Our goal is to aid genealogical researchers with resources and materials related to Lamar County, Mississippi at no cost to the researcher. This site is FREE and will ALWAYS be FREE to all researchers! We are proud to be a part of the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network.

We are in the process of adding more Lamar County resources to this web-site as quickly as possible. If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, or have Lamar County history or genealogy information to share, please send an email to Tammy Westmoreland at trwestmoreland@gmail.com. Good luck in your pursuit of those elusive ancestors!

The following is only a part of what you will find here at Lamar County MSGHN.

• Watts Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. From Hwy 44W in Covington Co. take W.M. Johnson Rd SE to Lamar Co. where it is HR Watts Rd. Go just SE of Horne Ln. 312005N, 0893844W.
• Clinton Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. From Highway 42 east of Sumrall take Simms Road south to Epley Road. 312415N, 0892755W.
• Sumrall Pentecostal Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Located on the west edge of Sumrall on Apostolic Road just off Highway 42. 312441N, 0893429W.
• Nelson Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Located on Little Creek Road about 1/2 mile west of WPA Road. 311431N, 0892837W.
• Old Eaton Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. US 98 west to King Road north to Lake Thompson Drive North at Auburn Place. 311952N, 0892453W.
• Fairview Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Just west of Sumrall take Highway 44 East off Highway 42. Go to Jones Cemetery Road & turn right. 312414N, 0893526W.
• Williamson Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. From Highway 42 in Lamar Co near Jeff Davis Co Line, take Hickory Grove Road south to Williamson Camp Rd take left and go 1/8 mile. 312517N, 0893824W.
• Jones Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Located just W of Sumrall, take Hwy 44 E off Hwy 42. Go to Jones Cemetery Rd & turn right. 312412N, 0893526W.
• Williams Family Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Located at the intersection of Williamsburg Road & Rocky Branch Road.
• Slade Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Off US 98W take Rocky Branch Rd N to N Slade Rd and turn right. Go past lee Hudson Rd. 311955N, 0893655W.
• Hickory Grove Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Just west of Sumrall take Hwy 44 east off Hwy 42. Take Hickory Grove Church Road right and go past Phillips Road. 312300N, 0893815W.
• Buchanan Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. From US 98W take Rocky Branch Rd N to N Slade Rd go right and go past Lee Hudson Rd. 311955N, 0893700W.
• Little Black Creek Cemetery partial listing with tombstone photos. From Purvis go north on Hwy 589 about 6 miles & turn right at Lee Cemetery sign. Go about 1/2 mile on dirt road. 311319N, 0892659W.
• Oral Baptist Church Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Located just south of Sumrall on Hwy 589. 312102N, 0892952W.
• Pine Ridge / Hartfield Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. Located on Hwy 589 about 5 miles north of Purvis. 311208N, 0892640W.
• Lee Cemetery burial listing with tombstone photos. From Purvis go north on Hwy 589 about 6 miles & turn right at Lee Cemetery sign. Go about 1/2 mile on dirt road. 311319N, 0892659W.
• Lamar County Cemeteries. We have quite a few cemeteries with burial listings that include tombstone photos. We plan to add more photo listings soon! I am sure there are some cemeteries in Lamar County that are not on the list. How about giving us a hand by sending information on the cemeteries we're missing.

On March 13, 1904 Lamar County was created from the second judicial district of Marion County and the northern part of Pearl River County. It was the seventy-sixth county to organize in the state and was named in honor of the Mississippi politician and jurist Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II.

Lamar served as U.S. Representitive, U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior under Pres. Cleveland, and also served as a United States Supreme Court Justice. Lamar is the only Mississippian to have served on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The town of Purvis, incorporated in 1886, is the county seat and was named for John Purvis, an early settler and landowner in the area. In April 1908 a hurricane sweeping up from the Gulf of Mexico hit the town killing seven people and injuring hundreds more. During the storm the courthouse clock stopped at precisely four p.m. The clock remained at that time in honor of the dead and injured until the courthouse burned in 1938.

Lamar County is bordered by Covington County on the north, Forrest County on the east, Pearl River County on the south, Marion County on the west, and Jefferson Davis County on the northwest. Cities and towns include Purvis, Sumrall, Lumberton, and West Hattiesburg.

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

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