Cross County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States

Arkansas

Cross County

 

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

County Facts County seat: Wynne Organized: November 15, 1862 Parent County(s): Crittenden, Poinsett, and St. Francis Neighboring Counties Crittenden  • Jackson  • Poinsett  • St. Francis  • Woodruff See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption Casqui province capital, the Parkin Archeological State Park, circa 1539 by Herb Roe, Cross CO., Arkansas

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. It is located in the northeast of the state.

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.

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.

Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1914*	1863	1914*	1865	1865	1863
*State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until 1920's

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

1862--Cross County was created 15 November 1862 from Crittenden, Poinsett, and St. Francis  Counties. County seat: Wynne 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

The following are locations in Cross County, Arkansas:

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.

• 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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Cross, Arkansas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com ARGenWeb ARGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Arkansas Gravestones Cemetery Records by Interment Billion Graves
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Arkansas Cemeteries by epodunk Cemetery Records by Accessgenealogy
See Arkansas Cemeteries for more information

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.

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

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Military Records

Civil War

• 1861-1865 - Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 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

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 ($)

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.

Vital Records

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.
• 1865 - 1922 - Cross County Marriage Books A-O Index 1865-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Research Facilities

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.

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

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