Lincoln County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Lincoln County MSGHN

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

To share your Lincoln 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 Lincoln County, Mississippi...

Lincoln County, the sixty-first county to be formed in Mississippi, is located in the south-western portion of the state. It was created after the Civil War, during the military reconstruction era on April 7, 1870. It was named in honor of the martyred 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln County was formed from parts of Lawrence, Copiah, Pike, Franklin, and Amite Counties. Like so many Mississippi counties, Lincoln County suffered a courthouse fire in 1893. Most county records prior to that year were destroyed.

The county seat is Brookhaven, a city named for Brookhaven, New York, on Long Island, the home of Samuel Jayne, who settled in the area about 1818. Jayne operated a grist mill on the Bogue Chitto River and built a one-room store for the settlement. He also became the defacto postmaster by handing out the mail coming from Natchez.

Until May of 1857 Summit was the northern most terminus for the railroad. At this time the railroad was built into Brookhaven. During the short time that Brookhaven was the most northern railroad stop, progress and business in the town showed marked increase. Many businesses were founded and trade flourished.

Whitworth College was founded here in 1856 and opened in 1858. Named after the man who donated land and buildings to the school, Rev. Milton J. Whitworth, the Methodist school graduated two classes prior to the Civil War. During the war the school was used as a hospital, but when it reopened in 1886 it consisted of four brick buildings. In 1923 Whitworth College was leased to the Millsaps College System, but in the 1930's the school was closed.

The county has a total area of 588.17 square miles, of which 585.71 square miles is land and 2.47 square mile (0.42%) is water. The population recorded in the 1870 Federal Census was 10,184. The 2010 census recorded 34,869 residents in the county.

Neigboring counties are Copiah County (north), Lawrence County (east), Walthall County (southeast), Pike County (south), Amite County (southwest), Franklin County (west), and Jefferson County (northwest). Communities in the county include Brookhaven, Auburn, Bogue Chitto, Caseyville, East Lincoln, Norfield, Ruth, and Woolworth.

Lincoln County, Mississippi Records

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