Welcome to the DeSoto County MS website for genealogical research. My name is Tim Harrison and I am the Coordinator of this website. Please feel free to contact me with your suggestions or contributions.
Desoto County was established on Feb. 9, 1836, and is one of the twelve counties formed in that year from the Chickasaw Indian cession of 1832. The county is bounded on the north by Shelby County, TN, on the south by the counties of Tate and Tunica, on the east by Marshall County and on the west by the Mississippi River and Crittenden County, AR. Hernando is the county seat. The area of Desoto County is about six hundred square miles.
Desoto County was named in honor of Hernando De Soto, the county seat taking his Christian name. Among the early settlers were the families of the Condras, Paynes, Sanders, Cobbs, McMahans, Blockers, Finns, Atelinsons, Browns, Walkers, Martins, Mitchells, Moselys, and Cartrights.
The Louisville, New Orleans and Texas railroad cross the county on the west side with the Illinois Central crossing in the center and east. Some of the towns besides the county seat were: Alpika, Blythe, Bright, Cedarview, Cockrum, Cublake, Days, De Soto Front, Eudora, Grover, Horn Lake, Ingram's Mill, Kelly, Lake View, Lewisburg, Love's Station, Miller, Moorotown, Nesbit, Norfolk, Olive Branch, Penton, Pleasant Hill and Plum Point.
Please visit the MSGenWeb Project's History of DeSoto County for additional information.
Aug 2008: New Pensions: Banks, Barham, Birmingham, Boggan, Chamberlin, Clifton, Halbert, Hamm, Hobbs, Janney, Key, Lauderdale, Laughter, McCargo, Rutland, Vinson, Waldrop, Walton, Winders
Jul 2008: 1938 Confederate Veteran, Widow & Servant Pension List
Jun 2008: Col. Felix Lebauve; Desoto Descendants Volume 25 Index: A - L & M - Y; DeSoto County Genealogical Society Publications Updated
Mar 2008: 1878 Yellow Fever Deaths; 1st Regiment (Adams/Woods), Co. G Warren Dragoons
Feb 2008: 1930 Marriage & Death Notices; Old Carolina Cemetery Photos (offsite links)
Oct 2007: Eudora Cemetery Headstone Photos
June 2007: 1st Regiment (Adams/Woods), Co. B DeSoto Light Dragoons (AKA Wirt Adams) (DeSoto)
Misc. DeSoto County Data - offsite link
Courthouse photo used in banner, courtesy of Kenneth & Jackie Rhodes, 2004
DeSoto County Coordinator: Tim Harrison
MSGenWeb State Coordinator: Everette Carr
MSGenWeb Asst. State Coordinator: Bill White
Copyright © 2005-2008 by Tim Harrison & MSGenWeb. All rights reserved. Copyright of submitted items belongs to those responsible for their authorship or creation unless otherwise assigned.