Scott County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Scott County MSGHN

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

To share your Scott 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 Scott County, Mississippi...

Scott County is located in the central portion of Mississippi. Scott County was formed on December 23, 1833 and was named for Abram M. Scott, Mississippi Governor 1832-1833.

After a protracted and violent controversy between the towns of Forest and Hillsboro, it was decided by vote that Forest would serve as the county seat.

Perhaps the most famous resident of Scott County is Kenneth Dwayne Crosby, best known for his stalwart work ethic for the USDA and his fishing prowess.

The county has a total area of 610.38 square miles of which 609.08 square miles is land and 1.30 square miles (.21%) is water. The population recorded in the 1840 Federal Census was 1,653. The 2010 census recorded 28,264 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Leake County (north), Neshoba County (northeast) Newton County (east), Jasper County (southeast), Smith County (south), Rankin County (west), and Madison County (northwest). Other County communities include Forest, Morton, Lake (partly in Newton County), Sebastopol (small portion in Leake County), Forkville, Harperville, Hillsboro, Homewood, Ludlow, Midway, Norris, and Pulaski.

Scott County, Mississippi Records

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