5 Best Tips for Mississippi Research

I've decided to participate in the Carnival of Genealogy. This week's theme is "5 Best Tips . . ." So here are my picks for Mississippi researchers.

Mississippi Department of Archives & History - A state's official archival repository is always full of great items for researchers. MDAH has some great tools online for beginners, but a visit will eventually be a must for every Mississippi researcher.

Mississippi State University's Library's Special Collections - They have all sorts of interesting manuscripts as well as books published about the state and its counties and people. Most can be located through the library's online catalog. By the way, several area public libraries catalogs are also hosted on Mississippi State's OPAC.

The county courthouse - In Mississippi, the marriage records are found in the circuit clerk's office. Deeds, probates, wills, etc. are found in the chancery clerk's office. You may find tax lists and other records in other offices in the courthouse.

County historical society libraries and museums - While not every county has one of these, some do, and they are not to be missed. For example, Itawamba Historical Society has a wonderful library in its headquarters in Mantachie. They have many unique items which cannot be found anywhere else. Tishomingo County Archives & History Museum is another society-sponsored venture that is full of stuff for the family historian.

The local library - Most local libraries collect local history. They will have newspapers from the area and files which have been donated by people in the community which may be unique. The Evans Memorial Library in Aberdeen is such an example. Through the foresight of many individuals they have one of the best local history collections available for those researching Monroe County. They also have many items on counties and states from which the residents came. They have a great manuscript collection and a wonderful collection of photographs by F. S. McKnight, a local photographer.