Hot Spring County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Hot Spring County

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

County Courthouse
Hot Spring County Courthouse 210 Locust Street Malvern, AR 72104 Phone: 501.332.2291 County Clerk has marriage records from 1825 and probate records from 1834; Clerk Circuit Court has court and divorce records.

History

 * The County was named for the hot springs at Hot Springs, located within the county.
 * The county is a "dry county", no alcohol allowed.

Parent County
Clark

Boundary Changes
Parts were set off to create following new counties:


 * Montgomery 9 December 1842
 * Grant 4 February 1869
 * Garland 5 April 1873
 * Part of Garland County was returned to Hot Springs later in 1873.


 * 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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Communities

 * Faber
 * Oak Bower
 * Old De Roche

Neighboring Counties
Clark •  Dallas  •  Garland  •  Grant  •  Montgomery  •  Saline

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


 * 1818 - The Quapaw tribe ceded control of the lands surrounding the forty-three hot springs to the United States.
 * 1829 November 2 - Hot Spring County was established by an act of the territorial legislature with land taken from Clark County.
 * 1865 (and after) - Hot Springs thrived after the Civil War, unlike many other Arkansas towns.
 * 1850s-1870s - River transportation was becoming less important as the railroad moved west.
 * 1879 October 15 - The popularity of river travel yielded to the efficiency of rail, and fast-growing Malvern officially replaced neighboring Rockport as the county seat.
 * 1945 - World War II brought an unprecedented demand for the barite found in Hot Spring County—the solid deposits of barite were useful in oil-well drilling. Following the war, various industries were established in the county.

Cemeteries

 * Phillips Cemetery, Leola BillionGraves

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1834-1945 Hot Spring County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1866-1869; Administration, executor and guardian records 1858-1945; Guardian bonds and letters 1834-1850; Letters of administration 1862-1871; Probate record index 1883-1887; Probate records 1839-1895; Wills 1879-1930

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland, and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * - 3rd Consolidated Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company F
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate),
 * - 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company D

Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union) and the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate).


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

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 1834-1945 Hot Spring County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1866-1869; Administration, executor and guardian records 1858-1945; Guardian bonds and letters 1834-1850; Letters of administration 1862-1871; Probate record index 1883-1887; Probate records 1839-1895; Wills 1879-1930.

Marriage

 * 1825-1951 - Hot Spring County Marriage Books 1-6, A-W Index 1825-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1825-1947 - Hot Spring County Marriage Books A-J, 4-6 Index 1825-1947 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Hot Springs Arkansas Family History Center 2765 Malvern Ave Hot Springs, AR 71913 United States