Coahoma County, Mississippi Genealogy

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Guide to Coahoma County, Mississippi ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Clarksdale
Organized: 9 February 1836
Parent County(s): Chickasaw Cession. [1]
Neighboring Counties
Bolivar  • Desha (AR)  • Phillips (AR)  • Quitman  • Sunflower  • Tallahatchie  • Tunica
See County Maps
Courthouse
MississippiCoahomaCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
200px-Map of Mississippi highlighting Coahoma County svg.png
Adoption

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for "Coahoma" which is a Choctaw word meaning "red panther." The county is located in the northwest area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Coahoma County Courthouse
115 1st Street
P.O. Box 98
Clarksdale, MS 38614
Phone: 662-624-3000
Coahoma County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage and court records from 1848 and voter records from 1949.
Clerk Chancery Court has divorce, probate and land records.[3]

Coahoma County, Mississippi Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1 Nov 1912 1848 1 Nov 1912 1848 1839 1856 1810
*Statewide registration started in Nov 1912 for births and deaths. General compliance by 1921.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1836 Coahoma County was created 9 February 1836 from the Chickasaw Cession.
  • County seat: Clarksdale[5]
  • 1877 Quitman County was formed from part of Coahoma County in 1877.

For animated maps illustrating Mississippi county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Mississippi County Boundary Maps" (1785-1918) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Ghost towns

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Coahoma County, Mississippi online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Mississippi Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,290 —
1850 2,780 115.5%
1860 6,606 137.6%
1870 7,144 8.1%
1880 13,568 89.9%
1890 18,342 35.2%
1900 26,293 43.3%
1910 34,217 30.1%
1920 41,511 21.3%
1930 46,327 11.6%
1940 48,333 4.3%
1950 49,361 2.1%
1960 46,212 −6.4%
1970 40,447 −12.5%
1980 36,918 −8.7%
1990 31,665 −14.2%
2000 30,622 −3.3%
2010 26,151 −14.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Coahoma County census records online, see: Mississippi Census.

Federal Census


State Census

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Mississippi denominations, view the Mississippi Church Records wiki page.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

The County Clerk of the Circuit Court in Clarksdale has court records from 1839.

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African Americans

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Mississippi Land and Property for additional information about early Mississippi land ownership. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

The Chancery Court Clerk for Coahoma County, in Clarksdale, has land records from 1839.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Coahoma County. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Mississippi Local Histories.

  • Catchings, Troy, and Homer Hill. An Oral History with Mr. Troy Catchings, 1994 March 15. Mississippi Oral History Program of the University of Southern Mississippi (series), Vol. 659 (archival manuscript). WorldCat page
  • Coahoma County Memories: A Pictorial History. Clarksdale, MS: Clarksdale Press Register, 1999. WorldCat page
  • Howerton, Joe D. The Howerton Family in Coahoma County, 1837-1850. Corpus Christi, TX: Philip Howerton, [1934?]. WorldCat page
  • Keys, Vernon J., and Homer Hill. An Oral History with Ms. Vernon J. Keys, 1994 March 19. Mississippi Oral History Program of the University of Southern Mississippi (series), Vol. 662 (archival manuscript). WorldCat page
  • Murray, Nicholas Russell. Coahoma County, Mississippi, 1868-1900. Hammond, LA: Hunting for Bears, [1982?]. WorldCat page
  • Weaver-Zercher, David L., and William H. Willimon, eds. Vital Christianity: Spirituality, Justice, and Christian Practice. New York: T&T Clark, 2005, section titled "The Legacy of Economic Unrighteousness in the Mississippi Delta" (specifically about Coahoma County), pp. 217-224. Google Books preview
  • Weeks, Linton. Clarksdale & Coahoma County: A History. Clarksdale, MS: Carnegie Public Library, 1982. Amazon page | Family History Library | Google Books page | WorldCat page
  • Work, John W., Lewis Wade Jones, and Samuel C. Adams, Jr. Lost Delta Found: Rediscovering the Fisk University-Library of Congress Coahoma County Study, 1941-1942. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2005. Amazon page | WorldCat page

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Phillips CountyTunica CountyQuitman CountyTallahatchie CountySunflower CountyBolivar CountyMS COAHOMA.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Multiple Wars

Civil War


Companies formed in Coahoma County:

  • Company B (Coahoma Invincibles), 11th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
  • Company B (Mississippi Swampers), 44th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry
  • Company K (Alcorn Rebels), 23rd Regiment, Mississippi Infantry

Civil War links:

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

  • Clarksdale Banner, established 1884 or 1888 (sources differ), ceased publication in 20th century
  • Clarksdale Challenge, established 1896, ceased publication in 20th century
  • Clarksdale Journal, an African-American newspaper established 1899
  • The Clarksdale Press-Register (currently in operation)
  • Clarksdale Register, established 1902 or 1904 (sources differ)
  • Coahoma County, MS Newspaper Titles (Chronicling America at the Library of Congress)
  • Newspaper Data (Genealogy Trails)
  • Newspaper Scrapbooks and Mississippi River Collection of Carnegie Public Library, Clarksdale, Mississippi, on 3 microfilm reels at the Family History Library

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

  • Index, Obituary Scrapbook, Carnegie Public Library, Clarksdale, Mississippi (manuscript, 4 vols., 1914-1977) at Family History Library

Other Records[edit | edit source]

State Archives

VOTER List


Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Probate records are held by the Coahoma County, Mississippi Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Coahoma County, Mississippi Genealogy Courthouse. Microfilmed records can be found online at Mississippi Probate Records, 1781-1930. See the wiki page Mississippi Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.

Online Records

The Chancery Court Clerk for Coahoma County in Clarksdale has probate records dating from 1856.

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Mississippi tax records replace missing censuses and provide lists of residents during years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years. For more information, see Mississippi Taxation.


Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. Mississippi law did not require keeping birth or death records until 1912. Births and deaths are kept by the Mississippi Bureau of Vital Statistics. Marriage records are kept by the county. See also How to order Mississippi Vital Records or order electronically online.

See Mississippi Vital Records for more information on getting Mississippi records.

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

The County Clerk of the Circuit Court in Clarksdale has marriage records from 1849.

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

  • 1850-1950 Estate and divorce files (mixed together), Coahoma County, Mississippi, 1850-1950 FHL Collection (76 microfilm reels)

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Coahoma County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Mississippi Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Coahoma County. For state-wide library facilities, see Mississippi Archives and Libraries.

  • Carnegie Public Library
    114 Delta Avenue
    Clarksdale, MS 38614
    Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Coahoma County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Mississippi Societies.

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mississippi.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Coahoma, Mississippi," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coahoma_County,_Mississippi."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mississippi.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Coahoma County, Mississippi . Page 378-384 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 379-381.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Mississippi.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Coahoma County, Mississippi," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coahoma_County,_Mississippi, Last accessed 15 September 2019.
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