Until 1st November 1912 Mississippi did not have any official record of the births that took place in the state. They started registering the births in 1912 which were generally compiled in 1921. The birth records since then have been kept by Mississippi State Department of Health. For birth records before then; you would have to contact the Department of Archives & History where there is a chance that some old records might be present.
A person wanting to access the Mississippi Birth Records could write an application to the State Department of Health at Vital Records, 2423 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216. The application could be handed over via mail, in person and even through the internet; from where it would be a wait of 7 days till the application is processed. If the birth records are not found after a five year search then a certificate of Not-On-File would be issued to the applicant. Whether it is a family member, a neighbor or even a college fellow, the state of Mississippi had made it easy for you to access their Birth records. You can access anyone’s birth record in the State, but the State laws of Mississippi require a photograph with a valid ID of the applicant who is trying to access the birth records. Even a driver’s license with your Photograph on it would suffice.
Mississippi death records are the responsibility of the Mississippi State Department of Health, under the heading of Vital Records. They have death records dating back to November 1 1912, when the state began officially keeping records.
If you are in search of records prior to that date, you will need to look into the Department of Archives and History for the state of Mississippi, as they are responsible for any records kept prior to the official date.
Mississippi requires that a certified copy of death can only be given to a party who is eligible and shows legitimate legal interest this includes, parents as listed on record of death, a sibling, grandparent, child, or spouse, these will require proof of relationship. Legal guardians are also entitled to a certified copy of the death certificate, and must provide proof of guardianship. Any legal representative of one of these eligible parties may file the application. A court order will allow you to obtain a certified copy of a death record in Mississippi. Funeral homes and their agents may obtain a copy as long as they were the party listed to take possession of the remains.
If you are doing genealogy research you are only allowed access to records that occurred more than fifty years before the current date, you must also clarify the relationship, these copies will not be certified and will be printed on plain paper.
