Chicot County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Chicot County

Guide to Chicot County Arkansas genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Chicot County Courthouse 108 Main Street Lake Village, AR 71653 Phone: 870.265.8000 County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1839. Clerk Circuit Court has court records Court has court records from 1824, along with land and divorce records.

Parent County

 * 1823--Chicot County was created 25 October 1823 from Arkansas County. County seat: Lake Village

Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Chicot County boundary changes at N2Genealogy.

Neighboring Counties

 * Ashley
 * Bolivar County, Mississippi
 * Desha
 * Drew
 * East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
 * Issaquena County, Mississippi
 * Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
 * Washington County, Mississippi
 * West Carroll Parish, Louisiana

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 & Culture


 * 1542 - The first recorded history of the county.
 * 1823 - October, The county was carved out of Arkansas County by the territorial legislature.
 * 1900 - Before this time, none of the towns in the county experienced much growth.
 * 1900-1910 - The population of Chicot County significantly rose, however, from 1900 to 1910. This was due in large part to the coming of the Memphis, Helena, Louisiana Railroad to Lake Village in 1903.
 * 1927 - The economic growth was cut short by the Flood of 1927, which put nearly thirteen percent of the state under water. Since most people in the county were farmers, they were hurt most by the flood.
 * 1942, October-1944, June - During World War II, two of the ten internment camps in the nation for Japanese Americans were located in southeast Arkansas, and one of these was located in Chicot County.

Civil War

 * - 8th Battalion, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company B

Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Calvary (Union), Company C; and the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate) , Company A.

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Chicot County.


 * June 6, 1864 = Old River Lake, also known as Ditch Bayou, Lake Chicot, Lake Village, Furlough, Fish Bayou, or Grand Lake
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Probate Records

 * Probate Records 1839-1931 Part of: County Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Dockets 1874-1878; Executor and guardian bonds 1878-1915; Administration bonds 1839-1877; Administration bonds and letters 1840-1931; Letters of administration 1869-1926 ; Letters of guardianship 1865-1913; Minutes 1839-1860; Probate records 1860-1893; Wills, miscellaneous probate records 1840-1930.

Marriage

 * 1840-1951 - Chicot County Marriage Books B-Z, 27-40 Index 1840-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1840-1920 - Chicot County Marriage Books B-U Index 1840-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Chicot County, Arkansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Chicot County, Arkansas Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)