Perry County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Perry County MSGHN

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

To share your Perry 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 Perry County, Mississippi...

Perry County, formed February 3, 1820is located in the south-eastern portion of Mississippi and was once part of the large Greene County. Perry County was formed on February 3, 1820. The Legislative Act creating the Perry County defined its bounderies as:

“Beginning on the line of demarcation where the line that divides the thirteenth and fourteenth ranges intersects the said line of demarcation; thence with said range line to where the fifth parallel township line crosses the same; thence east with the said township line, to where the line that divides the eighth and ninth ranges crosses the same; thence with the line of demarcation; thence west to the beginning.”

Additional lands were added to Perry County over the years until it encompassed all of the area that is present day Perry and Forrest Counties. The county was named in honor of Commodore Oliver H. Perry (photo), a naval hero in the War of 1812. The original county seat, Augusta, was situated on the east bank of the Leaf River.

In 1900 the citizens of Lumberton, one of Perry County's main towns, voted to become part of Lamar County. This setback to the county was soon offset by the addition of territory from Hancock, including the town of Picayune, which would become the largest town in the county. This additional land gave the county a total of 828 square miles, making it the fourth largest county in the state of Mississippi.

The original civil officers during the first year of Perry County's existence were Jacob H. Morris, Chief Justice of the Quorum, and John Jenkins, John Green, Jacob Carter, Craven P. Moffitt, Associate Justices; Alex. McKenzie, Eli Moffitt, Benj. H.G. Hartfield, William Hudson, John Moffitt, Seth Granberry, Lewis W. Ball, Henry Easterling, Wm. Reynolds, Justices of the Peace; John McDonald, Assessor and Collector; Geo. Harrison, Ranger; Joel Lewis, Surveyor; John Barlow, Constable; Wm. Tisdale, Coroner; J.J.H. Morris, Notary Public; Martin Chadwick, Sheriff. Some of the other county officers, 1821-1827, were Griffin Hollomon, J.J.H. Morris, John F. Mapp, Abner Carter, Judges of Probate; Lewis Rhodes, Sheriff; Anthony Pitts, Adam Ulmer, Jonathan Taylor, Geo. B. Dameron, Sterling Brinson, John Deace, Daniel Miley, James Simmons, Sherod Byrd, Isham H. Clayton, James Overstreet, Uriah Millsapp, Justices of the Peace; Hugh McDonald, Treasurer; Farr Proctor, Geo. Harrison, Lewis Rhodes, Assessors and Collectors.

The nineteenth century outlaw, James Copeland, was executed by hanging in Augusta on October 30, 1857 ....READ MORE

Perry County, Mississippi Records

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