Amite County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Amite County MSGHN

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

To share your Amite 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 Amite County, Mississippi...

Amite County, Mississippi is located in the south-western portion of the state. Amite County was formed from Wilkinson County on 24 February 1809 while Mississippi was still a territory. It was named after the Amite River which is located in the county. The name Amite is derived from the French amitié, meaning "friendship" and was used in commemoration of their friendly treatment by the Houma Indians.

The old boundary line, as established by the Choctaw treaty of 1801, runs a few miles west of its original eastern boundary line. At the time of its establishment, it contained a population of about 1,500. Subsequently, from parts of its eastern area were formed the counties of Pike, Marion, Perry, Greene, and Lamar. In 1870 part of its territory was given to, in part, form Lincoln County.

The county seat is Liberty, where the local center of justice held its first court session in 1809. Liberty was incorporated in 1828. Construction on the current Amite County courthouse (the oldest in the state of Mississippi) was began in 1839. This courthouse replaced the original courthouse that had been built in 1812. The first Chief Justice was Micajah Davis and the first sheriff of the county was David Lea. The first Circuit Court Judge was Francis Xavier Martin who later became the Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Gail Borden, of Borden Milk fame, conducted condensed milk experiments in Liberty. Dr. Tichenor's world-known antiseptic originated in Liberty. Liberty is also the site of Mississippi's first Confederate Memorial, completed and dedicated in 1871.

Amite county has a total area of 731 square miles, of which 729 square miles is land and 2 square miles (0.28%) is water. The population recorded in the 1810 Federal Census was 4,750. The 2010 census recorded 13,131 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties and parishes are Franklin County (north), Lincoln County (northeast), Pike County (east), Tangipahoa Parish, LA (southeast), St. Helena Parish, LA (south), East Feliciana Parish, LA (southwest), and Wilkinson County (west).

Communities in the county include Centreville (mostly in Wilkinson County), Crosby (partly in Wilkinson County), Gloster, Liberty, Coles, Gillsburg, and Smithdale.

Amite County, Mississippi Records

Amite 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 Amite 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 Amite County marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the Amite 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, Amite County divorce proceedings were filed in the Amite County Chancery Clerk's office.