Arkansas Vital Records

United States &gt; Arkansas &gt; Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Introduction to Vital Records UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Arkansas Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Arkansas Statewide Indexes and Collections at the Family History Library.

Arkansas Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Records Online
The following online resources will be useful for locating Arkansas birth, marriage and death records. Check Arkansas Vital Records Online for more information about the resources listed below. The online resources for Arkansas Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.  


 * Arkansas Links from the fhlfavorites.info for the world - Free
 * Arkansas Databases listed on Rootsweb.org - Free
 * USGenWeb.org Arkansas Site - Free
 * Search for Arkansas Collections on FamilySearch Record Search under Canada, USA, and Mexico - Free
 * Carroll County Divorce Records 1870- 1897 - Free
 * The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for Arkansas - Free/$
 * Wee Monster Links for Arkansas Birth &amp; Marriage and Death Records - Free/$
 * Linkpendium Links for Arkansas Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$
 * Progenealogists Links for the United States. Press Ctrl + F on the keyboard to search for Arkansas or AR - Free/$
 * Search the Arkansas Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Records at Ancestry.com - $
 * Order Arkansas Certificates online - $

Birth Records
Early -1914

No births were recorded by government agencies. See Substitute Records below. Earlier birth and death records were kept in each county, although records prior to 1914 are sparse. You can obtain copies by contacting the county clerk's office where the birth took place.

1914 - Present

Arkansas began recording births and deaths on a statewide basis in February 1914. 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. Some Little Rock and Fort Smith records from 1881 are also available from the state. Delayed registrations of births are available since 1914. For copies of state records write to:

Division of Vital Records Arkansas Department of Health Slot #44 4815 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72205-3867 Phone: 501-661-2174

The current fees for obtaining copies of the state's records are listed at VitalRecords.com and at the Division of Vital Records website.

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.

Adoption Records
closed/open/state statutes

Marriage Records
Early - 1917

1917-Present

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.

Arkansas County Marriages 1837-1957 are available online at Record Search

Arkansas Statewide County Marriages

Divorce Records
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.

Death Records
Early - 1914

1914 - Present

Further information on the history and availability of Arkansas vital records is in Guide to Vital Statistic Records in Arkansas.

Some vital records are available for Little Rock and Fort Smith. Contact: Arkansas History Commission. When requesting copies state the purpose and your relationship.

Arkansas History Commission, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201

Substitute Records

 * Arkansas Church Records
 * Arkansas Cemetery Records
 * Arkansas Census Records
 * Arkansas History
 * Arkansas Newspapers
 * Arkansas Military Records
 * Arkansas Peiodicals

Lost or Missing Records
Kara this heading may be remove Red Book or HandyBook do not list any burned or destroyed court house records jeh

Archives, Libraries &amp; Societies
Arkansas Archives and Libraries

Arkansas Societies