Crittenden County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Robert Crittenden, the first Secretary of the Arkansas Territory. It is located in the northeast of the state.

County Courthouse
Crittenden County Courthouse 100 Court Street Marion, AR 72364 Phone: 870.739.4434 Crittenden County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, military and court records. County Assessor has 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 Crittenden County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * Artifacts found in Crittenden County—including effigy pipes, stone ear plugs, and ornaments—testify to a long habitation of the area by Native Americans.
 * 1795 - Its first resident of note was a Spanish sergeant named Augustine Grande, who was the commander of Fort Esperanza, built by the Spanish on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
 * 1825 October 22 - Crittenden County was organized.
 * 1850 - Because of the county’s location, levees and drainage districts have been essential to its development
 * 1874 - Reconstruction in Arkansas had ended.
 * 1990 - Crittenden County had a population of 28,259; in that year, an estimated 2,000 people were employed in a variety of jobs by West Memphis processing and manufacturing industries.

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Crittenden County, Arkansas (1890) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

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

Court Records

 * 1826-1878 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1826-1910 (*);Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1843-1875 (*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1882-1952 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1907-1909 (*); Board of Pension Commissioners at FamilySearch Catalog — images

African Americans

 * 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Marion at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters

Funeral Homes

 * Anthony Funeral Home in Anthonyville and West Memphis
 * Eternal Light Funeral Services in Earle
 * Roller-Citizens Funeral Homes in West Memphis

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1837-1919; Administration and guardian records 1853-1876; County Court records 1830-1852; Dockets 1857-1898; Probate records 1826-1889; Wills 1826-1946.

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas, (Crittenden County, Ch. XVIII, pp.390-450). 1890. St. Louis: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.


 * A Pictorial History of Arkansas, From Earliest Times to the Year 1890, (Crittenden County, pp921-923). 1890. by Faye Hempstead. St. Louis: N.D. Thompson Publishing Co. Online at: Internet Archive

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Map of 1889 Crittenden County, Arkansas
 * 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

 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), 2nd Company E
 * - 6th Battalion Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company C

'''Online Records


 * 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
 * 1826-1946 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1857-1898 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & 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.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1837 - 1921 - Crittenden County Marriage Books A, C-Z, A1-B29 Index 1837-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1976 at FamilySearch — index and images- 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

Family History Centers

 * Frayser Tennessee Family History Center
 * Memphis Tennessee Family History Center
 * Memphis Tennessee North Family History Center
 * Memphis Tennessee Spanish Family History Center
 * Quitman 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

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