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United States Arkansas Benton County

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

County Information
Benton County, founded September 30, 1836, was formed from Washington County, and is located in the northwest corner of Arkansas on the Ozark plateau. It adjoins Oklahoma to the west and Missouri to the north. The county seat is Bentonville, named in honor of U.S Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, who was instrumental in helping the Arkansas Territory achieve statehood.

County Courthouse
Benton County Courthouse 215 E. Central, Suite 217 Bentonville, AR 72712-0699 Telephone: 479.271.1013- 1031 County Clerk has marriage records from 1861 and probate records from 1859; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

Government and Related Websites
 * County-clerk.net (unofficial site) — Clerks have jurisdiction over birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, land use, land rights, real estate, and other court records. Site provides links to unofficial websites with online records
 * PublicRecords.com (unofficial site) — Provides links to County officials and public records

Record Loss

 * For record loss in Arkansas counties, see ARGenWeb

Boundary Changes

 * 1836--Benton County was created 30 September 1836 from Washington County. County seat: Bentonville.

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.

Cities and Towns

 * Click and select the link Places within... for cities and towns (most counties)

Populated Places

History Timeline
Events below gleaned from Benton County The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
 * Late 1700's to early 1800's - The Osage Indians in Missouri made forays into the area for seasonal hunting.
 * 1808 - 1825 - The U.S. government obtained major land cessions from the Osage.
 * 1828 - The Arkansas Cherokee also ceded their land. This marked the last major Indian occupation of the area and opened it to legal white settlement.
 * Late 1820's - White settlers increasingly moved into the area.
 * 1836 - September 30 - Benton County was formally established as a separate county.
 * Many early county settlers came from Tennessee and other states of the upper South.
 * During the Civil War, many Benton County residents were caught between strongly Confederate Arkansans to the south and Union-supporting Missourians to the north.
 * During the Civil War years, much of Benton County suffered destruction and severe food shortages.
 * 1870's - The county’s population grew, but the number of black citizens decreased rapidly

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Benton County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Cemeteries
Individual Cemeteries BillionGraves transcriptions, photos, and Google map for each cemetery.
 * Cemeteries of Benton County - Index and Transcriptions - Benton County ARGenWeb
 * Bella Vista Memorial Garden Cemetery, Bella Vista
 * Barron Cemetery, Bentonville
 * Dog Hill Cemetery, Bella Vista
 * Hillcrest Cemetery, Gravette
 * Lee Cemetery, Sulphur Springs
 * Silent Grove Cemetery, Springdale
 * Wet Prairie Cemetery, Gravette

Census Records

 * 1840 Federal Census Index and transcriptions, Benton County ARGenWeb
 * 1850 Federal Census Index and transcriptions, Benton County ARGenWeb

Court Records

 * Court records began in 1837

Guardianship

 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Local Histories

 * Biographies from the History of Benton County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website
 * History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at Ancestry.com ($)
 * See also Cities and towns for resources in the FamilySearch Catalog

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Benton County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Historic maps of Benton County, Arkansas 1875 to 1922, free access on My Genealogy Hound.

Revolutionary War

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Arkansas, Benton County on page 191.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include"an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Arkansas section begins on page 439.]

Civil War

 * Confederate Soldiers Buried in Benton County Arkansas


 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company D
 * - 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F
 * - 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F

Men from Benton County served in the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union) and the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Companies E and M Civil War Battle The following Civil War battle was fought in Benton County.
 * March 6-8, 1862 = Pea Ridge, also known as Elkhorn Tavern.
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers

 * Arkansas Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites. Includes newspapers for Benton County.
 * Benton County DailyRecord

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; includes guardianships

Marriage

 * 1861-1952 - Benton County Marriage Books A-Z and Marriage License Bonds Index 1861-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1877-1924 - Benton County Marriage Books A-J Index 1877-1924 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1837-1957 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - Free; Index

Death

 * Benton County, Arkansas Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. From Various Funeral Homes in the Rogers, Bentonville, Siloam Springs,Lowell, Gentry, Gravette, Little Flock, and Pea Ridge areas.
 * 1850 - 1850 U.S. Census Mortality Schedule Transcription
 * 1860 - 1860 U.S. Census Mortality Schedule Transcription

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Springdale Arkansas Jones Family Center Family History Center 922 E Emma Springdale AR 72764 United States Location Map
 * Rogers Arkansas Family History Center 1101 McCollum Rd Bentonville AR 72712 United States

Libraries
Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Benton County
 * Benton County Historical Society
 * Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
 * Bella Vista Public Library 11 Dickens Place Bella Vista AR 72714
 * Bentonville Public Library 405 S Main Street Bentonville AR 72712
 * Rogers Public Library 711 S Dixieland Road Rogers AR 72758
 * - Select Places within... for cities and towns
 * WorldCat — Click an item for libraries near you. For more information, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library — Located in Indiana, they are heavily involved in digitizing much of their collection.
 * Arkansas History Commission Select the county — Arkansas state agency involved in organizing, digitizing, and maintaining the records of state and local history.
 * Local libraries and Arkansas Archives and Libraries may suggest other catalogs

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records
 * ARGenWeb - Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * RootsWeb resources - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions

More Benton County genealogy links
 * Linkpendium - Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList - Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)