804/1823 and Court Records from 1822 and is located at P. O. Box 327, Woodville, Mississippi 39669;
Phone: 888-6697, Fax: 888-6984 . 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.
Wilkinson County Chancery Court Clerk has Land Records from 1803 and Probate Records from 1806 and is located at P. O. Box 516, Woodville, Mississippi 39669;
Phone: 888-4381, Fax: 888-6776.
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 Wilkinson County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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.
Wilkinson County Health Department has Birth
and Death
Records from November of 1912 .and is located at First South Street, P.O. Box 398, Woodville, MS 39669; Phone: 601-888-4202 . 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 Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Maps. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Woodville Civic Club, Friends of the Museum, P.O. Box 814, Woodville, MS 39669
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 Wilkinson County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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 Wilkinson County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Wilkinson 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.
Woodville was first settled near the turn of the nineteenth century and was incorporated as a town in 1811. A short time later it was chosen as the county seat of Wilkinson County, which was formed in 1802 in the extreme southwest corner of Mississippi from an old territory originally known as the county of Bourbon, and later as Adams County. Interestingly, the 1990 census figures reveal that the population of the county is virtually the same as it was 160 years before, in 1830.
The original Natchez Trace may have had its points of origin at Fort Adams on the Mississippi River near Woodville when the commander-in-chief of the United States Army, General James Wilkinson, for whom the county was named, completed a treaty with the Choctaw Indians to open a thoroughfare from Fort Adams northeast in order that supplies and soldiers could be safely moved to the fort located there. It was at Fort Adams that the scene of "The Man Without a Country", by Edward Everett Hale was located
The Woodville business district, like that of so many old southern towns, is built around a square in the center of which stands the Courthouse, the third structure to be located there. Surrounding this imposing building are many stately live oak trees. Because of its size and age there stands among these one tree in the southwest corner that has the distinction of being a member of the American Society of Live Oaks. It bears the name of "The Jefferson Davis Oak", and stands as a living memorial to the first and only president of the Confederacy whose boyhood home was at Rosemont plantation located a short distance from Woodville.
Near the southwest corner of the Court Square is located the old Bank of the State of Mississippi, organized 173 years ago. The repudiation of the bonds of the subsequent owner of the building, Planters Bank of the State of Mississippi, more than 150 years ago, caused international controversy and litigation in the Supreme Court of the United States. The building, now owned by the Woodville Civic Club, is being restored for occupancy by that organization.
Woodvillians are justly proud of their rich heritage of southern culture and traditions, as well as of the many old antebellum homes and gardens within its limits and in the immediate vicinity. It is with pleasure that our people welcome visitors to the community.
