Crittenden County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas Crittenden County

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




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County Courthouse


Crittenden County Courthouse 100 Court Street Marion, AR 72364 Phone: 870.739.4434

County Clerk has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, military and court records and County Assessor has land records.

Government and Related Websites
 * County-clerk.net (unofficial site) -  Clerks have jurisdiction over birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, land use, land rights, real estate, and other court records. Site provides links to unofficial websites with online records
 * PublicRecords.com (unofficial site) -  Provides links to County officials and public records

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

Boundary Changes

 * 1825--Crittenden County was created 22 October 1825 from Phillips County. County seat: Marion

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.

Cities and Towns

 * Click and select the link Places within... for cities and towns (most counties)

History Timeline
Events below gleaned from Crittenden County 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.

Court Records

 * Court records began in 1826

African Americans

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

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) — Includes guardianships

Local Histories

 * See also Cities and towns for resources in the FamilySearch Catalog

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Civil War

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

Probate Records

 * Probate Records 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * 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.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1837-1921 - Crittenden County Marriage Books A, C-Z, A1-B29 Index 1837-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1837-1957 — at FamilySearch Historical Records — Free; Index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Libraries

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


 * Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Crittenden County
 * - Select topics. For towns, click here.
 * 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 History Commission 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 -  Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives -  Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * RootsWeb -  Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * Ancestry.com resources

More Crittenden County genealogy links
 * Linkpendium -  Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList -  Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)