Arkansas County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States

Arkansas

Arkansas County

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

Arkansas Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: De Witt Organized: December 31, 1813 Parent County(s): New Madrid (MO) Neighboring Counties Desha  • Jefferson  • Lincoln  • Lonoke  • Monroe  • Phillips  • Prairie Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

Description

The county was named after the Arkansas Indian tribe. It is located in the southeast central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Arkansas County Courthouse
101 Court Square
DeWitt, AR 72042
Phone: 870.946.4349
Arkansas County Website

County Clerk has probate records from 1809 and marriage records from 1838;
Clerk Circuit Court has land records, divorce and court records from 1803 and military discharge records from 1917.

Arkansas County, Arkansas Record Dates

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	1838	1914	1803	1803	1809	1830
*State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until the 1920s

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

1813--Arkansas County was created 31 December 1813. County seat: DeWitt. Its existence predates the state of Akansas which was admitted to the union in 1836. Arkansas County was created from New Madrid County, Missouri Territory. Arkansas County was part of the Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1819 and part of the Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1836.

• Historical boundary changes at Newberry Library site . 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:

Cities
DeWitt (south district county seat)	Gillett Humphrey	Stuttgart (north district county seat)
Towns
Almyra	St. Charles
Unincorporated communities
Abeles Arkansas Post Bayou Meto Benzal Buffo Burks Casscoe Crocketts Bluff Deluce Eldridge Corner Ethel Goldman Hagler Holdridge Horton Landing Hyden Immanuel	Jacks Bay Landing Kittlers La Grue Springs La Grue Lodge Corner Lookout Mayview Medina Monica Mount Adams North Stuttgart Olena Ona Osotouy Parham Prairie Landing Prairie Union	Preston Ferry Ricusky Roberts Sassafras Sheppard Point South Stuttgart Stinking Bay Super Thomwall Tichnor Vallier Van Weber West Bayou Yoder
Townships
Barton Brewer Chester Crockett Garland	Gum Pond (most of Stuttgart) Henton Keaton McFall Mill Bayou	Morris (part of Stuttgart) Point Deluce Prairie Stanley

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 Arkansas County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

• 1686 - Henri de Tonti established Arkansas Post at the Quapaw village of Osotouy. It was the first semipermanent French settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley and the first step in a long struggle between France, Spain, and England over the interior of North America.
• 1813 - December 13 - Arkansas County was created and comprised about two-thirds of what is now Arkansas and part of eastern Oklahoma. More than half the state’s counties were formed from this original county.
• 1824 - the dwindling remnant of Quapaw Indians at last yielded their lands for $4,000 and an annuity of $1,000 a year for the next eleven years. Thus, a good deal of what is now fine cotton land changed hands at a figure estimated at one dollar per 1,000 acres.
• 1862 - June 17 - Civil War naval and land battle that disabled the Union USS Mound City was located at St. Charles.
• After the war, towns and villages sprang up across the prairie. The people who settled here were largely of German origin, including some who came directly from Prussia, some who came by way of Illinois, and some whose ancestors had lived in Russia..

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Arkansas, 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 Cemetery Records by Accessgenealogy FamilySearch Places
See Arkansas Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	1,426	—
1840	1,346	−5.6%
1850	3,245	141.1%
1860	8,844	172.5%
1870	8,268	−6.5%
1880	8,038	−2.8%
1890	11,432	42.2%
1900	12,973	13.5%
1910	16,103	24.1%
1920	21,483	33.4%
1930	22,300	3.8%
1940	24,437	9.6%
1950	23,665	−3.2%
1960	23,355	−1.3%
1970	23,347	−0.0%
1980	24,175	3.5%
1990	21,653	−10.4%
2000	20,749	−4.2%
2010	19,019	−8.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

• 1875-1899 - Nebraska, Church Records, 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Court Records

• Court records began in 1819

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

• 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, South Bend at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters, Proceedings of cases

Guardianship

• 1817 – 1979 Arkansas Probate Records 1817-1979 at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Arkansas County. They may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more about local histories, see Arkansas Local Histories.

• Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas. 1890. Chicago, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
• A Topographical Description and History of Arkansas County, Arkansas From 1541 to 1875. c1978. By W.H. Halli-Burton. Easley, South Carolina : Southern Historical Press. Online at: Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Arkansas County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:

- 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company H and Company K

- 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)

- 5th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)

- 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate) , Company E

- 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)

- 8th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)

- 13th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)

- 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies E and F

- 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I

Online Records

• 1890-1963 - Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1891-1939 - Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1901-1929 - Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — Index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 - Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Arkansas County:

• June 17, 1862 = Saint Charles
• January 9-11, 1863 = Arkansas Post also known as Fort Hindman
  

Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers

Arkansas Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites. Includes newspapers for Arkansas County.

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; includes guardianships - How to Use this Collection

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Vital Records

• Arkansas County Vital Records and Indexes at FamilySearch

Birth

Birth Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒	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 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.

See also: • Arkansas Online Genealogy Records, • How to Find Arkansas Birth Records and • Arkansas Vital Records—Birth.

See Also  How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

Marriage

• 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1797-1921 - Arkansas County Marriage Books B-S Index 1797-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. 
• 1860-1976 - Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• 1882-1947 - Arkansas County Marriage Books F-Z, A1-B1 Index 1882-1947 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
• 1837-1957 - Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch Historical Records — Free; Index - How to Use this Collection
• 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Death

• 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
• 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index and images ($)

Divorce

• 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)

Voter Records

• 1868-1910 - Arkansas, County Voter Registration Records, 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in {{{1}}} County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Arkansas County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.

• Arkansas Libraries -
  • Libraries-listed by City, Colleges, Obituaries, Presidential Libraries, Public Records, US State Libraries
  • Select tabs on top of the library page to see listed libraries

• Arkansas State Library
  • State Library
  • Genealogy
  • Location
  • Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)

• Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Arkansas County
  • FamilySearch Catalog - Select Places within... for cities and towns
  • 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 Digital Archives - 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

Societies

Listed below are societies in Arkansas County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.

Websites

Sites with online indexes or images of records

• ARGenWeb Arkansas County - Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
• USGenWeb Archives Arkansas County - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
• resources at RootsWeb - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.