WARREN COUNTY, MS HISTORY HISTORY AND LOOKUP

County History Books

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Warren County, Mississippi: A Genealogical Overview

Strategically located on the high bluffs overlooking a sharp bend in the Mississippi River, Warren County has played a pivotal role in the history of Mississippi and the nation. Its county seat, Vicksburg, was a vital 19th-century river port and the commercial hub for a vast cotton-producing region. The county is most famous as the site of the Siege of Vicksburg, a brutal 47-day campaign in 1863 that was a major turning point in the American Civil War. For genealogists, the county’s history is one of antebellum prosperity, wartime destruction, and post-war rebuilding, all of which directly impacted the creation and survival of ancestral records.

I. County Formation and Evolution

Warren County was established in the early years of the Mississippi Territory, and its boundaries and county seat have shifted over time.

  • 1809: County Formed: Warren County was authorized on December 22, 1809, by the legislature of the Mississippi Territory.
  • Parent County/Entity: The county was created from lands ceded by the Choctaw Nation in the 1801 Treaty of Fort Adams. It was not formed from a pre-existing county but was sectioned directly out of this ceded territory.
  • Subsequent Formations: A portion of northern Warren County was used to help create Issaquena County in 1844.
  • Name Origin: The county was named in honor of Dr. Joseph Warren, a physician, patriot leader, and Major General in the Continental Army who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
  • County Seat History: The first county seat was the river town of Warrenton, established south of present-day Vicksburg. As Vicksburg grew in commercial importance due to its superior harbor and location, it was made the county seat in 1836. The original town of Warrenton later declined and eventually eroded into the Mississippi River.

II. Settlement and Early History

  • Early Inhabitants: The region was the historical territory of the Choctaw people for centuries before European contact.
  • Colonial and Territorial Settlement: The strategic value of the bluffs was recognized early. The Spanish built Fort Nogales on the site in 1791, which was taken over by the United States in 1798 and renamed Fort McHenry. Settlement began in earnest under the leadership of Newitt Vick, a Methodist minister who planned the town that would be named for him. Vicksburg was officially incorporated in 1825.
  • Antebellum Era and the Civil War: Fed by the steamboat trade and the surrounding cotton kingdom, Vicksburg grew into a wealthy and sophisticated city. This prosperity was built on the foundation of a plantation economy dependent on the labor of a large enslaved African American population. Due to its commanding position on the river, the city was called the “Gibraltar of the Confederacy” and became the focus of a prolonged campaign by Union General Ulysses S. Grant. The Siege of Vicksburg, from May 18 to July 4, 1863, resulted in the city’s surrender and was a decisive victory for the Union. The siege caused immense destruction within the city and county.

III. Genealogical Records and Resources

Crucial Note for Researchers: A major fire, likely caused by shelling during the Siege of Vicksburg, destroyed the Warren County Courthouse in 1863. This event resulted in the loss of many early county records, a fact which researchers must consider.

  • County Courthouse: The current Warren County Courthouse is located at 1009 Cherry Street, Vicksburg, MS 39183. While many early records were lost, the surviving collections are managed by the Chancery Clerk (for land and probate records) and the Circuit Clerk (for court records).
    • Land and Probate Records: Fortunately, most deed and will books survived the 1863 fire.
  • Vital Records:
    • Birth and Death Records: Statewide registration of births and deaths in Mississippi began in November 1912. Prior to this, no consistent records were kept at the county level.
    • Marriage Records: Due to the 1863 courthouse fire, marriage records in Warren County are generally available only from mid-1863 forward. Records prior to this are considered lost.
  • Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
    • Warren-Vicksburg Public Library: The library has a local history and genealogy room containing census records, local newspapers on microfilm, city directories, and published family histories.
    • Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH): Located in Jackson, this is the state’s premier genealogical repository. It holds microfilm copies of surviving county records, an extensive newspaper collection, Confederate military service records, and numerous manuscript collections relevant to Warren County families.
  • Other Key Resources:
    • Vicksburg National Military Park: The park’s historians and archives can be a valuable resource for information on soldiers (both Union and Confederate) and civilians who were involved in the Vicksburg Campaign.
  • Bordering Jurisdictions:
    • Mississippi: Claiborne County, Hinds County, Yazoo County, and Issaquena County.
    • Louisiana (across the Mississippi River): Madison Parish and Tensas Parish.

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