The purpose of this site is to make it easier for people to find their ancestors;
and to research genealogical and historical topics relating to
Marion and connected counties in Mississippi. The information contained on this website is under intellectual copywrite by the person who donated the information unless otherwise noted.
The genealogy information on the Mostly Mississippi database was compiled by Shannon Gorman over the last 12 years. It is not limited to Marion county families. You may be surprised to find out who all your cousins are, so check it out.
This website is not part of the Marion County Historical Society. We are two different organizations. But we are both interested in Marion County history. We are not rivals. I choose to share history and genealogy in digital format, while the museum does it as a museum. Please support the museum with your donations and membership. Please donate information you want shared online to me.
Marion County Historical Society Newsletter pdf
I do not preserve physical objects, only information. If you have a family Bible you want to donate, please give it to the museum. I would love to have pictures of the Bible to share online. Being able to provide a "source" for the information is very important, so please do not just send pictures. I need a picture of the title page of the Bible, and a note of explanation as to who owns it now, and some background information on the family to which it pertains.
This is site is maintained free of advertising by Shannon Gorman. There are no pop ups or advertising links.
Looking for ancestors from “Marion” county in the 1799-1820 time frame? Borders were changing quickly, so do not limit your research to only “Marion” county.
1799- check Adams County and Jefferson County and Pickering County were created from Natchez District. See map of Mississippi in 1800. To see more maps go to the Reference Reading Room at the Marion County Library and look at Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Census 1790-1920 by William Thorndale and William Dollarhide. You cannot check it out, but you can make copies of the pages that interest you.
Except for Adams, Jefferson and Pickering counties, Indian Lands still covered all of what we know as Mississippi, with exception of southern bottom which was Spanish West Florida.
1800-1811- Spanish West Florida still claims the southern bottom, but above it, we now have Wayne County, Amite County, Wilkinson County, Franklin County, Claiborne County and Warren County. The area we know as Marion County was split in half, the east half was in Wayne County and the west half was in Amite County.
1811- Marion County is Marion County for the first time, but it is huge. Lamar, Forrest, Perry, and Greene to the Alabama line were part of the original Marion County. To the west, Walthall and Pike counties were part of Marion County at this time. To the north, Lincoln, Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, Covington, and half of Jones county were part of Marion county.
1812-1820- smaller counties are formed out of Marion county.
1820- By 1820, Hancock and Jackson counties cover what was Spanish West Florida. Wilkinson, Amite, Pike, Marion, Perry and Greene form the next layer.
Adams, Franklin, Lawrence, Covington and Wayne form the third layer. Most of Mississippi is still Indian Land, and by most, I mean three-fourths.
So go the library- you will find things you cannot find online. Look at the maps, and see where your ancestors lived. It may be Marion County now, but might have been called something else when they lived in it. |
