Find Simpson County Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriage and Divorce Records in Simpson County

Mississippi splits these two records between two separate clerks, and Simpson County follows that split exactly. The Circuit Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps the local marriage record. The Chancery Clerk keeps divorce files because divorce is decided in Chancery Court, the state's equity court for family matters. Both clerks work out of Mendenhall, the county seat, but they sit in different offices with different mailing addresses. A request sent to the wrong clerk simply gets redirected, so the first step is always to match the document to the right office.

The contrast is easy to hold in mind. A license to marry is a forward-looking permit. A divorce decree is a court judgment that ends a marriage. The table below lines up the two paths so the right office is clear before any call or letter goes out.

Getting a Marriage License in Simpson County

A marriage license in Simpson County comes from the office of Circuit Clerk Witt Fortenberry. The clerk issues the license, prepares the marriage record, and files a Statistical Record of Marriage with the Office of Vital Records at the State Board of Health. Couples reach the office by phone at 601-847-2474, by email at wfortenberry@co.simpson.ms.us, or by mail at PO Box 307, Mendenhall, MS 39114. Office hours run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

State law sets the framework for the application. Under Miss. Code Section 93-1-5, the application is made in writing to the clerk of the circuit court of any county in Mississippi. Both applicants swear to it. The statute calls for names, ages, and addresses, plus the names and addresses of parents or guardians when an applicant is under 21. Because the application is sworn, both people generally need to appear and sign in person. The county publishes a marriage-license information sheet and a certified-copy request form on its official forms page.

Those two PDF files are official Simpson County documents, but they are scanned images rather than typed text. The exact list of items each form asks for could not be read directly from the scans. The honest course is to treat the statute as the reliable guide and to confirm any document, identification, or appointment detail with the Circuit Clerk before traveling to Mendenhall.

Apply for a Simpson County Marriage License

The path is short and runs entirely through the Circuit Clerk. A quick call ahead confirms current hours and any items the office wants both applicants to bring.

1. Contact the Circuit Clerk or review the county's marriage-license information sheet on the official forms page.
2. Both applicants prepare to complete a sworn written application consistent with Miss. Code Section 93-1-5, covering names, ages, and addresses.
3. Applicants under 21 bring the names and addresses of a parent or guardian, as the statute requires.
4. Pay the $37 filing fee charged for each marriage record prepared.
5. The Circuit Clerk issues the license and files the Statistical Record of Marriage with the Office of Vital Records.

Note: Call the Circuit Clerk before visiting, since the scanned county forms did not list identification, waiting-period, or appointment rules that staff can confirm directly.

Simpson County Marriage License Application Fields

The county's application PDF is image-based, so its precise fields were not extractable. The inventory below is drawn instead from the statute that governs every Mississippi marriage application, Section 93-1-5. It reflects what the law requires rather than guessing at boxes on the scanned form. Items not named in the statute, such as identification copies or notarization, should be confirmed with the clerk.

Simpson County Marriage and Divorce Fees

One fee is confirmed in the county's official sources. The Circuit Clerk collects a $37 filing fee for each marriage record prepared. Simpson County's official pages do not publish prices for plain copies, certified copies, or divorce filing, so those amounts are best confirmed by calling the clerk who holds the record. The figures left open below are marked that way on purpose rather than filled with invented numbers.

How to Look Up Simpson County Marriage Records

Local marriage records begin with the Circuit Clerk. The clerk prepares the marriage record and files the Statistical Record of Marriage with the state's Office of Vital Records. For the county-level record, a copy, or a certified copy, the Circuit Clerk is the first call. For statewide certified vital-record questions, the Office of Vital Records at the State Board of Health is the secondary channel, but Simpson County's own record starts at the clerk's counter in Mendenhall.

A few details speed up any lookup. Have the full names of both spouses ready, including a maiden name where it applies. Know the year of the marriage, or a close range. Add the type of copy needed, plain or certified. With those items in hand, a phone call or mailed request to the Circuit Clerk usually moves quickly. The office handles voter registration, jury duty, and court dockets as well, so reaching staff during posted hours helps.

How to Find Simpson County Divorce Records

Divorce is a Chancery Court matter, so the records live with Chancery Clerk Tim Gray. The office answers at 601-847-2626, by email at tgray@co.simpson.ms.us, or by mail at PO Box 367, Mendenhall, MS 39114. The Chancery Clerk's published duties list divorces directly, alongside probate, land records, guardianships, and estates. Mississippi's divorce and alimony rules sit in Title 93, Chapter 5 of the state code, which sets the grounds and the alimony framework the court applies.

Some Chancery cases are available online. Simpson County records route through Mississippi Electronic Courts, with public viewing through Public Access to MEC, known as PAMEC. Credentials are required, and accounts are set up through the MEC registration page. The PAMEC helpdesk sits at P.O. Box 117, Jackson MS 39205, and answers at 601-576-4650 or helpdesk@mec.ms.gov. Older files, sealed sections, or records not indexed online are handled directly by the Chancery Clerk.

A divorce file can hold more than the final decree. Common contents include the complaint or petition, the answer, financial disclosures, temporary orders, custody and support orders, property-division orders, and related motions. The full file sits in Chancery alongside the county's other equity and family records. Parts of a family file may carry restricted personal details or sealed sections, so not every page is open to general view.

• Complaint or petition for divorce
• Answer and any counterclaim
• Financial disclosures and asset statements
• Temporary orders entered during the case
• Custody, support, and property-division orders
• Final decree of divorce

Chancery Court Family Jurisdiction

Chancery Court is Mississippi's court of equity, and it carries the county's family docket. Beyond divorce, it decides child custody and support, property division, alimony, and adoptions. The same court handles probate of wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships, which is why the Chancery Clerk's office is the hub for so many family and estate files. Readers tracing an estate rather than a divorce can follow the same office through the county's probate records.

This is also why a divorce never routes through the Circuit Clerk. The Circuit side handles criminal cases, larger civil suits, and the marriage license itself, while Chancery owns the divorce from the first filing to the final decree. Two Chancery judges hear these matters for the county, David Shoemake and Gerald M. Martin.

Restricted Family and Adoption Records

Not every family record is open to the public. Mississippi law shields several categories that often sit near a divorce file. Adoption matters, youth-court records, and mental-health commitment filings are not ordinary public search records, even though the Chancery Clerk processes them. Sealed portions of a case need court authority before release.

Youth-court confidentiality comes from Miss. Code Section 43-21-251 and Section 43-21-261, which keep records involving children out of general view. Mental-health treatment records are protected by Section 41-21-97. Court filings as a whole are public under the Mississippi Public Records Act, yet that access still yields to sealing orders, redaction rules, and these confidentiality statutes.

• Adoption files and related proceedings
• Youth-court and minor records
• Mental-health and drug or alcohol commitment matters
• Sealed sections within a divorce or family file

Note: Personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and financial account numbers are limited in court filings, so expect redactions on family records.

Getting Certified Copies of Marriage and Divorce Records

Certified copies carry the clerk's seal and stand up in legal and government settings where a plain printout will not. For a marriage license, the certified copy comes from the Circuit Clerk, and the county posts a certified-copy request form on its forms page. For a divorce decree, the certified copy comes from the Chancery Clerk. Matching the copy request to the office that holds the record is the same rule that governs every step on this topic.

Because the request form is a scanned image, its exact instructions, accepted payment methods, and turnaround time were not readable. Confirm those details with the holding clerk when ordering. Have the names of both parties, the year, and the case number for a divorce ready, since that information helps the clerk pull the right file. The county's clerk duties and request channels are also summarized on the clerk of court page.

Marriage and Divorce Record Office Contacts

Two offices cover the entire topic in Simpson County. The Circuit Clerk handles the marriage license and the marriage record, and files the Statistical Record of Marriage with the state's Office of Vital Records at the State Board of Health. The Chancery Clerk handles every divorce file and the related custody, support, and property orders. Both sit in Mendenhall, and the cards below give the direct contact details for each.