Attala County
Mississippi Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Attala County MSGHN

Welcome to the Attala County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.

To share your Attala County, Mississippi genealogy or history information, send an email to msghn@outlook.com - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Mississippi Counties, visit the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate county.

About Attala County, Mississippi...

Established December 23, 1833, Attala County was one of sixteen counties to originate from the Choctaw cession of 1830. Attala county is named for Attala, a fictional Native American heroine from an early-19th-century novel by François-René de Chateaubriand. The original boundaries of 1833, which haven't changed, are:

"Beginning at the northeast corner of Leake County, and running thence west with the line between townships, 12 and 13, to the line between ranges five and six east; thence south with said line between ranges five and six to the center of township 12, of range 5 east; thence directly west to the Big Black River; thence up said river to the point at which the line between 16 and 17 crosses said river; thence east with the line between nine and ten east; thence south to the place of beginning."

The Choctaw boundary line of 1820 (treaty of Doak’s Stand) runs through the extreme southwestern corner of the county. Kosciusko is the largest town and the county seat of Attala County. Cities and Towns include Ethel, Kosciusko, McCool, Sallis, McAdams, and Zama.

The Attala County Court House has burned on three occasions. The first, on 28 July 1858, was the most devastating. All records were destroyed. For this reason, no records exist prior to August 1858. The second fire was in July 1860 but no records were lost. The third fire occurred on 26 July 1896 and some records were lost including the county marriage records.

The county has a total area of 737.10 square miles, the smallest county in Mississippi, of which 735.13 square miles is land and 1.97 square mile (0.27%) is water. The population recorded in the 1840 Federal Census was 4,303. The 2010 census recorded 19,564 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Montgomery County (north), Choctaw County (northeast), Winston County (east), Leake County (south), Madison County (southwest), Holmes County (west), and Carroll County (northwest). Communities in the county include Kosciusko, Ethel, McCool, Sallis, McAdams, Williamsville, Zama.

Attala County, Mississippi Records

Attala County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, and more. Look at the Attala County Data links 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 COUNTY_NAME County marriage records here on our website. 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 COUNTY_NAME County marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the Attala 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, Attala County divorce proceedings were filed in the Attala County Chancery Clerk's office.