Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Cleveland County

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

County Courthouse


Cleveland County Courthouse Main and Magnolia Streets; PO Box 348 Rison, AR 71665 Phone: 870.325.6521

County Clerk has marriage records from 1880, along with divorce, probate and court records.

Parent County

 * 1873--Cleveland County was created 17 April 1873 from Dallas, Bradley, Jefferson, and Lincoln Counties.

County seat: Rison

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
Although specific courthouse disasters are not known, it is reported that the records are incomplete and some are not in good condition. Several tax books, one marriage record, and one or more court records are missing.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Bradley •  Calhoun  •  Dallas  •  Drew  •  Grant  •  Jefferson  •  Lincoln

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


 * 1834 - The third Quapaw Treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate was the beginning of the end of the Indians treaty lands in Arkansas.
 * 1864 April 25 - The most important event in what became Cleveland County during the Civil War was the Battle of Marks’ Mills.
 * 1873 April 17 - Cleveland County was established.
 * 1910 - The high point for population of the county.
 * 1970 - The low point for population of the county.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1873-1974 Cleveland County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration records 1876-1908; Guardian records 1877-1909; Inventories 1877-1974; Letters of guardianship 1909-1938; Probate records 1873-1893; Wills 1877-1947.

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)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

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


 * April 25, 1864 = Marks' Mill


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1818 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1818-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images
 * Probate Records 1873-1974 Cleveland County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration records 1876-1908; Guardian records 1877-1909; Inventories 1877-1974; Letters of guardianship 1909-1938; Probate records 1873-1893; Wills 1877-1947.



Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1873-1956 - Cleveland County Marriage Books A, 1, 3-12 Index 1873-1956 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1873-1922 - Cleveland County Marriage Books 3-6 Index 1873-1922 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