Washington County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Fayetteville
Organized: October 17, 1828
Parent County(s): Lovely[1]
Neighboring Counties
Adair (OK)  • Benton  • Crawford  • Madison
See County Maps
Courthouse
ArkansasWashingtonCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Ar-washington.png
Adoption
Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park (ACW), Washington County, Arkansas by Justin Fisher

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for George Washington.[2] It is located in the northwest area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Washington County Courthouse
280 N College Ave #300
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: 501-444-1711
Washington County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1845 and probate records from 1828;
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records;
City Librarian has cemetery records[4]


Washington County, Arkansas[edit | edit source]

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[5]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1914* 1845 1914* 1835 1834 1828 1830
*State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until 1920's

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

1861 thru 1864 Some records missing. Also, probate and will records, A and B, have been stolen.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were taken from the Washington County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [8]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Washington, Arkansas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Arkansas Cemeteries for more information

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1830 2,182 —
1840 7,148 227.6%
1850 9,970 39.5%
1860 14,673 47.2%
1870 17,266 17.7%
1880 23,844 38.1%
1890 32,024 34.3%
1900 34,256 7.0%
1910 33,889 −1.1%
1920 35,468 4.7%
1930 39,255 10.7%
1940 41,114 4.7%
1950 49,979 21.6%
1960 55,797 11.6%
1970 77,370 38.7%
1980 100,494 29.9%
1990 113,409 12.9%
2000 157,715 39.1%
2010 203,065 28.8%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

  • Biographies from The History of Washington County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed Publishing Company are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Federal Land Patents, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents Before 1908  -  USGenWeb Washington County Archives,  Land Records 1834-1991, Fayetteville Public Library Land Index, 1830-1903

Washington County Archives Land Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

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

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Adair CountyDelaware CountySequoyah CountyBenton CountyMadison CountyFranklin CountyCrawford CountyAR WASHINGTON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

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, Washington 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.]

Mexican War

Civil War
Civil War service men from Washington County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Washington County.

- 1st Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Stirman's) (Confederate), Companies D and E
- 16th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company G
- 17th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Griffith's) (Confederate), Companies D and E
- 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies A, B, C, H and K
- Witherspoon's Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
- 1st Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)
- 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union)[9]
- 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)[10]Company C

Online Records

Also see Arkansas in the Civil War

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battles were fought in Washington County.

Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Historical online newspapers

Current online newspapers

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


Obituaries[edit | edit source]

  • Obituaries submitted to Washington County ARGenWeb
  • Obituary Records: 1868-2010 | Courtesy of the Fayetteville Public Library | This index covers three newspapers: Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville Weekly Democrate and the Fayetteville Daily Democrate

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Birth[edit | edit source]

Birth Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒
  Y  M
Name of Child Green check.png  
Birth Date and Place Green check.png  
Parent's Names Green check.png  
Mother's Maiden Name   Green check.png
Parent's Ages Green check.png  
Father's Occupation Green check.png  
Current Residence Green check.png  
Name of Doctor or Midwife Green check.png  

In 1877, a few county and city clerks[13] started keeping birth and death records.

In 1914, the state law required all county clerks to record births and forward them to the state.

ArrowGreen.svg.png

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

  • 1900 - 1953 - Washington County Birth Index 1900-1953. Batch C750893 at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

  • Obituaries submitted to Washington County ARGenWeb

 Washington County Death Records Index 1914-1923

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Voter Records[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

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.

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Websites[edit | edit source]

  • 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[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Washington County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/wash/
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Arkansas
  4. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington County, Arkansas. Page 71 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), 67.
  6. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Arkansas, accessed 3 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Matthew Bryan Kirkpatrick, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=813&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c : accessed January 18, 2016), “Washington County.”
  9. ↑ Arkansas, Adjutant General's Office, Report of the Adjutant General of Arkansas, for the period of the late rebellion, and to November 1, 1866, (Bethesda, Maryland: University Publications of America, c1990) FHL fiche 6082312
  10. ↑ Desmond Walls Allen, Third Arkansas Union Cavalry, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1987) FHL book 976.7 M28dc
  11. ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 2 August 2012).
  12. ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 15 August 2012).
  13. ↑ 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)
  14. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/d/d7/Arkansasnz.pdf.
  15. ↑ FamilySearch Wiki contributors, "Arkansas County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records," in FamilySearch Wiki.
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