Alcorn County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Alcorn County MSGHN

Welcome to the Alcorn County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.

To share your Alcorn County, Mississippi genealogy or history information, send an email to msghn@outlook.com - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Mississippi Counties, visit the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate county.

About Alcorn County, Mississippi...

Alcorn County is located in the north-eastern portion of Mississippi. Alcorn County was formed in 1870 and was named for Governor James L. Alcorn, the first Governor of Mississippi

The county seat is Corinth, which was located at the then junction of the Southern, Mobile, and Ohio and Illinois Central railroads. Also the location for the Siege of Corinth, an early campaign of the American Civil War.

With the exception of Columbus, Corinth was historically the only large manufacturing center in the northern part of the state, making it an important area during the Civil War.

The county has a total area of 401.35 square miles, the smallest county in Mississippi, of which 399.89 square miles is land and 1.46 square mile (0.36%) is water. The population recorded in the 1870 Federal Census was 10,431. The 2010 census recorded 37,057 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are McNairy County, Tennessee (north), Hardin County, Tennessee (northeast), Tishomingo County (east), Prentiss County (south), Tippah County (west), and Hardeman County, Tennessee (northwest). Communities in the county include Corinth, Farmington, Glen, Rienzi, Kossuth, Jacinto, Wenasoga, Kendrick, Biggersville, Hinkle, and Theo.

Alcorn County, Mississippi Records

Alcorn County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, census records, and more. Look at the Rankin County Data links for a list of available data.

Birth Records - The Mississippi Department of Health maintains records of births after November 1, 1912 on file. This was the year Mississippi began keeping official birth records. You can obtain official copies of birth certificates by mail by using this birth record application on their website. If you just have to order by internet or phone, or use a credit card, you can use VitalCheck, a third party records company recognized by the Mississippi Dept. of Health. Since there are no official birth records before November 1, 1912 for births prior to that date 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 births recorded after November 1, 1912 on file. This was the year Mississippi began keeping official death records. You can obtain official copies of death certificates by mail by using this death record application on their website. If you just have to order by internet or phone, or use a credit card, you can use VitalCheck, a third party records company recognized by the Mississippi Dept. of Health. 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.

Marriage Records - We have thousands of Alcorn County marriage records here on our website. These dates will assist you greatly in obtaining a copy of the original marriage license. The Mississippi Department of Health can provide you with this for marriages that took place between January 1, 1926 to June 30, 1938, and for January 1, 1942 to present by mail by using this marriage record application on their website. If you just have to order by internet or phone, or use a credit card, you can use VitalCheck, a third party records company recognized by the Mississippi Dept. of Health.

All existing Alcorn County marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the Alcorn County Circuit Clerk's office.

Divorce Records - Prior to 1859, divorce proceedings were introduced as private bills in the Mississippi State Legislature. References to these can be found in the books Index of Mississippi Session Acts 1817 - 1865 and Index to the Laws of the Mississippi Territory. These books can be found at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as well as many other genealogy repositories and libraries across the state. After 1859, Alcorn County divorce proceedings were filed in the Alcorn County Chancery Clerk's office.