Union County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Union County MSGHN

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

To share your Union 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 Union County, Mississippi...

Union County is located in the northeastern portion of Mississippi. Union County was formed on July 7, 1870 during the post Civil War reconstruction era from portions of Lee, Tippah, and Pontotoc counties.

Mississippi Governor James L. Alcorn appointed Union County's first public officials and designated New Albany as the county seat. The first courthouse was built on Cotton Streen around 1870, and the current courthouse was built in 1909.

According to local tradition, the county was named for Union District, South Carolina, where a number of the county's original settlers were from.

The county has a total area of 416.87 square miles of which 415.43 square miles is land and 1.44 square miles (0.35%) is water. The population recorded in the 1880 Federal Census was 13,030. The 2010 census recorded just 27,134 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Benton County (north), Tippah County (north), Prentiss County (east), Lee County (southeast), Pontotoc County (south), Lafayette County (southwest), and Marshall County (northwest). The town of New Albany is the county seat. Other communities in the county include Myrtle, Sherman (mostly in Pontotoc County, small portion in Lee County), Blue Springs, Alpine, Etta, Ingomar, Enterprise, New Harmony, Jugfork, and Wallerville.

Union County, Mississippi Records

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