Chicot County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Chicot County

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

County Courthouse
Chicot County Courthouse 108 Main Street Lake Village, AR 71653 Phone: 870.265.8000 County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1839. Clerk Circuit Court has court records Court has court records from 1824, along with land and divorce records.

Parent County

 * 1823--Chicot County was created 25 October 1823 from Arkansas County. County seat: Lake Village

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.

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

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Ashley •  Bolivar County, Mississippi  •  Desha  •  Drew  •  East Carroll Parish, Louisiana  •  Issaquena County, Mississippi  •  Morehouse Parish, Louisiana  •  Washington County, Mississippi  •  West Carroll Parish, Louisiana

History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Chicot County on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture


 * 1823 - October, The county was carved out of Arkansas County by the territorial legislature.
 * 1900 - Before this time, none of the towns in the county experienced much growth.
 * 1900-1910 - The population of Chicot County significantly rose, however, from 1900 to 1910. This was due in large part to the coming of the Memphis, Helena, Louisiana Railroad to Lake Village in 1903.
 * 1927 - The economic growth was cut short by the Flood of 1927, which put nearly thirteen percent of the state under water. Since most people in the county were farmers, they were hurt most by the flood.
 * 1942, October-1944, June - During World War II, two of the ten internment camps in the nation for Japanese Americans were located in southeast Arkansas, and one of these was located in Chicot County.

African Americans

 * 1865-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Lake Village and Luna Landing at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Accounting books,register of contracts and land holders, letters

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1839-1931 Chicot County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Dockets 1874-1878; Executor and guardian bonds 1878-1915; Administration bonds 1839-1877; Administration bonds and letters 1840-1931; Letters of administration 1869-1926 ; Letters of guardianship 1865-1913; Minutes 1839-1860; Probate records 1860-1893; Wills, miscellaneous probate records 1840-1930.

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * - 8th Battalion, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company B

Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Calvary (Union), Company C; and the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate) , Company A.


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Chicot County.


 * June 6, 1864 = Old River Lake, also known as Ditch Bayou, Lake Chicot, Lake Village, Furlough, Fish Bayou, or Grand Lake
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1783 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images
 * Probate Records 1839-1931 Chicot County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Dockets 1874-1878; Executor and guardian bonds 1878-1915; Administration bonds 1839-1877; Administration bonds and letters 1840-1931; Letters of administration 1869-1926 ; Letters of guardianship 1865-1913; Minutes 1839-1860; Probate records 1860-1893; Wills, miscellaneous probate records 1840-1930.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1840-1951 - Chicot County Marriage Books B-Z, 27-40 Index 1840-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1840-1920 - Chicot County Marriage Books B-U Index 1840-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers