Cross County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Cross County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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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 the Confederate Colonel David C. Cross. The County Seat is Wynne and was founded November 15, 1862.[2] It is located in the northeast of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Cross County Courthouse
705 Union Ave E #8;
Wynne, AR 72396
Phone: 870.238.5735
Cross County Website
County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1863, tax and county court records from 1865;
Clerk Circuit Court has court and land records from 1865;
Chancery Circuit Clerk has divorce records from 1866;
County Historical Society has newspapers from 1935, cemetery records and family histories.[4]
Cross 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.
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| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914* | 1863 | 1914* | 1865 | 1865 | 1863 | 1830 |
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Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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 | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
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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 Cross County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [8]
- 1803 - The sparse population of the area consisted of French hunters, Cherokee, and a few English frontiersmen.
- 1830s - The Cherokee were removed via the Trail of Tear and settlers from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Missouri moved in.
- 1862 November 15 - The Arkansas General Assembly created Cross County.
- 1882 - The first railroad was completed across Cross County.
- 1900-1927 - The growth of Vanndale and Wynne along the railroad balanced the decline of river cities such as Wittsburg. This transfer of population was increased by flooding in the river valley when the St. Francis River broke through its levees in 1912 and 1913, and especially in the Flood of 1927.
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
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Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1870 | 3,915 | — |
| 1880 | 5,050 | 29.0% |
| 1890 | 7,693 | 52.3% |
| 1900 | 11,051 | 43.7% |
| 1910 | 14,042 | 27.1% |
| 1920 | 18,579 | 32.3% |
| 1930 | 25,723 | 38.5% |
| 1940 | 26,046 | 1.3% |
| 1950 | 24,757 | −4.9% |
| 1960 | 19,551 | −21.0% |
| 1970 | 19,783 | 1.2% |
| 1980 | 20,434 | 3.3% |
| 1990 | 19,225 | −5.9% |
| 2000 | 19,526 | 1.6% |
| 2010 | 17,870 | −8.5% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1857-1943 Cross County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1863-1921; Administration settlements 1866-1911; Dockets 1874-1922; Probate case files 1898-1930; Probate record index 1866-1878; Probate records 1857-1887; Wills 1863-1943.
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.
- Chowning, Robert W. History of Cross County, Arkansas, 1955 : a narrative historical edition preserving the record of the growth and development of Cross County, Arkansas, and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages. Wynne, Arkansas : Wynne Progress, 1955.
- Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
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
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Cross County, Arkansas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Cross 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
- 1783 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1817 – 1979 Arkansas Probate Records 1817-1979 at FamilySearch — images
- Probate Records 1857-1943 Cross County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1863-1921; Administration settlements 1866-1911; Dockets 1874-1922; Probate case files 1898-1930; Probate record index 1866-1878; Probate records 1857-1887; Wills 1863-1943.
School Records
Tax Records
Vital Records
Birth
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| Father's Occupation |
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In 1877, a few county and city clerks[9] 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
- 1863 - 1952 - Cross County Marriage Books A-Z, A1-G1 Index 1863-1952 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - free.[10]
- 1865 - 1922 - Cross County Marriage Books A-O Index 1865-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[11]
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
- 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, “Cross County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/cross/
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cross County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_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), Cross 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, "Cross County, Arkansas " in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_County,_Arkansas accessed 3 September 2018.
- ↑ Richard L. Hartness Sr., The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=763&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c : accessed January 12, 2016), “Cross County.”
- ↑ 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.
