Garland County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Augustus H. Garland, Governor of Arkansas, United States Senator and Grover Cleveland's Attorney General. It is located in the central of the state.

County Courthouse
Garland County Courthouse 501 Ouachita Avenue Hot Springs, AR 71901 Phone: 501.622.3610 Garland County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records

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


 * 1682-1762 - France claimed all of Arkansas.
 * 1762 - France ceded Louisiana (including the area that became Garland County) to Spain.
 * 1803 April 30 - Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson agreed on the Louisiana Purchase. For about three cents an acre, the future Garland County became part of a U.S. territory.
 * 1818 August 24 - The Quapaw ceded the land around Hot Springs to the United States.
 * 1860-1865 - The county was never occupied by Union troops, but almost the entire population fled to Texas and Louisiana. The citizens feared not only the soldiers but the renegade bands that would terrorize and destroy much of the county.
 * 1873-1900 - Tremendous change occurred in the county.

Bible Records

 * Garland County Bible Records at Arkansas USGenWeb Project Archives

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

Episcopal


 * 1878-1942 - St. Lukes Episcopal Church, Hot Spring, Baptism Index 1878-1942. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1878-1895 - St. Lukes Episcopal Church, Hot Spring, Marriage Index 1878-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Methodist


 * 1874-1887 - First Methodist Church Baptism Index 1874-1887. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1876-1884 - First Methodist Church Marriage Index 1876-1884. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Court Records

 * 1874-1879 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1893-1951 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * 1874-1922 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Carrigan Memorial Funeral Services, Inc in Hot Springs
 * Caruth-Hale Funeral Home in Hot Springs
 * Cedar Vale Funeral Home in Hot Springs Village
 * Davis-Smith Funeral Home and Crematory in Hot Springs
 * Gross Funeral Home in Hot Springs
 * Hot Springs Funeral Home in Hot Springs

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Central Counties of Arkansas. (Garland County, Ch. XX, pp525-571) 1889. Chicago; St. Louis: Goodspeed Pub. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust — index & images; Internet Archive, Ancestry — index & images ($)


 * A Pictorial History of Arkansas, From Earliest Times to the Year 1890, (Garland County, pp1146-1163). 1890. by Faye Hempstead. St. Louis: N.D. Thompson Publishing Co. Online at: Internet Archive

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Garland County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
 * 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

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

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 — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1877-1927 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1900-1930 Index to Garland County, Arkansas Probate Case Records, 1900-1930 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.

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
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1860 - 1976 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1874 - 1931 - Garland County Marriage Books A, C, I-K, M-Z, 2-4, 28-61 Index 1874-1931 in at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1874 - 1921 - Garland County Marriage Books A-C, I-K, M-Z, 2-4 Index 1874-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 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

Family History Centers

 * Hot Springs Arkansas Family History Center
 * Little Rock Arkansas Family History Center
 * Pinnacle Mountain Arkansas Family History Center


 * Central Arkansas Library System - Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Dee Brown Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Hillary Rodham Clinton's Children Library and Learning Center - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Sidney S. McMath Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Sue Cowan Williams Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Garland County Historical Society 328 Quapaw Avenue Hot Springs, AR 71901 501-321-2159 Email: [mailto:gchsweb@gmail.com gchsweb@gmail.com] Webpage Facebook Melting Pot Genealogical Society 649-B Ouachita Ave Hot Springs, AR 71901 501-624-0229 Email: [mailto:MPGS@att.net MPGS@att.net] Website

Websites

 * ARGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * RootsWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records