George County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to George County MSGHN

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

To share your George 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 George County, Mississippi...

George County was formed on March 16, 1910 from Jackson and Green Counties. The county is bordered on the east by the state of Alabama and is the forty-fourth county in size. At the time of organization Edmond Noel was the governor of Mississippi and William H. Taft was the U.S. President.

Named after US Senator James Zachariah George (1881-1897). State Supreme Court Justice in Mississippi, and U.S. Senator from Mississippi.  Known among his constituents as "the Great Commoner."

Lucedale (incorporated in 1901) is the County Seat and was formed in 1898 shortly after a railroad was built in the area. The town was named for its founder, Gregory N. Luce, who built and operated a lumber business there. Luce settled in the area in 1896, from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He founded Luce Farms and Luce Products Inc. in 1914 to provide work for the men who had lost their jobs when Luce was forced to close the lumber mill. Luce Farms was purchased by the Farm Security Administration in 1938 and was divided into 40 acre tracts.

Three state highways converge in Lucedale to form the main street, which was named 15-26-63, for the three highways.

The Chickasawhay and Leaf Rivers converge in the northern part of the county to form the scenic Pascagoula River. The Escatawpa River flows through the southeastern portion of the county from Alabama to Jackson Co., MS. Two major creeks, Black Creek and Red Creek, both flow through the southwest portion of the county.

The county has a total area of 483.63 square miles, of which 478.29 square miles is land and 5.34 square mile (1.10%) is water. The population recorded in the 1910 Federal Census was 6,599. The 2010 census recorded 22,578 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Greene County (north), Mobile County, Alabama (east), Jackson County (south), Stone County (west), and Perry County (northwest). Communities in the county include Lucedale, Agricola, Benndale, Bexley, Crossroads, Merrill, Rocky Creek, Buzzard Roost, Basin, and Shipman.

George County, Mississippi Records

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