Desha County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Desha County

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage records from 1865 and probate records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

History
Desha County is Arkansas's 40th county, formed on December 12, 1838, and named for Captain Benjamin Desha who fought in the War of 1812.

Parent County

 * 1838--Desha County was created 12 December 1838 from Arkansas and Chicot Counties.

County seat: Arkansas City

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
1860s A courthouse fire destroyed some records.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Populated Places
Arkansas City Dumas McGehee Mitchellville Reed Tillar Watson

Neighboring Counties
Arkansas •  Bolivar County, Mississippi  •  Chicot  •  Drew  •  Lincoln  •  Phillips  •  Washington County, Mississippi

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


 * 1838 December 12 - Created by legislative act, Desha County was detached from Arkansas and Chicot counties.
 * 1860-1865 - During the war, county records were moved by wagon to Richland Township and later to Clarksville, Texas. Some records were never recovered.
 * 1927 - Desha County’s greatest tragedy came in the spring of 1927, when a flood inundated 478,000 acres after levee breaks occurred on the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers. Many of the county’s 26,684 citizens were forced to flee to hill counties or to live on second floors, in tent cities, and in boxcars on the levee.
 * 1930-1931 - The Drought of 1930–31 and the Great Depression, with unemployment over thirty percent, added to economic woes.
 * 1940-2010 - The population of Desha County peaked in 1940 at just over 27,000. By 2010, it had dropped to 13,000.

African Americans

 * 1867-1872 - Desha County Marriage Index 1867-1872 in at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1866-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Napoleon at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters, contracts

Cemeteries
Desha County Cemetery Transcriptions (partial list) -  Desha County ARGenWeb

Census
1840 Federal Census Index  -  USGenWeb Project Archives

1850 Federal Census Index -  USGenWeb Project Archives

Church Records
Dumas Churches -  churchangel.com

McGehee Churches - churchangel.com

Land and Property
Desha County Federal Land Records -  USGenWeb Archives Project

Local Histories
Riverboat History - Desha County ARGenWeb

Goodspeed's History -  Desha County ARGenWeb


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

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * 1895 Desha County Map -  livgenmil.com
 * Township Map -  Desha County USGenWeb

War of 1812
Military Land Grants War of 1812 (partial list) -  USGenWeb Project Archives

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Militia (Confederate), Napoleon Cavalry
 * - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - Carlton's Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)

Online Records


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Civil War Amnesty List -  Desha County ARGenWeb
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

World War II
Rohwer Relocation Center -  Desha County ARGenWeb

World War II Enlistees A-F - USGenWeb Project Archives

World War II enlistees G-L -  USGenWeb Project Archives

World War II Enlistees M-R -  USGenWeb Project Archives

Newspapers
Desha County Newspapers -  Desha County ARGenWeb

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

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1856 - 1952 - Desha County Marriage Books A-Z, A1-I1 Index 1856-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers