CARROLL COUNTY DATA
SPONSORS
CARROLL CO. NEIGHBORS
Welcome to Carroll County!
Welcome to Carroll County, Mississippi Genealogy & History Network. Our purpose is to provide free resources for genealogical and historical researchers. This site is FREE and will always be FREE to all researchers! Carroll County MSGHN is looking for a volunteer to serve as County Director. If you are interested, please see the next section below.
If you have genealogy or history information to share, send an email to services@msghn.org and we will include it here. If you have information for other Mississippi counties, please consider clicking on the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network link in the Main Menu and contact the appropriate County Director. Thanks for visiting and good luck with your research!
To Volunteer ...
MSGHN is looking for a volunteer to serve as County Director for this county!
Some knowledge of creating websites is recommended.
A love for genealogy, history, and volunteer work is a must.
If you are interested in joining a group of caring and respectful volunteers,
contact us at services@msghn.org for more information.
About Carroll County...
Carroll County is located in the Delta Region of Mississippi. It was organized by the Mississippi legislature on December 23, 1833 from land ceded by the Choctaw Indians under the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek 1830. Carroll County is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton [photo], the last surviving signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It is the setting for the Porter Wagoner song "The Carroll County Accident" and, continuing the music theme, the county is mentioned in the song "Ode to Billy Joe" made famous by Bobbie Gentry.
In 1870, large portions of Carroll County were used to form three others counties – Leflore, Grenada, and Montgomery – reducing the count to its present size of 615 square miles.
Many important people have lived in Carroll County. J.Z. George, U.S. Senator and author of the Mississippi Constitution; H.D. Money, U.S. Senator; Elizabeth Spencer, author; John Hurt, bluesman; and others, like Admirals John S McCain, Sr. & Jr., and Senators John McCain and Trent Lott, have roots in Carroll County. Many items belonging to the McCains are on display in the Merrill Museum in Carrollton.
Greenwood Leflore, the last Choctaw chief to rule east of the Mississippi River lived at Malmaison, his plantation home which burned in 1942. The Choctaw Indians recently purchased the site and plan to restore it to its original state. The architect who designed Malmaison, James Harris, also designed and oversaw the building of the Carrollton Courthouse, which is still in use.
The county seats are Carrollton and Vaiden. Other Carroll County communities include: North Carrollton, Avalon, Black Hawk, Coila, McCarley, and Teoc. In it's first census in 1840 there were 10,481 residents listed. In the last federal census in 2010 the population was 10,597. The county has 635 sq. miles of area, 7 of which are water.
Carroll County Records...
Carroll County MSGHN has many records here on our website including thousands of Marriage Records. Look at the Carroll County Records links in the menu on the left 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 Carroll County marriage records here at Carroll County MSGHN. 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 Carroll County marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the Carroll 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, Carroll County divorce proceedings were filed in the Carroll County Chancery Clerk's office.