Benton County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas Benton County

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

Benton County, founded September 30, 1836, was formed from Washington County, and is located in the northwest corner of Arkansas on the Ozark plateau. It adjoins Oklahoma to the west and Missouri to the north. The county seat is Bentonville, named in honor of U.S Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, who was instrumental in helping the Arkansas Territory achieve statehood.

County Courthouse
Benton County Courthouse 215 E. Central, Suite 217 Bentonville, AR 72712-0699 Telephone: 479.271.1013- 1031

County Clerk has marriage records from 1861 and probate records from 1859; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

Parent County

 * 1836--Benton County was created 30 September 1836 from Washington County. County seat: Bentonville.

Boundary Changes
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.

Record Loss
1865 A courthouse fire destroyed many early records.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Populated Places
Bella Vista Bentonville Centerton Cherokee City Cross Roads Decatur Garfield Gentry Gravette Rogers Siloam Springs Sulphur Springs

Neighboring Counties
Adair County, Oklahoma · Barry County, Missouri · Carroll · Delaware County, Oklahoma · Madison · McDonald County, Missouri · Stone County, Missouri · Washington

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Benton County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries of Benton County - Index and Transcriptions - Benton County ARGenWeb

Individual Cemeteries

BillionGraves transcriptions, photos, and Google map for each cemetery.


 * Bella Vista Memorial Garden Cemetery, Bella Vista
 * Barron Cemetery, Bentonville
 * Dog Hill Cemetery, Bella Vista
 * Hillcrest Cemetery, Gravette
 * Lee Cemetery, Sulphur Springs
 * Silent Grove Cemetery, Springdale
 * Wet Prairie Cemetery, Gravette

Census

 * 1840 Federal Census Index and transcriptions, Benton County ARGenWeb
 * 1850 Federal Census Index and transcriptions, Benton County ARGenWeb

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1843-1915 Benton County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds 1858-1888; Chancery Court records 1843-1882; Dockets 1869-1897; Gurdian bonds 1858-1887; Minutes 1857-1874; Probate records 1884-1908.

Local Histories

 * Biographies from the History of Benton County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website


 * History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at Ancestry.com ($)

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 Benton County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * Late 1700's to early 1800's - The Osage Indians in Missouri made forays into the area for seasonal hunting.


 * 1808 - 1825 - The U.S. government obtained major land cessions from the Osage.


 * 1828 - The Arkansas Cherokee no longer occupied the area and opened it to settlement.


 * Late 1820's - Settlers increasingly moved into the area.


 * 1836 - September 30 - Benton County was formally established as a separate county.


 * Many early county settlers came from Tennessee and other states of the upper South.


 * During the Civil War, many Benton County residents were caught between strongly Confederate Arkansans to the south and Union-supporting Missourians to the north.


 * During the Civil War years, much of Benton County suffered destruction and severe food shortages.


 * 1870's - The county’s population grew, but the number of African American citizens decreased rapidly

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Historic maps of Benton County, Arkansas 1875 to 1922, free access on My Genealogy Hound.

Revolutionary War

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Arkansas, Benton County on page 191.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include"an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Arkansas section begins on page 439.]

Civil War



 * Confederate Soldiers Buried in Benton County Arkansas


 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company D
 * - 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F
 * - 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F

Men from Benton County served in the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union) and the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Companies E and M

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Benton County.


 * March 6-8, 1862 = Pea Ridge, also known as Elkhorn Tavern.
 * 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 Benton County.
 * Benton County DailyRecord

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1783 – 1998 - Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1797 - 1907 - Benton County Arkansas list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills - free
 * 1817 – 1979 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Probate Records 1843-1915 Benton County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes:
 * 1858 - 1888 - Administration bonds
 * 1843 - 1882 - Chancery Court records
 * 1869 - 1897 - Dockets
 * 1857 - 1887 - Guardian bonds
 * 1857 - 1874 - Minutes
 * 1884 - 1908 - Probate records

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1861-1952 - Benton County Marriage Books A-Z and Marriage License Bonds Index 1861-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1877-1924 - Benton County Marriage Books A-J Index 1877-1924 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * Benton County, Arkansas Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. From Various Funeral Homes in the Rogers, Bentonville, Siloam Springs,Lowell, Gentry, Gravette, Little Flock, and Pea Ridge areas.
 * 1850 - 1850 U.S. Census Mortality Schedule Transcription
 * 1860 - 1860 U.S. Census Mortality Schedule Transcription

Genealogy Societies and Libraries



 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * Benton County Historical Society
 * Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
 * Bella Vista Public Library 11 Dickens Place Bella Vista AR 72714
 * Bentonville Public Library 405 S Main Street Bentonville AR 72712
 * Rogers Public Library 711 S Dixieland Road Rogers AR 72758

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Springdale Arkansas Jones Family Center Family History Center 922 E Emma Springdale AR 72764 United States Location Map
 * Rogers Arkansas Family History Center 1101 McCollum Rd Bentonville AR 72712 United States