Welcome to the Lamar County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.
To share your Lamar 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.
On March 13, 1904 Lamar County was created from the second judicial district of Marion County and the northern part of Pearl River County. It was the seventy-sixth county to organize in the state and was named in honor of the Mississippi politician and jurist Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II.
Lamar served as U.S. Representitive, U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior under Pres. Cleveland, and also served as a United States Supreme Court Justice. Lamar is the only Mississippian to have served on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The town of Purvis, incorporated in 1886, is the county seat and was named for John Purvis, an early settler and landowner in the area. In April 1908 a hurricane sweeping up from the Gulf of Mexico hit the town killing seven people and injuring hundreds more. During the storm the courthouse clock stopped at precisely four p.m. The clock remained at that time in honor of the dead and injured until the courthouse burned in 1938.
The county has a total area of 500.49 square miles, of which 497.07 square miles is land and 3.42 square mile (0.68%) is water. The population recorded in the 1910 Federal Census was 11,741. The 2010 census recorded 55,658 residents in the county.
Neigboring counties are Covington County (north), Forrest County (east), Pearl River County (south), Marion County (west), and Jefferson Davis County (northwest). Communities in the county include Hattiesburg (mostly in Forrest County), Lumberton (partly in Pearl River County), Purvis, Sumrall, West Hattiesburg, Baxterville, and Oloh.
Lamar County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, and more. Look at the Lamar 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 ...READ MORE
Lamar County is located in the south-central portion of Mississippi.
Marker placed in remembrance of the victims of this terrible event.
For a list of Lamar County, Mississippi Cemeteries, tombstone photos and more.