Clay County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Clay County MSGHN

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

To share your Clay 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 Clay County, Mississippi...

Clay County was created May 12, 1871, during the administration of then Mississippi Governor Alcorn, and marks the southern boundary line of the old Chickasaw Indian territory. It was originally organized from parts of Chickasaw, Lowndes, Monroe and Oktibbeha Counties, and named Colfax County after Schuyler Colfax, Republican Vice-President from 1869 - 1873. In 1876, after the Democrats came into power and had thrown off carpetbag rule, the name was changed to Clay in honor of the great Kentucky politician Henry Clay.

Its county seat is West Point, located at the once junction of three lines of railway—the Illinois Central, the Southern, and the Mobile and Ohio. Within easy distance of the Alabama coal fields, it once possessed excellent railroad facilities. The Tombigbee River washes a part of its eastern border and the Tibet, Line Houlka, Sun, Chewah and Chuquatonchee creeks, tributaries of the Tombigbee, afford it ample water.

The surface of the county is generally undulating and level with considerable open timber and fertile bottom lands. The timber trees consist of all kinds of oaks, hickory, ash, gum, poplar, chestnut, walnut, beech and maple. Artesian water has been found in various parts of the county.

The county has a total area of 416.02 square miles of which 408.56 square miles is land and 7.46 square mile (1.79%) is water. The population recorded in the 1880 Federal Census was 17,367. The 2010 census recorded 20,634 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Chickasaw County (north), Monroe County (northeast), Lowndes County (southeast), Oktibbeha County (south), Webster County (west). Communities in the county include West Point, Cedarbluff, Hopewell, Montpelier, Palo Alto, Pheba, Tibbee, Una, and White Station.

Clay County, Mississippi Records

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