Monroe County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Monroe 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 James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. It is located in the central east area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Monroe County Courthouse
123 Madison Street
Clarendon, AR 72029-2794
Phone: 870.747.3921
Monroe County Website
County Clerk has marriage records from 1850 and probate records from 1839;
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records from 1839, court records from 1830 and land records from 1829.[3]
Monroe 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* | 1850 | 1914* | 1830 | 1829 | 1839 | 1830 |
| | ||||||
Record Loss
|
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:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| 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 Monroe County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [7]
- 1815 October - Federal surveyors Prospect Robbins and Joseph Brown came to Arkansas to begin the survey of the Louisiana Purchase by establishing the initial survey point or base line.
- 1829 November 2 - Monroe County was established.
- 1870-1930 - From about 1870 to about 1930, the timber business became important for much of the county as lumber mills were established around the county
- 1900s - Two natural disasters between 1900 and 1930 devastated large sections of the county. First was a massive tornado on March 8, 1909,. Second was the Flood of 1927.
- 1920-2010 - The population of Monroe County peaked at 21,600 in 1920 and has dropped to 8,149 today (2010).
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
| | |
| |
|
| |
|
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 461 | — |
| 1840 | 936 | 103.0% |
| 1850 | 2,049 | 118.9% |
| 1860 | 5,657 | 176.1% |
| 1870 | 8,336 | 47.4% |
| 1880 | 9,574 | 14.9% |
| 1890 | 15,336 | 60.2% |
| 1900 | 16,816 | 9.7% |
| 1910 | 19,907 | 18.4% |
| 1920 | 21,601 | 8.5% |
| 1930 | 20,651 | −4.4% |
| 1940 | 21,133 | 2.3% |
| 1950 | 19,540 | −7.5% |
| 1960 | 17,327 | −11.3% |
| 1970 | 15,657 | −9.6% |
| 1980 | 14,052 | −10.3% |
| 1990 | 11,333 | −19.3% |
| 2000 | 10,254 | −9.5% |
| 2010 | 8,149 | −20.5% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
Presbyterian
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Clarendon
- 1869-1885 - Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Clarendon Baptism Index 1869-1885. Batch C586751 at FamilySearch - free.</ref>
- 1885-1915 - Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Clarendon Marriage Index 1885-1915. Batch M586751 at FamilySearch - free.
First Presbyterian Church, Clarendon
- 1870-1885 - First Presbyterian Church, Clarendon Baptism Index 1870-1885. Batch C586761 at FamilySearch - free.</ref>
- 1904-1909 - First Presbyterian Church, Clarendon Marriage Index 1904-1909. Batch M586761 at FamilySearch - free.
Court Records
Directories
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1839-1949 Monroe County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration bonds and letters 1861-1899; Dockets 1873-1888; Executor records 1865-1945; Guardian bonds and letters 1866-1894; Letters of administration and guardianship 1877-1899; Probate records 1839-1890; Wills 1830-1949.
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.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
Regiments. Men in Monroe County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 13th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
- - 15th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Josey's) (Confederate)
Online Records
- 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 Monroe County, Arkansas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Monroe 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 1839-1949 Monroe County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration bonds and letters 1861-1899; Dockets 1873-1888; Executor records 1865-1945; Guardian bonds and letters 1866-1894; Letters of administration and guardianship 1877-1899; Probate records 1839-1890; Wills 1830-1949.
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[8] 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 $
- 1850 - 1951 - Monroe County Marriage Books B-Z, CC-HH Index 1850-1951 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - free.[9]
- 1850 - 1922 - Monroe County Marriage Books B, D-T Index 1850-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[10]
- 1860 - 1976 - Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images
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
Monroe County Library
270 Madison St
Clarendon, AR 72029
(870) 747-5593
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 resources. 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).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_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), Monroe County, Arkansas. Page 69 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), 66.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Monroe County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Arkansas, accessed 5 September 2018.
- ↑ Louise Mitchell, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=792&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed January 14, 2016), “Monroe 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, accessed 18 April 2013.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/0/0d/Igiarkansasem.pdf.
