Copiah County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Copiah County MSGHN

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

To share your Copiah 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 Copiah County, Mississippi...

On October 18, 1820, a large version of Hinds County was created from lands acquired from the Choctaw Indians. Copiah County, located in the East-central portion of Mississippi was formed on January 21, 1823 from the southern portion of this large Hinds County. Copiah County was the eighteenth county in Mississippi and at the time was ranked seventh in size. In the year of Copiah County's organization Walter Leake was Governor and James Monroe was President of the United States. The original legislative act defined the area as;

"Beginning on the eastern boundary line of Claiborne County, where the southern boundary line of township three strikes the same; thence east along said line to the Choctaw boundary line; thence southwardly with the same to the northern boundary of Covington County; thence westwardly along the old Choctaw boundary line to the southwest corner of the same; thence northwardly with the old Choctaw boundary to the beginning."

In 1824, the portion of Copiah County that was east of the Pearl River was taken and formed into Simpson County. In 1870 a portion of land along the southern border was donated to land from four other counties and formed into Lincoln County. The name Copiah originates from an Indian word meaning "calling panther." The county is known as a tomato and cabbage producing area, and for many years was called the "Tomato Capital of the World." Albert Gallatin Brown, the fourteenth Governor of Mississippi was elected from Copiah County, serving from 1844 until 1848.

The county seat is Hazlehurst which had its beginning as the town of Gallatin when two lawyers by the names of Walker and Saunders who were also brothers-in-law came here from Gallatin, Tennessee in 1819 and built their homes on the banks of Bayou Pierre. In 1829, after other settlers joined the two men, the Legislature granted the town a charter. The charter was repealed on January 18, 1862 and three years later on November 3, 1865, Hazlehurst was incorporated. The movement from Gallatin to Hazlehurst began with the building of the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Railroad.

As Hazlehurst grew, Gallatin declined until it became just a settlement at cross-roads. In April, 1872 the legislators ordered the Board of Supervisors of the county to hold an election to decide if the county seat should be moved from Gallatin to Hazlehurst. A majority voted for the change and the old brick courthouse in Gallatin was torn down and reassembled at Hazlehurst. Several years later this structure was replaced by a new courthouse.

The county has a total area of 780 square miles of which 777 square miles is land and 3 square miles (0.36%) is water. The population recorded in the 1830 Federal Census was 7,001. The 2010 census recorded 29,339 residents in the county.

>Neighboring counties are Hinds County (north), Simpson County (east), Lawrence County (southeast), Lincoln County (south), Jefferson County (southwest), and Claiborne County (west). Communities in the county include Crystal Springs, Hazlehurst (the coounty seat), Georgetown, Wesson, Beauregard, Carpenter, Dentville, Gallman, Hopewell, Martinsville, Midway, and Ruby.

Copiah County, Mississippi Records

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