Local officials are giving the Alcorn County Genealogical Society custody of county property records currently housed in the attic of the courthouse.

The chattel deeds are legal title to any type of personal property that is not fixed to land or a building.

“Before 1870 Alcorn was part of Tishomingo County,” said society President Joyce Duquette. “At that time the Tishomingo County seat was Jacinto, which fell into Alcorn County when the county was divided in 1836. This gives us access to all those books dating back to 1836.”

Tishomingo County was divided to become Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties, so records from the period before 1870 include history for all three counties.

Chattel deeds, Duquette said, would cover things such as livestock that might be used as a bond for marriage or to pay debts.

The genealogical society already has copies or custody of some other records such as land taxes, personal taxes and marriage licenses since 1836.

“Our marriage license records only go through 1914, but now we have a camera and plan to take pictures of the records since then to put in our collection,” Duquette said.

The county will keep a detailed copy of what is in the society’s possession, said Chancery Clerk Bobby Marolt, in case at some time in the future the genealogy society ends their work.

“Right now the books are in the attic of the courthouse, and the climate control is not good, so they deteriorate. The property where the society has offices is under county control, so they’ll be in a better climate controlled environment and will be better preserved for the future,” Marolt said.