Hancock County, Mississippi Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Hancock County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected collection metadata checked against repository catalog descriptions. This is not a complete holdings audit, examination of original records, or certification of current access. See the access note for limitations. Repository catalog or holdings guide

Formed
1812
County seat
Bay St. Louis
Forrest CountyGeorge CountyHarrison CountyJackson CountyPearl River CountyPerry CountyStone CountyHancock CountyHarrisonPearl RiverHancock
Hancock CountyToday's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Hancock County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Wills and estates

Schools

Court records

Deeds and land

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected Mississippi Department of Archives and History courthouse microfilm catalog results, grouped by series, contents and district. This batch covers only a portion of the catalog, with emphasis on abstracts, court records and deeds; it is not a complete film inventory. Spans may contain gaps. Consult the catalog for individual reels, volumes and access.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

  • Hancock County official website

    Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the chancery clerk and the circuit clerk, and any online record search the county offers.

  • The chancery clerk

    Deeds and other land records, and probate (wills and estates).

  • The circuit clerk

    Marriage licenses and civil and criminal cases.

  • The Mississippi Department of Archives and History

    In Jackson: county records on microfilm, Confederate records, newspapers and the state's original records.

  • Mississippi Department of Archives and Historyfree

    The state archives in Jackson: county records on microfilm, Confederate service and pension records, newspapers and maps.

  • FamilySearch Catalogfree

    Search by place for "Mississippi, Hancock" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Mobile County (Ala.)

Later formed partly from Hancock County: Harrison County, Pearl River County

Baldwin (Ala.)WarrenClaiborneJeffersonFranklinAmiteWayneGreeneMarionNon-County Area 1Clarke (Ala.)Washington (Ala.)Spanish West FloridaDisputed AreaMobile (Ala.)HancockHancockSpanish West FloridaFranklinAmiteWayneGreeneMarion
Hancock as created in 1812Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1812, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

Mississippi began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1912. Several counties lost records to fires or the Civil War; the state archives' county microfilm and the federal land records can fill gaps.