Jasper County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Jasper County MSGHN

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

To share your genealogy or history information submit it to msghn@outlook.com and we will be pleased to include it here.

About Jasper County, Mississippi...

Jasper County is located in the East-Central portion of Mississippi and was formed on December 13, 1833. It was created from territory acquired in 1830 from the Choctaws (occupied by the Six Town Tribe), just north of the old Mount Dexter treaty line.

The county was named in honor of Sgt. William Jasper who distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the South Carolina flag in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed.

Settled in early 1833, Garlandville is the oldest community in Jasper County. Among the early settlers were the families of Brown, Beard, Cowan, Dellahay, Hamlet, Harris, Hodge, Layerly, Watts, and Williams. The town also raised two companies that served in the Civil War.

Jasper is a county with two county seats, one courthouse is in Bay Springs, and the other is in Paulding, named for John Paulding who played a central role in the capture of Major Andre during U.S. Revolutionary War. By an act of the Legislature in 1906, Jasper County was divided into two Judicial Districts, with Paulding as the seat of the Eastern District and Bay Springs the seat of the Western District.

In 1935-36, a road was built from Bay Springs to Rose Hill, the first road connecting the two districts. This road facilitated travel and increased the stature of Bay Springs as a trading area. The old courthouse at Paulding was built out of local materials, including clay which was dug up and baked nearby. It burned in 1932 with the loss of all records.

The county has a total area of 677.44 square miles of which 676 square miles is land and 1.44 square miles (0.21%) is water. The population recorded in the 1840 Federal Census was 3,958. The 2010 census recorded 17,062 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Newton County (north), Clarke County (east), Wayne County (southeast), Jones County (south), and Smith County (west). Communities in the county include Bay Springs, Heidelberg, Louin, Montrose, Baxter, Garlandville, Lake Como, Moss, Paulding, Rose Hill, Stafford Springs, and Success.

Jasper County, Mississippi Records

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