Mississippi, Tippah County Marriages, 1858-1979

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of marriages recorded by the Probate Court and the Circuit Court in Tippah County, Mississippi for the years 1858 to 1979. The records were filmed at the county courthouse in Ripley, Mississippi.

The earliest marriage bonds and licenses were usually handwritten on loose papers that were later bound into lettered volumes. Some marriage records had multiple entries on each page, while others had single records per page. The records are arranged by volume and year range. The records were generally well preserved, although fires, floods, or other disasters may have destroyed some records.

These records are segregated according to race from 1865 through part of the 20th century. Volumes are designated "colored" for marriages of blacks, "mixed," which includes both races (not necessarily intermarried) and "white." There are separate indexes for colored and white marriages.

Marriages were recorded by the clerk of the chancery court from the time the county was formed. Persons desiring to marry obtained a license that they presented to the minister or other person authorized to marry, such as a justice of the peace. Once the marriage was performed, the officiator sent a return to the clerk confirming that the marriage had occurred.

Civil marriage records were created to legalize marital relationships and to protect the interests of the wife and other heirs to legal claims on property. The marriage date, place, residence of the bride and groom, and occupations are relatively reliable. Other information, such as age or birthplace, is dependent on the knowledge, memory, and accuracy of the informants, usually the bride and groom.

To Browse This Collection

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Marriage

• Date and place of marriage
• Names of the bride and groom
• Names of witnesses
• Name of officiator

Collection Content

Sample Image

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  1866 Marriage Record