The Trouble With My Family...........

County or Parish courthouses are a great resource for researching your family history.  Many courthouse archives contain probate, property, marriage and divorce records.  These types of records can be extremely helpful when tracing your genealogy. 

About 1855 our Burnett family migrated from Jackson/Harrison County, Mississippi to Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Here’s the problem –

Jackson County, Mississippi – Courthouse burned 1875, all prior records lost.

Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana – Courthouse burned 1910, most prior records lost.

Hancock County, Mississippi – Courthouse burned 1853, all prior records lost.  Hancock was the county to the east of Jackson/Harrison County and could have held useful information.

In the 1830’s our Burnett’s resided in Jackson County, Mississippi.  In 1841 Jackson County was divided and Harrison County was formed.  After the county spit, it was in this newly formed Harrison County where our Burnett’s resided.   Most of the post 1841 Harrison County records are intact, but the Harrison County courthouse can be challenging to deal with unless you do so in person.   

To add to the records loss woes; 1890 US Census – almost all records lost in 1921 Washington D.C. fire.

With this said, it is unlikely that clues to our Burnett ancestry will exist in a courthouse; then again, perhaps in a shoebox in some descendants possession?