Lawrence County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Lawrence County MSGHN

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

To share your Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, Mississippi...

Lawrence County was one of the fourteen territorial counties represented in the constitutional convention of 1817. It was organized as the twelfth Mississippi county on December 22, 1814, from its parent county Marion. Having once been a much larger county, Lawrence County gave up territory in 1819 to Covington and Marion Counties. In 1870 part of its western area was given in formation of the new county of Lincoln and in 1906 the eastern portion was used in the organization of Jefferson Davis county.

Lawrence County was named in honor of American Naval hero James Lawrence who was the Captain of the USS Chesapeake during the War of 1812. Captain Lawrence was best known for his dying command "Don't give up the ship!" during the memorable battle with the English Navy on Lake Erie.

The town of Monticello, settled in 1798, was named after the home of Thomas Jefferson. It became the county seat in 1815. Monticello lies on the western bluff of the Pearl River about 50 miles south of Jackson, which dissects the county north to south. It served as a port for river steamers running to and from New Orleans as late as 1904.

In the 1820's Monticello was chosen to be the State Capitol of Mississippi, however the State Legislature changed its mind the next day. Monticello enjoyed much prosperity in its early years, but around 1860 the railroad was built through Brookhaven, twenty-three miles to the west. As a result, much of the business enjoyed by Monticello moved to Brookhaven.

Hiram G. Runnels of Monticello became Mississippi Governor in 1833. Another Monticello native, Charles Lynch, became Governor in 1836. Lawrence County also produced Kendra King, Miss Mississippi 2006, professional athletes Erick Dampier, Al Jefferson, and Major Everett, and former U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Page.

The county has a total area of 435.73 square miles, of which 430.63 square miles is land and 5.11 square mile (1.17%) is water. The population recorded in the 1820 Federal Census was 4,916. The 2010 census recorded 12,929 residents in the county.

Neigboring counties are Simpson County (northeast), Jefferson Davis County (east), Marion County (southeast), Walthall County (south), Lincoln County (west), and Copiah County (northwest). Communities in the county include Monticello, New Hebron, Silver Creek, Jayess, Nola, Oak Vale (partly in Jefferson Davis County), Oma, Sontag, and Wanilla.

Lawrence County, Mississippi Records

Lawrence County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, and more. Look at the Lawrence 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