Calhoun County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Calhoun County MSGHN

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

To share your Calhoun 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 Calhoun County, Mississippi...

Calhoun County is located in the north-central portion of Mississippi and is named in honor of John C. Calhoun, who was once Vice President of the United States as well as a Senator from South Carolina. Calhoun County was formed on March 8, 1852 while Henry S. Foote was Governor of the State. It was formed from portions of Chickasaw, Yalobusha, and Lafayette counties.

A devastating 1922 courthouse fire (all too common in the state) destroyed all county records except for five land abstract books, some of which date back to 1852 when the county was created.

The county has a total of 588 square miles of which only 1.5 square miles is water.In Calhoun County's first census in 1860 there were 9,518 residents listed. The 1860 census reocrded 9,518 people living in the county. The population peaked in 1940 at 20,893. The last census in 2010 had the population at 14,962.

Neighboring counties are Lafayette County (north), Pontotoc County (northeast), Chickasaw County (east), Webster County (south), Grenada County (southwest), and Yalobusha County (west). The county seat is Pittsboro, the smallest county seat in Mississippi. Other Calhoun County communities include: Bruce, Calhoun City, Derma, Vardaman, Big Creek, Pittsboro, Slate Springs, Sarepta, and Banner.

Calhoun County, Mississippi Records

Calhoun County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, census records, and more. Look at the Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the Calhoun 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, Calhoun County divorce proceedings were filed in the Calhoun County Chancery Clerk's office.