Arkansas County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Arkansas County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The county was named after the Arkansas Indian tribe. It is located in the southeast central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Arkansas County Courthouse 101 Court Square DeWitt, AR 72042 Phone: 870.946.4349 Arkansas County Website County Clerk has probate records from 1809 and marriage records from 1838; Clerk Circuit Court has land records, divorce and court records from 1803 and military discharge records from 1917.

Arkansas County, Arkansas Record Dates

 * {| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1"


 * bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth*
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death*
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1914
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1838
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1914
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1803
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1803
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1809
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1830
 * colspan="7" | *State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until the 1920s
 * }
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1830
 * colspan="7" | *State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until the 1920s
 * }
 * }

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes
1813--Arkansas County was created 31 December 1813. County seat: DeWitt. Its existence predates the state of Akansas which was admitted to the union in 1836. Arkansas County was created from New Madrid County, Missouri Territory. Arkansas County was part of the Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1819 and part of the Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1836.

. For animated maps illustrating Arkansas county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Arkansas County Boundary Maps" (1813-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were taken from the Arkansas County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture


 * 1686 - Henri de Tonti established Arkansas Post at the Quapaw village of Osotouy. It was the first semipermanent French settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley and the first step in a long struggle between France, Spain, and England over the interior of North America.
 * 1813 - December 13 - Arkansas County was created and comprised about two-thirds of what is now Arkansas and part of eastern Oklahoma. More than half the state’s counties were formed from this original county.
 * 1824 - the dwindling remnant of Quapaw Indians at last yielded their lands for $4,000 and an annuity of $1,000 a year for the next eleven years. Thus, a good deal of what is now fine cotton land changed hands at a figure estimated at one dollar per 1,000 acres.
 * 1862 - June 17 - Civil War naval and land battle that disabled the Union USS Mound City was located at St. Charles.
 * After the war, towns and villages sprang up across the prairie. The people who settled here were largely of German origin, including some who came directly from Prussia, some who came by way of Illinois, and some whose ancestors had lived in Russia..

Federal Census Records
Though the United States purchased Arkansas from the French in 1803, Anglo-American settlement of the area did not began in earnest until after the formal organization of the territory in 1819. Therefore, Arkansas does not appear in Federal Censuses before 1830. For links to federal census indexes, see Arkansas Census.

Territorial and State Census Records
State censuses were taken at the state-level and territorial censuses were taken by the federal government. See Arkansas Census for more information about censuses taken in Arkansas.


 * 1819-1879 Arkansas, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1819-1870 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1875-1899 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * Court records began in 1819

African Americans

 * 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, South Bend at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters, Proceedings of cases

Guardianship

 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas. 1890. Chicago, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.
 * A Topographical Description and History of Arkansas County, Arkansas From 1541 to 1875. c1978. By W.H. Halli-Burton. Easley, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press. Online at: Hathitrust, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Military Records

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company H and Company K
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company E
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 13th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies E and F
 * - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I

Online Records
 * 1890-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — Index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Civil War Battle The following Civil War battles were fought in Arkansas County:


 * June 17, 1862 = Saint Charles
 * January 9-11, 1863 = Arkansas Post also known as Fort Hindman


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers
Arkansas Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites. Includes newspapers for Arkansas County.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1783 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships - How to Use this Collection

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Vital Records

 * and at FamilySearch

Birth
See Also How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1797-1921 - Arkansas County Marriage Books B-S Index 1797-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860-1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1882-1947 - Arkansas County Marriage Books F-Z, A1-B1 Index 1882-1947 in at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1837-1957 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — Free; Index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Death

 * 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
 * 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index and images ($)

Divorce

 * 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)

Voter Records

 * 1868-1910 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Libraries

 * Arkansas Libraries -
 * Libraries-listed by City, Colleges, Obituaries, Presidential Libraries, Public Records, US State Libraries
 * Select tabs on top of the library page to see listed libraries


 * Arkansas State Library
 * State Library
 * Genealogy
 * Location
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)


 * Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Arkansas County
 * - Select Places within... for cities and towns
 * WorldCat - Click an item for libraries near you. For more information, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library - Located in Indiana, they are heavily involved in digitizing much of their collection.
 * Arkansas Digital Archives - Select the county - Arkansas state agency involved in organizing, digitizing, and maintaining the records of state and local history.
 * Local libraries and Arkansas Archives and Libraries may suggest other catalogs

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records


 * ARGenWeb Arkansas County - Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives Arkansas County - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * resources at RootsWeb - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions