The staff at MBHC is happy to assist you with genealogical research. However, we cannot perform extensive searches. Our resources are available to everyone who would like to come in and use them. We will do our best to help you get started with your research. If you already know which materials you will need or are looking for, we suggest that you call first to make sure we have those materials/records in our office. Churches decide on an individual basis whether or not they want their records housed in our collection.
Reference requests are accepted through e-mail, mail, and telephone. However, patrons who are able to visit the MBHC will be given priority.
What We Have and Do Not Have
We do our best to provide indexes for the materials that we do have. Below are listings of our current indexes.
If we don't have what you're looking for you might try out these other resources.
What We Can Do
For a fee of $8/hour, the Special Collections Librarian will perform a general search of a church’s records. The fee for photocopies is $0.15/page.
Our collections are to be used under the supervision of the Special Collections Librarian or Assistant.
What We Can Not Do
We are unable to perform extensive genealogical searches.
Due to the delicate nature of our materials, we are unable to loan materials to individuals or other libraries.
We cannot extend use of primary resources past normal hours, but use of secondary resources might be extended after meeting with the Special Collections Librarian.
Unfortunately, due to time and staff restrictions, we are unable to copy any church’s record book in its entirety.
Before visiting MBHC, please call the office at (601) 925-3434 to schedule an appointment or to make sure someone will be in the office at the time of your visit.
These are some of the first resources we check when looking up a person or church.
J.B. Gambrell founded The Baptist Record in a Clinton residence in 1877. The weekly journal of Mississippi Baptists is today the third-largest newspaper in the Southern Baptist Convention. With more than 100,000 subscribers, The Baptist Record is on a level with the largest secular publications in the state, and it reaches into the overwhelming majority of homes occupied by Mississippi Baptists.
The MBHC has made it a priority to help Mississippi Baptist access and use the Baptist Record. We have all issues from 1877-present on microfilm and hard copies of the papers from 1898-present. We also have an index of the newspaper going back to the first issue. Unfortunately, our index cannot be accessed online, but you can contact our office and we will do all we can to help you find the article that you are looking for.
For more information on the Baptist Record visit their website at: https://thebaptistrecord.org/