Crittenden County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Crittenden County

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

County Courthouse


Crittenden County Courthouse 100 Court Street Marion, AR 72364 Phone: 870.739.4434

County Clerk has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, military and court records and County Assessor has land records.

Parent County

 * 1825--Crittenden County was created 22 October 1825 from Phillips County. County seat: Marion

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
1860s A few pages of the deed records and of the chancery court records were damaged or destroyed during the Reconstruction period following the American Civil War. Also, the tax books for the year 1878 are missing.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog: none as of 10/2014

Neighboring Counties
Cross •  DeSoto County, Mississippi  •  Lee  •  Mississippi  •  Poinsett  •  St. Francis  •  Shelby County, Tennesse  •  Tunica County, Mississippi

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


 * Artifacts found in Crittenden County—including effigy pipes, stone ear plugs, and ornaments—testify to a long habitation of the area by Native Americans.
 * 1795 - Its first resident of note was a Spanish sergeant named Augustine Grande, who was the commander of Fort Esperanza, built by the Spanish on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
 * 1825 October 22 - Crittenden County was organized.
 * 1850 - Because of the county’s location, levees and drainage districts have been essential to its development
 * 1874 - Reconstruction in Arkansas had ended.
 * 1990 - Crittenden County had a population of 28,259; in that year, an estimated 2,000 people were employed in a variety of jobs by West Memphis processing and manufacturing industries.

African Americans

 * 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Marion at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Crittenden County, Arkansas (1890) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1837-1919; Administration and guardian records 1853-1876; County Court records 1830-1852; Dockets 1857-1898; Probate records 1826-1889; Wills 1826-1946.

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Map of 1889 Crittenden County, Arkansas

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), 2nd Company E
 * - 6th Battalion Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company C

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 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1837-1919; Administration and guardian records 1853-1876; County Court records 1830-1852; Dockets 1857-1898; Probate records 1826-1889; Wills 1826-1946.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1837-1921 - Crittenden County Marriage Books A, C-Z, A1-B29 Index 1837-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers