JEFFERSON COUNTY HISTORY AND LOOKUP (FORMERLY PICKERING COUNTY)
County History Books
*None Listed
Jefferson County, Mississippi: A Genealogical Overview
As one of the original counties formed in the Mississippi Territory, Jefferson County holds a deep and significant history within the state. Created from the heart of the fertile Natchez District, it quickly became an epicenter of the antebellum cotton kingdom, characterized by large plantations and a complex social structure. For genealogists, its records provide a window into the earliest American settlement of the Old Southwest, tracing the paths of families who migrated seeking land and opportunity, as well as the history of the enslaved African Americans whose labor built the county’s wealth.
I. County Formation and Evolution
Understanding Jefferson County’s name change, its shifting county seats, and the numerous counties carved from its original territory is essential for locating early records and tracing property lines.
- 1799: County Formed: The county was originally established as Pickering County on April 2, 1799. It was one of the two foundational counties (along with Adams) created from the Natchez District upon the organization of the Mississippi Territory.
- 1802: Renamed Jefferson County: On January 11, 1802, reflecting the national political shift to the Democratic-Republican party, the county was renamed in honor of sitting U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. Any records between 1799 and 1802 will be found under the name Pickering County.
- Parent Entity: It was formed directly from the Natchez District, a vast region of land previously administered by the Spanish until it was ceded to the United States in 1798.
- Subsequent Formations (Child Counties): Jefferson County’s original territory was immense. Its lands were later used to form all or parts of several other counties, including Claiborne (1802), Franklin (1809), Copiah (1823), Hinds (1821), and Warren (1809). Researchers with ancestors in these counties may find their earliest records in Jefferson (or Pickering) County.
- County Seat History: The county seat moved several times in its early years.
- Union Town / Cole’s Creek (circa 1799-1802): The first seat of justice for Pickering County.
- Greenville (circa 1802-1825): The seat was moved to the town of Greenville (now an extinct town, not the modern Greenville, MS in Washington County) after the county was renamed.
- Fayette (1825-Present): The county seat was moved to the more geographically central location of Fayette, where it remains today.
II. Settlement and Early History
- Early Inhabitants: The land was the traditional territory of the Choctaw Nation, who inhabited the region for centuries prior to European and American arrival. Cessions of their land throughout the early 19th century opened the area to widespread settlement.
- Territorial Settlement and Economy: Following the end of Spanish control in 1798, American settlers, primarily from the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, flooded into the region. They were drawn by the incredibly fertile loess soil, which was perfectly suited for cultivating cotton. This led to the rapid development of a plantation-based economy, which relied heavily on the labor of enslaved African Americans who were forcibly brought to the area.
- Historic Landmarks: The county contains several significant historic sites, including portions of the Natchez Trace, the primary overland route through the wilderness for early settlers. It was also home to the important 19th-century Mississippi River port of Rodney, which at its peak rivaled Natchez but is now a well-preserved near-ghost town.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
This section provides practical information for locating ancestral records. Researchers should be aware that a courthouse fire in 1883 damaged or destroyed some records.
- County Courthouse: The primary repository for most historical records is the Jefferson County Circuit Clerk’s Office, located at 143 Medgar Evers Blvd, Fayette, MS 39069. This office holds essential records such as:
- Land Records (Deeds and Plats): Crucial for tracing family land ownership.
- Probate Records (Wills, Estates, Administrations): Key for identifying family relationships.
- Marriage Records: County marriage records begin around 1806.
- Court Records (Chancery and Circuit): Can contain a wealth of information about disputes, debts, and other family matters.
- Vital Records:
- Birth and Death Records: Statewide, civil registration of births and deaths in Mississippi did not begin until November 1912. Prior to this date, no official county-level records were kept.
- Alternative Sources: Genealogists must rely on other sources, including church records (especially baptismal records), family Bibles, cemetery inscriptions, newspaper obituaries, and the federal census mortality schedules (1850-1880).
- Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
- Judge George W. Armstrong Library: The local public library in Fayette has a collection focused on local and regional history and genealogy.
- Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH): Located in Jackson, this is the premier research facility for Mississippi genealogy. It holds microfilm copies of Jefferson County courthouse records, territorial papers, private manuscripts, maps, and an extensive newspaper collection.
- Bordering Jurisdictions:
- Claiborne County (north)
- Copiah County (northeast)
- Lincoln County (southeast)
- Franklin County (south)
- Adams County (southwest)
- Tensas Parish, LA (west, across the Mississippi River)