Since the sixteenth century, Mississippi was ruled at various times by the French, British, and Spanish until it became a territory of the United States in 1798. Research in Mississippi provides major research resources for each of these periods as well as a discussion of boundary changes prior to statehood. Also included are descriptions of collections found in research repositories, including Mississippi Department of Archives and History; Mississippi State University Libraries, Special Collections; University of Mississippi’s Special Collections; and McCain Library and Archives, University of Southern Mississippi. In addition, readers will find information about out-of-state repositories with major Mississippi collections such as Natchez Trace Collection at the University of Texas. Court, land, and probate records are discussed as well as institutional records, including asylums, hospitals, and prisons. Ethnic records include African Americans, American Indians, and the Chinese communities of the Mississippi delta. Also of value is an extended discussion of genealogical and historical periodicals.
Published by NGS, Research in Mississippi is one volume in the Research in the States series edited by Barbara Vines Little, CG, FNGS, FUGA, FVGS. It is available for purchase in the NGS online store in both PDF and print versions.
Lori Thornton, MLS, is a professional genealogist who specializes in research in southern states, particularly Mississippi, Tennessee, and North Carolina, and in religious records. She also is a member of national and local genealogical societies.