Prentiss County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Prentiss County MSGHN

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

To share your Prentiss 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 Prentiss County, Mississippi...

Prentiss County is located in the North-Eastern portion of Mississippi. Prentiss County was formed April 15, 1870 from Tishomingo County during the administration of Governor Alcorn and was named in honor of Sargent Smith Prentiss, the gifted statesman, jurist and orator.

The Battle of Brice's Crossroads was fought in Prentiss and Union Counties. At the beginning of June 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest set out with his cavalry corps of about 2,000 men to enter Middle Tennessee and destroy the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, which was carrying men and supplies to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman in Georgia. On June 10, 1864, Forrest’s smaller Confederate force defeated a much larger Union column under Brig. Gen. Samuel Sturgis at Brice's Cross Roads. This brilliant tactical victory against long odds cemented Forrest’s reputation as one of the foremost mounted infantry leaders of the war.

The county has a total area of 418.24 square miles of which 414.93 square miles is land and 3.32 square miles (.79%) is water. The population recorded in the 1870 Federal Census was 9,348. The 2010 census recorded 25,276 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Alcorn County (north), Tishomingo County (east), Itawamba County (southeast), Lee County (southwest), Union County (west), and Tippah County (northwest). Panola County communities include: Booneville, Baldwyn (partly in Lee County), Jumpertown, Marietta, Altitude, New Site, Thrasher, Wheeler, and Blackland.

Prentiss County, Mississippi Records

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