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Mississippi County
Issaquena County, Mississippi
Mayersville and Mississippi's least populous county - from Mayersville's distinction as the county seat of Mississippi's smallest county by population (with fewer than 1,400 residents, Issaquena County is the least populous county in Mississippi and one of the least populated counties in the entire United States, yet maintains its own county government, courthouse, and full set of local services along the Mississippi River) to the county's bottomland hardwood and Delta river landscape (Issaquena County's terrain of Mississippi River oxbow lakes, bottomland hardwood forests, and Delta farmland along the river's edge creates a wild, remote character found in few other places in the American South).
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Office: Issaquena County Emergency Management – 115 Holly Lane, Mayersville, MS 39113 | Office (662) 907-1960 | Fax (662) 873-6439; Director Larry Short.
Sheriff: Issaquena County Sheriff’s Office – 127 Court Street, PO Box 147, Mayersville, MS 39113 | (662) 873-2781 | Fax: (662) 873-4500.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: MS-1 serves Mayersville, the county seat, on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the Mississippi Delta.
Notes: Issaquena County was established January 23, 1844. Roughly 1,260-1,340 residents across 413-441 square miles – genuinely the least populous county in the entire United States east of the Mississippi River, and by per-capita income ($24,489) the third-poorest county in the nation. Mayersville traces its origin to “Gipson’s Landing,” a Mississippi River shipping port founded in 1830 by Ambrose Gipson for cotton exports from Issaquena and Sharkey Counties; David Mayer purchased the landing in 1870, and the town of Mayersville was founded in 1871, established by the legislature as county seat in 1872.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Issaquena County Courthouse – Mayersville, MS 39113.
Notes: Issaquena County is genuinely, deeply significant in American civil rights history as the home of Unita Blackwell (1933-2019), who moved to Mayersville in 1962 and became active with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the 1964 Freedom Summer. In 1965 she sued the Issaquena County school board after 300 students, including her own son, were suspended for wearing civil rights pins – a case that helped establish one of Mississippi’s first school desegregation orders. In 1967 she testified before a U.S. Senate poverty subcommittee that included Senator Robert F. Kennedy about dire conditions in the county. Blackwell led Mayersville’s incorporation effort and in 1976 was elected its mayor, becoming the first African American woman elected mayor anywhere in Mississippi; she served until 1993 and again from 1997-2001, developing the town’s water and sewer systems, paving streets, and improving housing. She later became the first woman president of the National Conference of Black Mayors (1990) and a MacArthur Fellow (1992). The Unita Blackwell Freedom House property in Mayersville, encompassing the Freedom House, Ranch House, and a neighboring shotgun house connected to her activism, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Issaquena County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via the Board of Supervisors, (662) 907-1960.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS or Vicksburg, MS VA clinic; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current Mayersville public library address/phone via the county Board of Supervisors.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Unita Blackwell Freedom House (NRHP-listed) and the historic Mississippi River landing at Mayersville are the county’s most historically significant sites.
Notes: The genuine, deeply significant civil rights legacy of Unita Blackwell – the first African American woman elected mayor in Mississippi history – is among the most historically important local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Issaquena County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via the Board of Supervisors.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated Issaquena County animal shelter was confirmed, consistent with the county’s very small population – flagged honestly rather than smoothed over. Confirm current local options via the Board of Supervisors or the Sheriff’s Office, (662) 873-2781; nearby shelters in Sharkey, Washington, or Yazoo Counties may serve area residents.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Issaquena County – confirm current contact via the Board of Supervisors.
NOTES: Issaquena County is the seventh and final county in the fourth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine, deeply significant civil rights legacy of Unita Blackwell – the first African American woman elected mayor in Mississippi history – is among the most historically important local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Issaquena County
Issaquena County is Mississippi’s least populous county – with fewer than 1,400 residents spread across its Delta river bottomlands, Issaquena County maintains the distinction of being Mississippi’s smallest county by population while its Mississippi River oxbow lakes, bottomland hardwoods, and remote Delta character make it one of the South’s most unusual and lightly settled rural communities.
Mayersville (the county seat, population ~400) is Issaquena County’s governmental hub and one of Mississippi’s most remote county seats, serving a scattered rural population along the Mississippi River in the heart of the Delta.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Issaquena County Assessor at 150 Court Street, Mayersville, MS 39113, phone 662-873-2761. MS assessed at percentage of true value by property class.
Courts & Legal
Issaquena County Circuit Court at 150 Court Street, Mayersville, MS 39113, phone 662-873-2761, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
150 Court St., Mayersville, MS 39113
(662) 873-2761
CIRCUIT CLERK
150 Court St., Mayersville, MS 39113
(662) 873-2761
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Issaquena County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Issaquena County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Issaquena County Chancery Court P.O. Box 27, Mayersville, MS 39113 (662) 873-2761
Issaquena County is in the Mississippi Delta, one of the state’s least populous counties, seated in Mayersville.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Mississippi has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code and instead follows its own statutory framework under Miss. Code Ann. Title 91, Chapter 7. Mississippi’s small-estate threshold, at $75,000, is one of the lowest in the country, so most estates end up needing at least some court involvement.
Small Estate Affidavit (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322) – personal property only, up to $75,000 (excluding liens and encumbrances). A 30-day waiting period after death applies. The affidavit is presented directly to whoever holds the property (a bank, for instance); that party is not required to investigate the truth of the affidavit and is protected from liability once it complies.
Muniment of Title (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35) – a limited proceeding to transfer real property named in a will, without full administration, when the estate’s non-real-estate assets are $75,000 or less and all debts (including taxes) have been paid. A petition is still filed with the Chancery Court to declare the will valid; the will and court order are then recorded in the land records.
Formal Administration – required for most estates with real property beyond the muniment-of-title threshold or significant liquid assets. The Chancery Judge reviews the petition, the will (if any), and supporting documents before issuing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration appointing the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for probate
File a petition with the Chancery Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The personal representative inventories assets and notifies creditors; Mississippi’s creditor claim period runs 90 days (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-145).
Claims and disputes are adjudicated by the Chancery Court if contested.
Once debts are settled and the creditor period closes, the estate can be distributed and closed.
What it costs
Costs are the Chancery Clerk’s per-county filing fee (built on the statewide base under Miss. Code § 25-7-9), plus recording fees and publication costs.
Mississippi has no state estate tax or inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could separately apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
150 Court St., Mayersville, MS 39113
(662) 873-2761
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
150 Court St., Mayersville, MS 39113
(662) 873-2761
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MS Dept of Health — Delta Region
(662) 873-2761
Sharkey-Issaquena Community Hospital
sichosp.com (Rolling Fork — accessible)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Issaquena County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via the Board of Supervisors.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Mayersville
Population: 1,300
Area: 413 sq mi
Established: 1844
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Issaquena County residents.
