Cleburne County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Cleburne County

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

County Courthouse
Cleburne County Courthouse 301 W Main Street; Heber Springs, AR 72543 Phone: 501.362.4620 County Clerk has marriage, probate, divorce, court, and land records from 1883.

Parent County

 * 1883--Cleburne County was created 20 February 1883 from White, Van Buren, and Independence Counties.

County seat: Heber Springs

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
For a list of record loss in Arkansas counties see: Arkansas Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog'



Neighboring Counties
Faulkner • Independence  •  Stone  •  Van Buren •  White

Presbyterian
Nazareth Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Quitman


 * 1878-1885 - Nazareth Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Quitman, Baptism Index 1878-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1878-1895 - Nazareth Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Quitman, Marriage Index 1878-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1881-1962 Cleburne County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1883-1918; Chancery Court records 1883-1897; Dockets 1883-1893; Probate record index 1881-1962; Probate records 1883-1897; Wills 1901-1923.

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


 * The land that became Cleburne County was first inhabited by Native Americans many thousands of years ago.
 * 1541-1542 - One party of Hernando de Soto’s expedition may have traveled as far northwest as Cleburne County.
 * 1680s - It was with the expedition of La Salle, before any record is found of white men’s arriving in the region.
 * 1812 - The earliest known Anglo-Americans to settle in what is now Cleburne County were John Benedict and his brothers-in-law, William, Davis, and John Standlee.
 * 1828 - The Arkansas Cherokee agreed to give up their reservation in exchange for lands west of Arkansas Territory.
 * 1850s - By midcentury, there were colonies of families who had traveled together from Kentucky or Tennessee.
 * 1861 - At the time of the Civil War, what was to become Cleburne County had fewer than 1,000 residents.
 * 1870 - The area had lost population.
 * 1880 - The county swiftly recuperated, with the population almost doubling, from 2,210 in 1870 to 4,025 in 1880.
 * 1883 January 27 - The new county was formed from parts of Independence, Van Buren and White counties.
 * 1908 - Construction of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad (M&amp;NA) opened the remote valley to the world.

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War

 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Volunteers (Confederate), Company C
 * - 10th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1783 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images
 * Probate Records 1881-1962 Cleburne County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1883-1918; Chancery Court records 1883-1897; Dockets 1883-1893; Probate record index 1881-1962; Probate records 1883-1897; Wills 1901-1923.



Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1883-1896 - Cleburne County Marriage Books 1-15 Index 1883-1896 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883-1923 - Cleburne County Marriage Books 1-8 Index 1883-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Quitman Arkansas Family History Center 6556 Heber Springs Road, Quitma, AR 72131-8808 United States