Quitman County Data
Quitman County Neighbors
Welcome to Quitman County!
Welcome to Quitman County, Mississippi Genealogy & History Network. Our purpose is to provide visitors with free resources for genealogical and / or historical research.
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About Quitman County...
Quitman County is located in the Delta Region of Mississippi. Quitman County was formed on February 1, 1877 and was named for Mississippi Governor John A. Quitman (photo), who served as Governor from 1835-1836 and from 1850-1851. The Coldwater River runs through the county.
In 1852, Thomas B. Hill bought a large tract of land from the State including the area of present day Marks, MS and cleared a large plantation of over 5,000 acres. He built a fine brick home overlooking the Coldwater. At this time steamboats traveled up the Yazoo, the Tallahatchie, the Coldwater and Moore Bayou. The site became known as “Hill’s Landing.”
The county seat is Marks, named after Leopold Marx, a Jewish immigrant who established one of the first businesses in the area. Leopold became successful enough for him to purchase the Thomas Hill property. The county courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1908.
Martin Luther King originally wanted the Poor People's Campaign to start in Quitman County because of the intense and visible economic disparity there. On March 18, 1968, King visited the town of Marks. He watched a teacher feeding schoolchildren their lunch, consisting only of a slice of apple and some crackers, and was moved to tears. After King's death, the Southern part of the Campaign began in Quitman County, riding a train of mules to Washington, D.C. to protest about economic conditions. According to wagonmaster Willie Bolden, white citizens of Marks harassed the mule train on its way out of town. Bolden stated that they "would drive by blowing their horns, purposely trying to spook the mules and us." More recently, Quitman County residents have made an effort to promote tourism based on its role in the Poor People's Campaign.
The county has a total area of 406.49 square miles of which 404.84 square miles is land and 1.66 square miles (.41%) is water. The population recorded in the 1880 Federal Census was 1,407. The population peaked in 1940 with 27,191 residents recorded. The 2010 census recorded 8,223 residents in the county.
Neighboring counties are Tunica County (north), Panola County (east), Tallahatchie County (south), and Coahoma County (west). Quitman County communities include Marks, Crenshaw (mostly in Panola County), Crowder (partly in Panola County), Falcon, Lambert, Sledge, Allen, Barksdale, Belen, Birdie, Bobo, Chancy, Darling, Denton, Essex, Hinchcliff, Locke Station, Longstreet, Oliverfried, Riverview, Sabino, Vance (partly in Tallahatchie County), Walnut, West Marks, and Yarbrough.
Quitman County Records
Quitman County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Thousands of Quitman County marriage records and more. Look at the Quitman 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 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 marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the county's 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, county divorce proceedings were filed in the county's Chancery Clerk's office.