Union County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Union 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 in recognition of the citizens' petition for a new county. It is located in the south central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Union County Courthouse 101 N Washington El Dorado, AR 71730 Phone: 870-864-1910 Union County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1846; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

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

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

Funeral Homes

 * Andrew's Funeral Home Inc in El Dorado
 * Bailey Funeral Home in El Dorado
 * Perry's Funeral Chapels in El Dorado
 * Sims Mortuary in El Dorado
 * Young's Funeral Directors in El Dorado

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1839-1927 Union County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration bonds 1868-1923; Administration, executor and guardian bonds; wills 1845-1927; Letters of administration 1868-1924; Letters of guardianship 1869-1923; Probate records 1839-1889.

Land and Property Records

 * Federal land records for Union County  Union Co. AR Archives

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. 2 volumes. 1890. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive, Google Books, Ancestry ($); . Union County history begins on Page 817 in Vol. 2.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Union County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Military Records
Indian Wars
 * Indian Wars at Union Co. Archives

War of 1812
 * War of 1812 Land Grants at Union Co. Archives

Civil War


 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company A
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Consolidated Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate)

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

Korean War
 * Korean War Casualties at Union Co. Archives

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1783–1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1830-1889 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images.
 * 1839-1927 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images; Includes Union County Administration Bonds 1868-1923; Administration, Executor and Guardian Bonds; Wills 1845-1927; Letters of Administration 1868-1924; Letters of Guardianship 1869-1923; Probate Records 1839-1889.

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.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1829-1870 Marriage Bonds 1829-1870 at Southeastern Genealogy ($)
 * 1847 - 1951 Union County Marriage Books A-Z, 2-34 Index 1847-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.  How to Use this Collection
 * 1847 - 1920 - Union County Marriage Books A-X Index 1847-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

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

Family History Centers

 * El Dorado Arkansas Family History Center

Societies
Union County Genealogy Society Barton Library East 5th and North Jefferson Street El Dorado, Ar 71730 Facebook

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