Mississippi - A Success in Genealogy

Genealogy – Breaking it Down
Genealogy is the study of families, family history and the tracing of their lineages. Successful genealogical research depends on the following:

• The quality of record-keeping
• Existence of surviving records
• And the determination of the researcher

 
These factors contribute to the authentic genealogical records in Mississippi and their availability for whoever is interested. There is also an online catalogue available before you head on to more physical research. Mississippi has detailed records of its ancestors that are well kept online as well as physically. The most commonly used genealogical resources used in Mississippi include personal, private and commercial information of the inhabitants.
 
Birth and Death records
The state of Mississippi started keeping records from November 1912. Files from that date till present are with the Mississippi Department of Health.
Census records
Federal censuses are conducted every 10 years and enlist the head of the household and the number of members in that house. Initially, more details were gathered, such as names and ages of all family members along with the place of birth and value of a property.
County records
When a family is allotted a particular location, county records such as marriage licenses, wills, deeds and tax records can be explored.
Court cases
The Mississippi genealogy archive has hundreds of court cases from files of the High court and Appeals.
Enumeration of Educable Children
This enumeration has proven invaluable while researchers try to locate elusive families. These files have the names and ages of children between the ages of five to 18.
Marriage records
Country marriage records offer microfilm of most original marriage books held by the county courthouse. Statewide marriage index has marriage records before 1926. The information provided includes the name of bride and groom, date of recording, name of presiding official, county of marriage and the book and page where the wedding was recorded. 
Military resources
Mississippians hold a long history of serving in the armed forces. The archives have microfilm copies of service records for Mississippians in the war of 1812, Mexican war I, civil war 1861, and the Spanish-American War 1898. The pension files available at the archives are those who served in the Confederate army or navy.
Mississippi is one of those states that revere their history and traditions. Because of its connections with Native American culture, African American culture, and the different groups that initially settled the United States, there is a tremendous need for genealogy materials of all kind. It has 82 counties, and the records can be researched region-wise online. 
If you are searching the Mississippi genealogy, you must get organized and understand the kind of resources available to you. You can use online databases and digitized collection. All the data is available for free and is relatively easy to navigate for those used to searching online for information. You will be surprised at the organized content and ease it provides to your research. Here’s hoping you find your great grandmother or granddaughter that you always wished to find.