Phillips County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the first white settler and representative to the first Territorial Legislature of the Arkansas Territory, Sylvanus Phillips. It is located in the southeast central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Phillips County Courthouse 600 Cherry Street Helena, AR 72342 Phone: 870-338-5505 Phillips County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1831 and probate records from 1850; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court, and land records from 1820.

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:

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 Phillips County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture and several other sources.


 * 1797 - Sylvannus Phillips, was living in what is now Phillips County, having come from North Carolina.
 * 1820 May 1 - The Arkansas territorial legislature established Phillips County out of Arkansas County, with St. Francis as the county seat. It is believed that sometime in the next decade the city's name changed to Helena.
 * 1820 November 19 - First deed recorded in Phillips County.
 * 1829 & 1873 - Phillips County was reduced in size twice: first when Monroe County was established, and later when Lee County was established.
 * 1830 - The town of Helena officially named as the county seat.
 * 1852 - A fire nearly destroyed the town of Helena.
 * 1855 - A yellow fever epidemic hit the town of Helena.
 * 1862 - The town became occupied by the Union army under General Samuel Curtis.
 * 1863 July 4 - The Battle of Helena took place, with the confederate troops unsuccessfully attempting to take the town.
 * Today (2010) - Phillips county is one of the few Arkansas counties where African Americans outnumber whites. They do so close to 2 to 1.

Census Records

 * Phillips County, Arkansas Largest Slaveholders from 1860 Slave Census Schedules and Surname Matches for African Americans on 1870 Census (Tom Blake)
 * 1820--Census is missing.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places
 * 1875-1899 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

African Americans

 * 1864-1871 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Helena at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Register of claimants, Copies of reports,

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1821-1945 Phillips County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Probate records 1821-1891; Wills 1898-1945; Guardian bonds and records 1873-1911

Land and Property Records
Phillips County deed records from 1886 to 1906 were microfilmed by the Arkansas History Commission in cooperation with the Arkansas History Commission. This was a part of a project which was completed in 2007. The filming project is discussed in an Internet news item in the Arkansas History Commission website.

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;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Revolutionary War

 * 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." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry

Civil War

 * - 13th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Phillips County.


 * July 4, 1863 =HelenaBuffalo Soldiers


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Constitutional Journal
 * Political Intelligencer, established in 1833 at Helena, moved later that year to Little Rock
 * Regional Newspapers - Phillips County, Arkansas (list)

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 - How to Use this Collection
 * Probate Records 1821-1945 Phillips County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Probate records 1821-1891; Wills 1898-1945; Guardian bonds and records 1873-1911.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1820-1879 - Murray, Dorothy L. Phillips County, Arkansas, 1820-1879: Computer Indexed Marriage Records. Hunting for Bears, 1991. Google Books page
 * 1831-1946 - Phillips County Marriage Books 1, A-Z, A1-N1 Index 1831-1946 in at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1831-1921 - Phillips County Marriage Books 1, A-Z, A1-N1 Index 1831-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860-1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images - 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 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Libraries

 * West Helena Public Library, 721 Plaza St., West Helena, AR 72390

Societies

 * Tri-County Genealogical Society, PO Box 580, Marvell, AR 72366, covers Lee, Monroe, and Phillips Counties, Arkansas. The society publishes Tri-County Genealogy.

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 ($)
 * CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * - 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