Leflore County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Leflore County MSGHN

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

To share your Leflore 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 Leflore County, Mississippi...

Leflore County is located in in the Delta Region of Mississippi. Leflore County was formed on March 15, 1871 and was named after a Choctaw Indian Chief, Greenwood LeFlore.

The first settlement on the banks of the Yazoo River was a trading post founded by John Williams in 1830, known as Williams Landing. The settlement quickly blossomed and in 1844, was incorporated as “Greenwood” after Chief Greenwood Leflore.

Growing into a strong cotton market, the key to the Greenwood's success was its strategic geographic location in the heart of the Delta on the easternmost point of the alluvial plain and astride the Tallahatchie and Yazoo rivers. The city served as a shipping point to New Orleans, Vicksburg, Memphis and St. Louis and flourished until the latter part of the Civil War.

The city struggled after the Civil War until the arrival of the railroads in the 1880’s. Two lines ran into downtown close to the Yazoo River, and once again, Greenwood emerged as a prime shipping point for cotton. Downtown’s Front Street bordering the levy bustled with cotton factors and earned the name Cotton Row. The city prospered this way into the 1940’s.

Blues legend Robert Johnson died in and was burried in Greenwood in 1938, at age 27. Leflore County is the home of Mississippi Valley State University.

The county has a total area of 606.35 square miles of which 591.93 square miles is land and 14.42 square miles (2.38%) is water. The population recorded in the 1880 Federal Census was 10,246. The population peaked in 1930 with a total of 53,506. The 2010 census recorded 32,317 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Tallahatchie County (north), Grenada County (northeast), Carroll County (east), Holmes County (southeast), Humphreys County (southwest), Sunflower County (west). The city of Greenwood is the county seat. Other communities in the county include Itta Bena, Morgan City, Schlater, Sidon, Berclair, Browning, McNutt, Minter City, Money, Rising Sun, Ruby, Shellmound, Sunnyside, Swiftown, Quito, and Colony Town.

Leflore County, Mississippi Records

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