Tippah County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Tippah County MSGHN

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

To share your Tippah 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 Tippah County, Mississippi...

Tippah County was one of the ten original counties formed from the Chickasaw Session of 1832. Before this time, the Chickasaws occupied and controlled the area despite Mississippi's statehood in 1817. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Indians had several large towns along the Natchez Trace and traded considerably with the English and the Americans. In fact, large numbers of artifacts have been found in the county, and the county has rare unspoiled fossil finds found in only one other site in the United States. Tippah County is believed named after a beautiful Chickasaw Indian princess.

Ripley, the county seat, was named in honor of General Eleazor Wheelock Ripley, a Congressional Medal holder and War of 1812 hero. As is typical of many early southern settlements, Ripley was built in the form of a square with a courthouse as its center. Interestingly, court was first held in a log cabin on the northeast corner of Ripley's square until a brick courthouse was erected in 1838.

During the Civil War, Tippah County furnished large numbers of troops and military leadership for the Confederate Army. The 2nd Mississippi fought at Manassas in Virginia in 1861 and the 3rd Mississippi fought at Fort Donelson. The 7th Mississippi was formed and served with General Bedford Forrest. That same year, the courthouse was burned by Federal troops, though many valuable records were preserved and hidden for over two years until the war's completion. The present day courthouse was built in 1870.

Tippah County is home to the oldest recorded continuous running open flea market in the United States. The First Monday Flea Market is host to more than 200,000 annual visitors to its monthly weekend festivities.

Several notable persons have Tippah County connections, including author John Grisham; opera and movie star Ruby Elzy; the father of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe; journalist Bill Street and Col. William Falkner, famed author of White Rose of Memphis and the great-grandfather of Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner, who also lived in Ripley as a child. You can find it all including facts about the founding of Blue Mountain College, the Paul J. Rainey estate, and the legendary feud between Col. William Falkner and his business partner and longtime friend, R. J. Thurmond, that eventually led to the death of Col. Falkner on the streets of Ripley.

The county has a total area of 459.97 square miles of which 457.91 square miles is land and 2.07 square miles (0.45%) is water. The population recorded in the 1840 Federal Census was 9,444. The 2010 census recorded 22,232 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Hardeman County, Tennessee (north), Alcorn County (northeast), Prentiss County (southeast), Union County (south), and Benton County (west). The county seat is the city of Ripley. Other communities in the county include Blue Mountain, Dumas, Falkner, Walnut, Brownfield, Chalybeate, and Tiplersville.

Tippah County, Mississippi Records

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