Secretary of State

The files in this series pertain to Mississippi state agencies' compliance with the "Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law" passed in 1977 (Mississippi Code 1972, Annotated, Title 25, Chapter 43, Section 1), which mandates agencies to periodically file with the Secretary of State official statements of rules, regulations, and policies, as well as any changes to rules, etc. The electronic files are mostly word processing (DOC, RTF, and WPD) and portable document format (PDF) files, with a few image (JPEG, TIFF) and email (EML) files as well. Beginning with the fiscal-year 2019 transfer, the records include Code Documents and Bulletins. All have been converted to PDF files for easier access and are grouped by filing dates and follow the original folder and file arrangement.

The fiscal-year (July-June) report of the Mississippi Secretary of State summarizes the agency's efforts to regulate business, monitor elections, distribute official state publications, administer Sixteenth Section lands, and conduct policy research. The Department of Archives and History has electronic (PDF) copies of the report from 2013.

The series consists of bound volumes containing copies of charters of incorporation issued to companies, charities, civic groups and other organizations by the Mississippi Secretary of State. The Department of Archives and History has electronic (PDF) copies of many of the books recorded between 1857 and 1991. They were scanned by the Secretary of State's Office as bi-tonal TIFF files and bundled into PDF access copies by MDAH.

This series consists of land records, including claims, field notes, and surveys, collected east of the Pearl River District in the early nineteenth century. Images of the land records were created by FamilySearch onsite at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2011 and are arranged by description and page number.

This series contains copies of county and statewide election results certified by each of the counties' election commissioners and the Mississippi Secretary of State. The Department of Archives and History has paper returns for 1817-2016 and electronic (PDF) copies from 2008.

The series contains digital copies of enrolled bills passed during sessions of the Mississippi Legislature. An enrolled bill is a bill that has been finally passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, signed by the proper officers of each, approved by the governor, and filed by the secretary of state. Each bill in this series bears the signatures of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the president of the Senate, and the governor. §7-3-5 of the Mississippi Code provides that the secretary of state "shall carefully keep and preserve the enrolled acts and resolutions of the legislature." Included for multiple years are House and Senate concurrent resolutions, governor's veto messages, joint resolutions, and signing statements.

The records in this series were digitized by the Secretary of State's office and are arranged in the order received.

Secretary of State Walker Wood issued this press release in 1928 to promote Mississippi's industrial and investment potential. The document was previously archived as a broadside.

The series consists of proclamations, executive orders, messages, writs of election and other documents of Governors Hugh White (first term only), J. P. Coleman, and Ross Barnett, plus one proclamation from Governor Sennett Conner, which were filed at the Secretary of State's Office. Governor Ross Barnett's May 24, 1961, executive order that required the Mississippi National Guard to assist civil authorities in their dealings with the Freedom Riders has been scanned and is available in the Digital Archives. All other documents for the series can be viewed in the William F. Winter Archives and History Building.

Series 1156 consists of records of private land claims made in the Jackson Court House land office district, which comprised all or part of the following present-day Mississippi counties: Jackson, Harrison, Hancock, Pearl River, Stone, George, Forrest, and Perry. The district also included a strip of land about ten miles wide in what is now Alabama. Most of the claims are situated on the banks of the Pascagoula River, Mississippi's Gulf Coast, and the east bank of the Pearl River. The records include warrants of survey, certificates of confirmation, certificates of survey, plats, transcripts from the Register of Certificates, and a list of private land claims recommended for confirmation. Many entries in the transcripts from the Register of Certificates concern private land claims in the town of Mobile. Images of the land records were created by FamilySearch onsite at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2011 and are arranged alphabetically by description, then within the Reports and Surveys for Land Entry by names of individuals who made the claims.

This series consists of a register of public lands sold in the Choctaw Cession. For each sale, entries include land description (township, section and range), number of acres, price per acre, name of purchaser, date of sale, total cost, date of registration, and other information. Images of the volume were created by FamilySearch onsite at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2011 and are arranged by page number.

This series consists of a register of public lands in the Choctaw Cession bought with scrip. For each sale, entries include land description (township, section and range), number of acres, price per acre, name of purchaser, date of sale, total cost, date of registration, and other information. Images of the volume were created by FamilySearch onsite at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2011 and are arranged by page number.

The series consists of bound volumes full of short, typed entries recording the organization of corporations in Mississippi. Each entry includes such information as the name of the organization; date of incorporation; where incorporated; names of directors, president and secretary; and filing date. The volumes are indexed. The Department of Archives and History has electronic (PDF) copies of many of the books recorded between 1906 and 1987. They were scanned by the Secretary of State's Office as bi-tonal TIFF files and bundled into PDF access copies by MDAH.

From the creation of the state in 1817, up until the year 1880, the Mississippi legislature, through statutes and constitutional requirement, provided for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the state. The series consists of county population enumeration compiled by the county sheriff and tax assessor. The returns vary considerably in the type and completeness of data collected. A twelve-page Historical Note provides additional background information for the series. Images of the census returns were created by FamilySearch onsite at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2011 and are arranged by description, date, and page number.