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Arkansas Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
War Of 1812 (1812-1815)
Civil War (1861-1865)
World War I (1917-1918)
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Taxation
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
TAXATION Lists of taxpayers provide information similar to the early census records. Published indexes of tax lists are available for the years 1819 to 1829 and for 1830 to 1839.
Microfilm copies of personal and property tax records, between 1860 and 1900, are available at the Family History Library for most counties. The county clerks have the original records.
Arkansas began recording births and deaths on a statewide basis in February 1914. Some Little Rock and Fort Smith records from 1881 are also available from the state. Delayed registrations of births
The vital records cannot be examined by the public. The Division of Vital Records will issue copies only to a family member or the individual named on the record unless the information is going to be used for family history. You must specifically state the purpose for which the certificate will be used.
Earlier birth and death records were kept in each county, although records prior to 1914 are sparse. You can obtain copies by contacting the appropriate county clerk's office. The Family History Library has copies of birth, delayed birth, death, and funeral home records for a few counties, such as the records of Sebastian County births, 1877 to 1913, and deaths, 1881 to 1929 (FHL films 1034198-99).
Marriage records dating from the creation of each county are available from the county clerk's office in the county where the license was issued. Some counties in the state have two courthouses where the documents could have been filed. The state office has marriage records since 1917 and indexes to marriages from 1820 to the present.
The Family History Library has microfilmed copies of the county marriage records to about the 1920s. From Pulaski County, for example, the library has 51 microfilms of marriage record books and indexes for 1838 to 1921.
Certified copies of divorce records are available from the clerk of the circuit or chancery court in the county where the divorce was granted. In addition, the Division of Vital Records has divorce records filed since 1923.
Further information on the history and availability of Arkansas vital records is in Guide to Vital Statistic Records in Arkansas, Vol. 1 (Little Rock: Arkansas Historical Survey, 1942; not at Family History Library).
For more detailed information on research and records in Arkansas, see:
Wagoner, Claudia. Arkansas Researchers' Handbook. Fayetteville, Ark.: Research Plus, 1986. (FHL book 976.7 D27w.)
Another helpful source is:
Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Rev. ed. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992. (FHL book 973 D27rb 1992; computer number 594021.) Contains bibliographies and background information on history and ethnic groups. Also contains maps and tables showing when each county was created.
The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:
Paper publication: Second edition June 1997. English approval: 6/97
©1998, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
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VITAL RECORDS
Birth and Death Records
are available since 1914. For copies of state records write to:
Division of Vital Records
The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces (Hyattsville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993; FHL book 973 V24wv). Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and the Family History Centers. You can also write to the Division of Vital Records (address above) for current information.
Arkansas Department of Health
4815 West Markham Street, slot 44
Little Rock, AR 72205-3867
Telephone: 501-661-2336
Marriage Records
Divorce Records
Inventory of Vital Records
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FOR FURTHER READING
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COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Publications Coordination
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3400
USA
[FamilySearchTM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 6/8/2001]