Mississippi County, Arkansas Genealogy


 * This article is about a northeastern county of Arkansas. For other uses, see Mississippi (disambiguation).

United States Arkansas  Mississippi County

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

County Courthouse
Mississippi County Courthouse 200 W Walnut Blytheville, AR 72315 Phone: 870.763.3212 County Clerk has military records from 1850 and probate records from 1865; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1866 and land records from 1865.

Parent County

 * 1833--Mississippi County was created 1 November 1833 from Crittenden County. County seat: Blytheville

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
For a list of record loss in Arkansas counties see: Arkansas Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog'

Neighboring Counties
Craighead • Crittenden • Dunklin County, Missouri • Dyer County, Tennessee • Lauderdale County, Tennessee • Pemiscot County, Missouri • Poinsett • Shelby County, Tennessee • Tipton County, Tennessee •

African Americans

 * 1866-1868 — ''Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Osceola at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only;  Letters sent and registers of claims, marriages, contracts and indentures

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1865-1952 Mississippi County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1869-1906; Probate records 1865-1879; Wills 1898-1952; Wills, letters of administration and guardianship 1866-1909.

Local Histories

 * Edrington, Mabel Flanningan. History of Mississippi County, Arkansas.Ocala, Florida : Ocala Star-Banner, 1962.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)

History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Arkansas County - The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture


 * Mississippi County was home to many prehistoric cultures.
 * 1541 - Hernando de Soto’s path after he crossed the Mississippi River is believed that he visited parts of Mississippi County.
 * 1673 - Father Jacques Marquette visited during his expedition on the Mississippi River.
 * 1682 - The French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, viewed the territory.
 * 1800s - The population of the county continued to be sparse through the beginning of the 1800s.
 * 1811-1812 - the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812, which created the “sunk lands” caused by water rushing into the depressions left by the force of the quakes caused population growth to stop.
 * 1833 November 1 - The present Mississippi County was created.
 * 1950-2010 - The population of Mississippi Couty peaked at over 82,300 in 1950. It is currently (2010) at 46,480.

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Newspapers

 * Courier News. Blytheville, Arkansas, United States Of America. Database created from microfilm copies of the newspaper. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Probate Records

 * Probate Records 1865-1952 Mississippi County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1869-1906; Probate records 1865-1879; Wills 1898-1952; Wills, letters of administration and guardianship 1866-1909.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1861-1921 - Mississippi County Marriage Books A-K Index 1861-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1866-1921 - Mississippi County Marriage Books A-K, 3-23 Index 1866-1921 in at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Blytheville Arkansas Family History Center