Crawford County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States

Arkansas

Crawford County

 

Guide to Crawford 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: Van Buren Organized: October 18, 1820 Parent County(s): Pulaski Neighboring Counties Adair (OK)  • Franklin  • Madison  • Sebastian  • Sequoyah (OK)  • Washington See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Arkansas by Bobbi Jones

County Information

Description

The county was named for William H. Crawford, United States Secretary of War in 1815. It is located in the northeast of the state.

County Courthouse

Crawford County Courthouse
300 Main Street
Van Buren, AR 72956
Phone: 501.474.1312
Crawford County Website

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1877;
Clerk Circuit Court has court and land records from 1877 and divorce records.

Crawford 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	1877	1914	1877	1877	1877	1830
*State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until the 1920s

Record Loss

1877 - On March 23, 1877, the courthouse was destroyed by fire and all records up to that time were destroyed except those of the treasurer and a few deeds and mortgages. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

1820--Crawford County was created 18 October 1820 from Pulaski County.   It was named in honor of William H. Crawford, President Monroe's Secretary of the Treasury. County seat: Van Buren Parts of the county were taken for various new counties: Washington 27 October 1828 Pope 2 November 1829 Scott 5 November 1833 Franklin 19 December 1837 Sebastian 5 January 1851 In 1828, part of the Osage and Cherokee Territory was added to the county. 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
Alma Cedarville Dyer	Kibler Mountainburg Mulberry	Van Buren (county seat)
Towns
Chester	Mountainburg	Rudy
Unincorporated communities
Townships
Alma Bidville Cedar Creek Cedarville Chester Cove City Dean Springs Dora Dyer	Jasper Kibler Lancaster Lees Creek Locke Mountainburg Mulberry Oliver Springs Porter	Rudy Uniontown Upper Van Buren Vine Prairie Whitley Winfrey

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

• 1818-1828 - Much of the future county was within a Cherokee reservation and therefore unavailable to American settlers..
• 1820 October 18 - When originally created , Crawford County encompassed a large part of Indian Territory and all or part of five present-day counties—Scott, Sebastian, Franklin, Washington, and Pope.
• 1840 - Approximately 4,000 people had arrived, and settlements sprang up all over the mountains, valleys, and the river valley.
• 1850 - Iimmigrants and freight could enter the county by traveling the State Road (Wire Road) from the north, paralleling the western boundary, from Springfield, Missouri, to the Arkansas River.
• 1862 - The Civil War came early to Crawford County, as did great devastation, deprivation, pain, and suffering.
• 1874 - As the freed slaves migrated westward, a large population of African Americans settled in the Riverside community near Van Buren.
• 1870-1880 - Crawford County never experienced phenomenal growth at any one time, but with the advent of the railroads , there came a significant population increase.

Population Timeline

• 1850      7,960
• 1860      7,850
• 1870      8,957
• 1880      14,740
• 1890      21,714
• 1900      21,270
• 1910      23,942
• 1920      24,739
• 1930      22,549
• 1940      23,920
• 1950      22,727
• 1960      21,318
• 1970      25,677
• 1980      36,892
• 1990      42,493
• 2000      53,247

Data extracted from: Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Additional Information

• History of Crawford County at Ancestry.com ($)

Resources

Biographies

• All of the family biographies from the 1889 History of Crawford County, Arkansas by Goodspeed are available free online on My Genealogy Hound

Cemeteries

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

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	2,440	—
1840	4,266	74.8%
1850	7,960	86.6%
1860	7,850	−1.4%
1870	8,957	14.1%
1880	14,740	64.6%
1890	21,714	47.3%
1900	21,270	−2.0%
1910	23,942	12.6%
1920	25,739	7.5%
1930	22,549	−12.4%
1940	23,920	6.1%
1950	22,727	−5.0%
1960	21,318	−6.2%
1970	25,677	20.4%
1980	36,892	43.7%
1990	42,493	15.2%
2000	53,247	25.3%
2010	61,948	16.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• 1830 Census  -  USGenWeb Archives
• US Federal Census Records - Crawford County ARGenWeb
• Census and Slave Schedules  -  Crawford County ARGenWeb
• Newton County 1900 Census at Ancestry.com ($)

Church Records

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

• Crawford County Church Index - Crawford County ARGenWeb

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places

Court Records

Wills and Probate Index  -  Crawford County ARGenWeb

Guardianship

• Probate Records 1874-1929 Crawford County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- [[

Arkansas Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]

• • Includes Administration bonds 1877-1909; Administration bonds 1877-1908; Minute index 1877-1929; Minutes 1877-1895; Wills 1874-1929.

Land and Property Records

The state of Arkansas began giving out land grants in Crawford County as early as 1840's, but land transactions as the county level are only microlfilmed and available after 1877.

Local Histories

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

• History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. 1889. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Google Books, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• History of Crawford County, Arkansas. [1951]. By Clara B. Eno. Van Buren, Arkansas : Press-Argus. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
• Crawford County Map Index   -  Crawford Coiunty ARGenWeb
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

As a wildly rural western territory until the middle of the 19th century, Arkansas and her counties were not embroiled in military happenings until the Civil War. Military records for Crawford County are at state and federal levels.

Revolutionary War

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Arkansas, Crawford County on page 191.]
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Collection 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Arkansas section begins on page 439.]
• Pension Rolls  -  Crawford County ARGenWeb

Civil War

Arkansas seceded from the Union on 6 May 1861. The Civil War brought destruction to Crawford County, as two early battles in 1862 ravaged the region. Though technically a Confederate state, many of the small farmer residents in Arkansas (especially in the north) were Union sympathizers. While there were 48 infantry regiments for the Confederate Army (plus considerable numbers of cavalry and artillery battery units), there were 11 Union infantry regiments, four cavalry regiments, and two artillery batteries.

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
• 1890-1963 - Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
• Civil War Records for Arkansas are available on Fold3 ($).
• 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
• United States Colored Troops of Crawford County, Arkansas this site gives history and information on burial and a Headstone Project.

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

- 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dawson's) (Confederate)

- 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company E

- 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company G

- Witherspoon's Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)

• Men from Crawford County served in the 1st Regiment Arkansas Infantry (Union)
• Men from Crawford County served in the 5th Regiment, Arkansas Militia (Confederate)
• Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Company E

Newspapers

Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Crawford newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat
• FamilySearch. Do a Crawford County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Places 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 ($)

Submitted Crawford County Obituaries  -  USGenWeb Archives Project

Newspaper Article Index  -  Crawford County ARGenWeb

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- [[

Arkansas Probate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]

• Probate Records 1874-1929 Crawford County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- How to Use this Collection
  • Includes Administration bonds 1877-1909; Administration bonds 1877-1908; Minute index 1877-1929; Minutes 1877-1895; Wills 1874-1929.

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.

Tax Records

Tax Lists  -  Crawford County ARGenWeb

Vital Records

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.

Marriage

• 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
• 1860 - 1976 - Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
• 1877 - 1951 - Crawford County Marriage Books A-Z, 1-7 Index 1877-1951 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - free.
• 1877 - 1921 - Crawford County Marriage Books A-I Index 1877-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
• 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 Crawford 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 Libraries

Libraries

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

Societies

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

Crawford County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 276
Alma, AR 72921
Open on Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Crawford County Historical Society
929 East Main Street
Van Buren, AR 72956-4317

Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 796
Rogers, AR 72757-0796
Serving the Arkansas Counties of Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington
Phone:: (501) 273-3890

State
Arkansas Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 17653
Little Rock, AR 72222

Arkansas Historical Association
416 Old Main, University of Arkansas
History Department - Ozark Hall 12
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone:
(479) 575-5884
(479) 575-2775
dludlow@uark.edu

Arkansas History Commission One Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
Trash or Treasure? Phone:
(501) 682-6900
(501) 682-6916
state.archives@arkansas.gov
Ark-ives

Arkansas Historical Society
422 South Sixth Street
Van Buren, AR 72956

Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
Tamela Tenpenny-Lewis,
President, Little Rock Chapter
P.O. Box 4294
Little Rock, Arkansas 72214

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

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.