
Newton County is a part of the original territory ceded to the United States by the Choctaws through the treaty of Dancing Rabbit concluded in 1830. It was established February 25 1836. Newton County was named for Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the English mathematician, who was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705 and who is celebrated for his discoveries in the field of optics and for his formulations of the laws of motion and gravity. The County Seat is Decatur.
Newton County, Mississippi, is the only American county named for Sir Isaac Newton. (If the county had been formed and named in 1833, at the same time as Jasper County, there would be reason to believe that it was named for Sergeant John Newton rather than for Sir Isaac Newton. The town of Newton, in Newton County, sometimes is said to have been named for Newton Dolittle, who donated the land for the town.
The county has a land area of 568 square miles. In shape it is a square, containing sixteen townships. It was formed from the lower half of Neshoba County . Besancon’S Annual Register for Mississippi (1838) gives the following list of county officers for that year: N. Bright, Sheriff; Geo. W. Parris, Judge of Probate; Wm. Gregg, Clerk of the Circuit Court; Geo. Armstrong, Clerk of Probate; Mercer M. Booker, Surveyor; Thos. P. Redwine, Assessor and Collector; Thos. Maulden, Treasurer; Jessey Henry, Coroner; Dudley H. Thompson, Ranger; Thos. J. Runnels, Freeman Jones, Benjamin Bright, Roland Williams, Joshua Tatnum, Members of the Board of Police.
Speaking of the old town of Pinkney, he says: “The name Pinkney dates as far back in the history of Newton County, as any other name in it. It is not known from what the town derived its name; the probabilities are it was settled as early as 1837, probably earlier, and was a place of some importance and trade. Lane & Boyd, merchants of that place, are reported to have had a stock of goods of $10,000, who issued a fractional currency called ‘shin-plasters,’ and were correspondents of the Decatur bank, and when the bank failed it naturally carried the business of Lane & Boyd with it. The name of Pinkney gave way to Stamper,” and Stamper has given way to the little village of Stratton. The county seat is the old town of Decatur.
This region, long the home of the Choctaw Indians, received a considerable influx of settlers early in the last century. By the year 1837 there were in the county 1,506 whites and 426 slaves, and by 1850 the popu1ation had increased to 4,465; in 1870, to 10,067; 1890, to 16,625; 1920 to 20,727.
Newton County is bordered by Neshoba County (north), Lauderdale County (east), Jasper County (south) amd Scott County (west) . Cities and Towns include Chunky, Conehatta, Decatur, Hickory, Lake, Newton, Union . The County Courthouse was detroyed by fire in 1877 and in 1910, Most records were destroyed in 1877
The Official County Government Website is located at ?.

Newton County Clerk of Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1772/1876 and Court Records from 1876 and is located at P. O. Box 447, Decatur, Mississippi 39327; Phone: 635-2368, Fax: 635-3210 .
Duties of the Circuit Clerk include Receivin and fileing all law suits, indictments, motions and other related papers in all Civil and Criminal Cases filed in the Circuit or County Courts and issues all process including summons and subpoenas, Draws Jurors and qualifies Juries, Keeps a record of all Judgments and Executions, Issues marriage licenses and keeps records of marriages.
Newton County Chancery Court Clerk has Land Records from 1876 and Probate Records from 1876 and is located at P. O. Box 68, Decatur, Mississippi 39327; Phone: 635-2367.
The Chancery Clerk occupies perhaps the most unique and diverse office in all of Mississippi government. The various duties given the Chancery Clerk by statute, or assumed voluntarily by the individual Clerk, cover a wide range of vitally important functions. Some of the duties and functions of the Chancery Clerk are recording the official minutes. As public recorder, the Clerk handles the recording and storage of several types of documents and maintains various indexes that aid people in researching these records. The primary records are deeds and mortgages relating to real property, but the Clerk also records federal tax liens, Lis Pendens ( notices of pending lawsuits ) and military discharges. The Clerk is in charge of the storage and authorized disposal of older land rolls, tax receipts and many other County records after their active use lifespan. As Clerk of the Chancery Court, the Clerk handles a multitude of tasks such as matters of estates, guardianships, conservatorships, divorces, child custody, adoption, property disputes and other matters of equity.
Local county courthouses maintain original tax records, both real and personal. Microfilm copies of the earlier records are found in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History where the collection is extensive, but there are gaps. Although not many, some counties have published selected years of tax rolls.
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Newton ounty Court Records by clicking the link below:

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
Newton County Health Department has Birth and Death Records from November of 1912 and is located at 15776 Highway 15 North, Decatur, MS 39327; Phone: 601-635-2337 . You may go to any county health department in the State of Mississippi to obtain a certificates can be issued while you wait.
Contact Chancery Clerk for County Divorce Records (See Newton County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in the county where divorce was granted, and Contact Clerk of Circuit Court Judge For County Marriage Records (See Newton County Court Records for Address and Phone number) in county where license was issued
Mississippi Department of Health is located in the Underwood Building, 571 Stadium Drive, just off North State Street near Woodrow Wilson Avenue in Jackson, Mississippi. The phone number is 601.576.7981. They have the following records:
Checks or Money Orders should be made payable to "Vital Records." Please do not send cash. Fees are non refundable. Additional fees are required for expedited service. Mail all Applications to: Mississippi Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates or Death Certificates.
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Newton County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable
Federal Population Schedules that exist for Mississippi are 1820, 1830 (Partial), 1840, 1850, 1860 (Partial), 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. In 1817 Mississippi became the twentieth state to enter the union; therefore, the first federal population census available is that of 1820.
Variations of this census appear in three printed forms, none of which include slave or miscellaneous information. Enumerations for Pike County are missing in 1830, but the Gillis index used extant tax records to supplement their index. Transcriptions are subject to error; use these reprints simply as a guide to the original records.
A significant addition to the 1840 census supplies the names and ages of pensioners. Schedules are missing for Hancock, Sunflower, and Washington counties in 1860.
By 1870, with slavery abolished, all blacks, natives, and Chinese were included, along with information regarding citizenship. With the destruction of the 1890 population schedules, only the schedules enumerating Union veterans are available for Mississippi. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms & U.K. Census Extraction Forms
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Newton County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Maps. Email us with websites containing Newton County Maps by clicking the link below:
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Newton County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Newton County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
There are many churches and cemeteries in Newton County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Newton County Tombstone Transcription Project. The Mississippi Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches and cemeteries free for viewing or download here.
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Newton County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Below is a list of online resources for Newton County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Newton County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below: