Find a Grave Mississippi by Name —
Cemetery & Burial Records Search
Your complete, practical guide to tracing Mississippi ancestors through cemetery and burial records — from Vicksburg battlefield graves to Delta blues country burial grounds — every free database, step-by-step instructions, and verified links.
Mississippi’s burial records carry the weight of a complex, layered history — from antebellum plantation cemeteries in the Natchez District, to the 17,000 Union soldiers buried at Vicksburg National Cemetery following the decisive 1863 siege, to African American freedmen’s burial grounds in the Mississippi Delta where the blues was born. With 82 counties and records reaching back to the 1820s, finding a specific grave here requires knowing exactly which tools to use and in what order. This guide gives you every verified resource and precise step.
📄 What Mississippi Cemetery & Burial Records Contain
Mississippi burial records hold more genealogical detail than many researchers expect — especially for the antebellum and post-Civil War periods.
- ✦Full name — including maiden names on antebellum and Victorian-era headstones
- ✦Birth and death dates — often the only source for pre-1912 Mississippi deaths
- ✦Cemetery name, address, and plot location — section, row, and lot in organized cemeteries
- ✦Headstone inscription verbatim — Bible verses, epitaphs, fraternal organization symbols
- ✦Headstone photograph — available on Find a Grave and BillionGraves for indexed graves
- ✦Spouse and family members — nearby burials linked in database
- ✦Military service — Civil War regiment, rank, and battle service common on Mississippi headstones
- ✦GPS coordinates — BillionGraves provides exact grave navigation coordinates
Pre-1912 Mississippi Deaths: Mississippi did not require statewide death registration until 1912. For ancestors who died before that date, church burial registers, county courthouse records, cemetery transcriptions, and probate records at MDAH are your primary sources. Some Mississippi counties maintained local death registers earlier — search the MDAH Digital Archives.
🔎 How to Search Mississippi Graves by Name — Step-by-Step
- Go to findgraveusa.org — Mississippi and enter the person’s name in the search bar.
- Use the county filter — Mississippi has 82 counties and common surnames like Smith, Jones, or Williams return hundreds of statewide results. Knowing whether your ancestor was in the Delta (west), Piney Woods (south-central), or Hills (northeast) narrows the search significantly.
- Click any result to open the full burial record with cemetery address, plot information, and headstone photo if available.
- No results? Try maiden name for women, alternate spellings, or proceed to Method 2.
- Visit findagrave.com — Mississippi Cemeteries. Browse by county or use the name search with wildcards.
- Mississippi surname variants are common:
Yazoo/Yazu,Tougaloo/Tugaloo. Use?replaces one letter,*replaces multiple — e.g.,Toug*. - Click “More Search Options” to filter by birth/death year and county.
- No headstone photo? Click “Request Photo” on the memorial — a local Mississippi volunteer typically responds within days at no cost.
- Visit mdah.ms.gov — Mississippi’s official state archives and the most authoritative source for historical Mississippi records.
- Use the MDAH Digital Archives to search: death certificates (1912–1943 available free online), county records, cemetery surveys, and the Mississippi Soldiers in the Civil War database.
- Search the Mississippi Death Certificate Database free online — one of the most accessible state death record collections in the South.
- In-person research: 601 N. West St., Jackson, MS 39201. Phone: (601) 576-6850. Open Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM, Sat 8AM–1PM.
- MDAH is a FamilySearch affiliate library — free in-person access to restricted digital collections.
- Visit billiongraves.com and search by name in Mississippi. GPS-tagged headstone photos allow direct cemetery navigation.
- Results show the headstone photo alongside the exact GPS location on a map — invaluable for large Mississippi cemeteries like Natchez City Cemetery.
- Download the BillionGraves app before visiting — provides turn-by-turn navigation to any indexed grave plot.
- Create a free account at familysearch.org.
- Search “Mississippi Deaths, 1912–1943” — free indexed database of early Mississippi death records searchable by name and county.
- Also search “Mississippi Deaths and Burials, 1800–1992” — broader index including church and county records.
- For county-specific cemetery records: go to Search → Catalog, type the Mississippi county name plus “cemetery.”
Tip: When you find a burial record, cross-reference with FamilySearch census records for the same name. An 1880 or 1900 Mississippi census entry often reveals parents, siblings, and county of origin — essential for tracing families that migrated across the Deep South.
📊 All Mississippi Burial Record Databases — Free vs. Paid
Database | What It Covers | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Mississippi cemetery burial records; name search by county | Free | First stop for any Mississippi burial search | |
Millions of Mississippi memorials; wildcard search; photo volunteers | Free | Headstone photos, memorial pages, family links | |
GPS-tagged headstone photos; smartphone navigation | Free | Finding exact grave location in large cemeteries | |
Mississippi Deaths 1912–1943; Burials 1800–1992; county microfilm | Free | Historical death records; pre-1912 county records | |
Official MS death certificates; Civil War soldiers; county records | Free | Official records; Civil War research; African American history | |
County-organized transcriptions from official cemetery registers | Free | High-accuracy records from original registers | |
Veterans in VA national cemeteries including Vicksburg | Free | Civil War and veteran burial searches | |
Certified Mississippi death certificates from 1912 | $17 first copy | Legal/official proof of death |
🗺️ Search Mississippi Burial Records by County
Mississippi has 82 counties. Click any county below to browse its indexed cemeteries on Find a Grave — all URLs verified working:
For all 82 Mississippi counties: Browse Find a Grave Mississippi or use Interment.net Mississippi for county-organized transcriptions.
🪦 Notable Mississippi Cemeteries — History, Location & Search Links
- 17,000+ Union soldier burials from the 1863 Siege of Vicksburg
- One of the most significant Civil War cemeteries in America
- Searchable free through VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- Address: 3201 Clay St, Vicksburg, MS 39183
- Phone: (601) 636-3015 · Open daily · Free entry
- Established 1822 — antebellum families and Natchez Trace history
- Beautifully preserved Victorian-era monuments and family tombs
- Many Mississippi territorial-era and antebellum governors buried here
- Yellow fever epidemic section documents the 1878 outbreak
- Address: Cemetery Rd, Natchez, MS 39120
- Delta blues history cemetery — blues musicians and their families
- Significant for African American genealogy research in the Delta
- Clarksdale is the birthplace of the Delta blues tradition
- Many unmarked graves from the early 20th century sharecropper era
- Contact Coahoma County historical society for burial records
- Historic city cemetery with prominent Mississippi families
- Mississippi governors and antebellum Jackson community leaders
- Civil War soldiers section; Confederate and Union burials
- Well-maintained with cemetery office records available
- Address: Greenwood Cemetery, Jackson, MS 39201
📜 Official Mississippi Death Certificates — How to Get Them
50-Year Confidentiality Rule: Mississippi death certificates are restricted for 50 years from the date of death. Records older than 50 years are public and accessible to anyone. Newer records require proof of qualifying relationship.
- Visit the Mississippi State Department of Health at 570 E Woodrow Wilson Dr, Jackson, MS 39216, or any county health department.
- Bring valid photo ID and proof of relationship if the record is under 50 years old.
- Pay $17 for the first certified copy; $6 for each additional copy of the same record.
- Download the application form from msdh.ms.gov — Vital Records.
- Make a check or money order payable to “Mississippi Vital Records” for $17 per copy.
- Mail to: Mississippi Vital Records, PO Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700.
- Visit vitalchek.com or call 1-888-279-9888.
- Select Mississippi and follow prompts. VitalChek adds a service fee to the $17 state fee.
📚 Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH)
MDAH at mdah.ms.gov is Mississippi’s official state archives — the most comprehensive source for historical Mississippi records. Located at 601 N. West St., Jackson, MS 39201. Phone: (601) 576-6850. Hours: Mon–Fri 8AM–5PM, Sat 8AM–1PM.
- ✦Free online Mississippi Death Certificate Database 1912–1943
- ✦Mississippi Soldiers in the Civil War database — with burial locations for many soldiers
- ✦County court records, probate files, and land records from the 1820s onward
- ✦Cemetery surveys and transcriptions organized by county
- ✦Plantation records, freedmen’s bureau documents, and African American history collections
🎖️ Mississippi Veteran & Military Grave Search
- VA Nationwide Gravesite Locator: Search gravelocator.cem.va.gov for veterans buried in Mississippi national cemeteries — including Vicksburg National Cemetery and Biloxi National Cemetery.
- Biloxi National Cemetery: 25,000+ veteran burials in coastal Mississippi. Address: 400 Veterans Ave, Biloxi, MS 39531. Phone: (228) 388-6668.
- Mississippi Civil War Soldiers: MDAH at mdah.ms.gov maintains a searchable database of Mississippi Civil War soldiers with burial locations for many regiments.
- Corinth National Cemetery (Alcorn County): 7,000+ Civil War soldiers from the Corinth Campaign (1862). Search: gravelocator.cem.va.gov.
🌿 Insider Tips — Mississippi-Specific Genealogy Tricks
Delta vs. Hills vs. Piney Woods
Mississippi’s three regions have very different genealogy patterns. The Delta (west) has plantation records and African American history. The Hills (northeast) has Scots-Irish settlers from Tennessee. The Piney Woods (south) settled last — records start in the 1830s. Know your region.
Pre-1912? Go to the Methodist Church
Mississippi was heavily Methodist and Baptist. Many churches maintained burial registers going back to the 1830s that were never digitized. Contact current congregations directly or search MDAH’s church record microfilm collection.
MDAH Death Certificates Show Parents
Mississippi death certificates from 1912 include the deceased’s parents’ names and birthplaces — a genealogical goldmine. Even if you already know the burial location, the death certificate reveals an entire additional generation.
African American Records Are Separate
Before the Civil Rights era, African American records in Mississippi were often kept in separate registers with separate indexes. FamilySearch Freedmen’s Bureau Records and MDAH’s African American collection are essential starting points for Black genealogy in Mississippi.
Natchez District Plantation Records
The Natchez District (Adams, Jefferson, Wilkinson, Claiborne counties) has some of the richest plantation records in America. Estate inventories from the 1820s–1860s list enslaved individuals by name — available at MDAH and the Historic Natchez Foundation.
Blues Musicians’ Graves Are Documented
The Mississippi Blues Trail documents burial sites of significant blues musicians across the Delta. Many are on Find a Grave. For undocumented graves, contact the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale — they maintain records of musicians’ burial locations not yet in any online database.
Request Photo — Delta Volunteers Are Active
Find a Grave’s Mississippi volunteer network is surprisingly active in Hinds, Harrison, and Warren counties. For rural Delta counties, photo requests may take 2–4 weeks but are typically fulfilled. For unfulfilled requests, contact the county historical society directly.
County Courthouse Chancery Court Records
Mississippi Chancery Courts handle probate and estate records. These often specify burial location, surviving family members, and estate inventory. Many Mississippi Chancery Court records from the 1820s–1900s are microfilmed at MDAH and searchable through the catalog.