Welcome to the Winston County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.
To share your Winston County, Mississippi genealogy or history information, send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Mississippi Counties, visit the Mississippi Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate county.
Winston County was established as a county by the Mississippi Legislature on December 23, 1833. Its county seat is Louisville (chartered in 1836). Winston County and the city of Louisville are named for Louis Winston (1784–1824), a colonel in the militia, a prominent lawyer, and a judge of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Curiously, Winston County, Alabama is named after a relative of Louis Winston.
Winston county is the site of Nanih Waiya, an ancient mound built in the Woodland period, about 1 CE-300 CE. Since the 17th century, it has been venerated by the historic Choctaw people of this territory. Since 2008 it has again been held by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally recognized tribe. According to Choctaw legend, the tribe originated at Nanih Waiya.
The county has a total area of 610.11 square miles of which 606.97 square miles is land and 3.14 square miles (0.50%) is water. The population recorded in the 1840 Federal Census was 4,650. The population peaked in 1940 at 22,751. The 2010 census recorded 19,198 residents in the county.
Neighboring counties are Oktibbeha County (north), Noxubee County (east), Kemper County (southeast), Neshoba County (south), Leake County (southwest), Attala County (west), and Choctaw County (northwest). The county seat is the city of Louisville. Other communities in the county include Gum Springs, Noxapater, Millcreek, Deposit, Rural Hill, Lobutcha, Vowell, Estes, Hinze, Claytown, Finnis Hook, Plattsburg, Liberty, Handle, Ellison Ridge, Boon, Highpoint, and Vernon.
Winston County MSGHN has many records here on our website. Marriage Records, Cemetery listings, tombstone photos, and more. Look at the Winston County Data links 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 ...READ MORE
Winston County is located in the east-central portion of Mississippi.
Marriage information is an important part of any family genealogy. These dates may assist you in your Winston County, Mississippi research.
For a list of Winston County, Mississippi Cemeteries, tombstone photos and more.