Izard County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Izard County

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

County Courthouse
Izard County Courthouse PO Box 327; Melbourne, AR 726556 Phone: 870.368.4328 County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1889.

Parent County

 * 1825--Izard County was created in 27 October 1825 from Independence and Fulton Counties.


 * History of Izard County at Ancestry.com ($)

County seat: Melbourne

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
1869 All records prior to April 11, 1869 were lost in a fire. 1889 Fire destroyed all county records.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Neighboring Counties
Baxter • Fulton • Independence • Sharp • Stone

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 Izard County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.
 * Osage hunted in the area prior to an 1808 treaty, and Shawnee also lived in the White River valley until 1833.
 * 1802 - John Lafferty, a native of Ireland, traveled up the White River.
 * 1810 - Lafferty and his family established the county’s first settlement at Lafferty Creek.
 * 1825 October 27 - Izard County established.
 * 1800s (early) - Keelboats began bringing settlers up the White River.
 * 1860 - The 1860 census shows only five foreign-born residents in Izard County: four from Ireland and one from Germany. Those not born in the county came primarily from Tennessee, the Carolinas, and a few from Kentucky and Mississippi.
 * 1870s (mid) - After the Civil War, many people starved in Izard County, resorting to eating grass and bark.
 * 1910-1960 - The population of Izard County hit a high (14,500) in 1910 and a low (6,700) in 1960. In 2010 the population was 13,700.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1889-1949 Izard County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1889-1949; Guardian bonds and letters 1889-1946; Probate records 1889-1930; Wills 1889-1942.

Land and Property

 * Izard County Federal Land Records USGenWeb Archives

Local Histories

 * Izard County, Arkansas. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2014.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Izard County, Arkansas.Vol 2 Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2014.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Shannon, Karr. A history of Izard County, Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas : Democrat Print. and Lithographing Co., c1947.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free) and at Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * 1895 Izard County Map

Civil War

 * - 7th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 14th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Powers') (Confederate)
 * - 27th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company C (new), Companies G, H and I
 * - 38th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)


 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Company A


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

World War II

 * Izard County WW 2 Army &amp; Air Force Casualties Access Genealogy
 * Arkansas Peace Society of 1861 Ancestrally Challenged

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 1889-1949 Izard County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1889-1949; Guardian bonds and letters 1889-1946; Probate records 1889-1930; Wills 1889-1942.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * Izard County Births Izard County ARGenWeb

Marriage

 * 1889-1956 - Izard County Marriage Books [1]-12 Index 1889-1956 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1889-1925 - Izard County Marriage Index 1889-1925 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Izard County Marriages Various Years Izard County ARGenWeb

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * Izard County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society Izard County ARGenWeb

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers