Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Cleveland County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information
Description
The county was named for President Grover Cleveland. The County Seat is Rison and was founded August 17, 1873.[2] It is located in the south central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Cleveland County Courthouse
Main and Magnolia Streets; PO Box 348
Rison, AR 71665
Phone: 870.325.6521
Cleveland County website
County Clerk has marriage records from 1880, along with divorce, probate and court records.[4]
Cleveland County, Arkansas
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| | ||||||
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914* | 1880 | 1914* | 1873 | 1873 | 1873 | 1830 |
| | ||||||
Record Loss
|
Although specific courthouse disasters are not known, it is reported that the records are incomplete and some are not in good condition. Several tax books, one marriage record, and one or more court records are missing.
|
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. |
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:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
|
|
|
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 Cleveland County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [8]
- 1834 - The third Quapaw Treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate was the beginning of the end of the Indians treaty lands in Arkansas.
- 1864 April 25 - The most important event in what became Cleveland County during the Civil War was the Battle of Marks’ Mills.
- 1873 April 17 - Cleveland County was established.
- 1910 - The high point for population of the county.
- 1970 - The low point for population of the county.
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1890 | 11,362 | — |
| 1900 | 11,620 | 2.3% |
| 1910 | 13,481 | 16.0% |
| 1920 | 12,260 | −9.1% |
| 1930 | 12,744 | 3.9% |
| 1940 | 12,570 | −1.4% |
| 1950 | 8,956 | −28.8% |
| 1960 | 6,944 | −22.5% |
| 1970 | 6,605 | −4.9% |
| 1980 | 7,868 | 19.1% |
| 1990 | 7,781 | −1.1% |
| 2000 | 8,571 | 10.2% |
| 2010 | 8,689 | 1.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1873-1974 Cleveland County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration records 1876-1908; Guardian records 1877-1909; Inventories 1877-1974; Letters of guardianship 1909-1938; Probate records 1873-1893; Wills 1877-1947.
Land and Property Records
Local Histories
Local histories are available for {{{1}}} County. They may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. Click for a brief Timeline History of the county. For more about local histories, see Arkansas Local Histories.
- Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- Family Maps of Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
- 1861-1865 - Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1890-1963 - Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1891-1939 - Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1901-1929 - Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — images only
Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Cleveland County.
- April 25, 1864 = Marks' Mill[9]
- Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Fayetteville Daily Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Daily Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Northwest Arkansas Times at Ancestry.com ($)
- Courier Times at Ancestry.com ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Records
- 1818 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1818-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1817 – 1979 Arkansas Probate Records 1817-1979 at FamilySearch — images
- Probate Records 1873-1974 Cleveland County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration records 1876-1908; Guardian records 1877-1909; Inventories 1877-1974; Letters of guardianship 1909-1938; Probate records 1873-1893; Wills 1877-1947.
School Records
Tax Records
Vital Records
Birth
| |
Y | M |
| Name of Child | 
|
|
| Birth Date and Place |
|
|
| Parent's Names |
|
|
| Mother's Maiden Name |
| |
| Parent's Ages |
|
|
| Father's Occupation |
|
|
| Current Residence |
|
|
| Name of Doctor or Midwife |
|
|
In 1877, a few county and city clerks[10] started keeping birth and death records.
In 1914, the state law required all county clerks to record births and forward them to the state.
- Arkansas Births and Christenings, 1812-1965 at FamilySearch. (Free, index only)
- Small file, but worth searching. Most entries were user-submitted.
Marriage
- 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1860 - 1976 - Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1873 - 1956 - Cleveland County Marriage Books A, 1, 3-12 Index 1873-1956 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - free.[11]
- 1873 - 1922 - Cleveland County Marriage Books 3-6 Index 1873-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[12]
Death
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Family History Centers
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
Libraries
Museums
Societies
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 ($)
- CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
- FamilySearch Catalog - 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
Research Guides
References
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/cleve/.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cleveland County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_County,_Arkansas.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Cleveland County, Arkansas. Page 67 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 65.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cleveland County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_County,_Arkansas, accessed 2 September 2018.
- ↑ Louise Mitchell, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=757&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c : accessed January 12, 2016), “Cleveland County.”
- ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 15 August, 2012)
- ↑ such as Sebastian County (Fort Smith) and Pulaski County (Little Rock) (No entry in FamilySearch Catalog found for Pulaski County nor for Little Rock, Aug 2014)
- ↑ FamilySearch Wiki contributors, "Arkansas County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)," in FamilySearch Wiki.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/5/5c/Igiarkansasad.pdf.
