Craighead County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for state Senator Thomas Craighead. The County Seats are Jonesboro, Lake City and was founded February 19, 1859. It is located in the northeast of the state.

County Courthouse
Craighead County Courthouse 511 South Main Street Jonesboro, AR 72401 Phone: 870.933.4520 Craighead County Courthouse County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1878 and tax records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records from 1878 and land records from 1900

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

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


 * 1803 (pre) - Some groups of Shawnee, Delaware, and Cherokee moved west of the Mississippi River and through the area.
 * 1811-1812 - The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812 kept many potential settlers away from northeast Arkansas and induced the few Native Americans there to move elsewhere.
 * 1817 - Immigration to the area began increasing due to allayed fears of earthquakes and the attractiveness of the bounties given to veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
 * 1820 - An act of Congress continued the land bounty program.
 * 1850 - The Bounty Land Act in 1850 allowed for veterans of the Mexican War (1846–1848) to obtain land warrants.
 * 1850 - The U.S. Congress granted the state of Arkansas all swamp and overflow lands, many of which were in the region now included in Craighead County.
 * 1859 February 19 - Crighead County was formed.
 * 1869-1885 - A high incidence of courthouse fires in Jonesboro destroyed many of the county’s early documents.
 * 1906 - Jonesboro’s growth was enhanced with the creation of City Water &amp; Light (CWL) as a municipal utility.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1878-1971 Craighead County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1899-1936; Administration bonds and letters 1878-1923; County Court records 1878-1884; Dockets 1887-1892; Guardian bonds 1878-1938; Letters of administration and guardianship 1884-1903; Probate records 1878-1927; Wills 1886-1930.

Local Histories

 * Stuck, Charles Albert. The story of Craighead County : a narrative of people and events in northeast Arkansas. Jonesboro, Arkansas : C.A. Stuck, c1960.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

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

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1890-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

Newspapers

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

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 1878-1971 Craighead County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1899-1936; Administration bonds and letters 1878-1923; County Court records 1878-1884; Dockets 1887-1892; Guardian bonds 1878-1938; Letters of administration and guardianship 1884-1903; Probate records 1878-1927; Wills 1886-1930.

Birth

 * 1947 - 1965 - Craighead County Birth Index 1947-1965. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1878 - 1934 - Craighead County Marriage Books A-Z, 1-17, A1-A20 Index 1878-1934 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1878 - 1923 - Craighead County Marriage Books A-S, 1-7 Index 1878-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Jonesboro Arkansas Family History Center 301 E Highland at 1-B Jonesboro AR 72401-6008 United States

Societies

 * Genealogy Society Of Craighead County 315 W Oak, Ave, Jonesboro, AR 72401 870.935.5133

Websites

 * ARGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * RootsWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records