Arkansas Church Records

United States   Arkansas    Church Records

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Arkansas were the Baptist and Methodist Episcopal (now United Methodist).

The Family History Library has many church records for Arkansas and several histories of local churches. The following directories may help you locate other church records:


 * A Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in the State of Arkansas. Little Rock: Historical Records Survey 1942. 976.7 K24h]; film 823676 item 6
 * Guide to Vital Statistics Records in Arkansas: Volume II, Church Archives. Little Rock: Historical Records Survey, 194-. book 976.7 K2h; film 873998 item 2

Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where the records are located:

Baptist
Arkansas Baptist State Convention Collection Riley Library Ouachita Baptist University 410 Ouachita Arkedelphia, AR 71998 Phone: (870) 245-5000 Fax: (870) 245-5500

Jacynda Ammons OBU Box 3729 Arkadelphia, AR 71998 Phone: 870-245-5332 E-mail: [mailto:ammonsj@obu.edu ammonsj@obu.edu]

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Early church records, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for Arkansas Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The film numbers, for each ward, can be locate through the Family History Library Catalog. Or by refering to Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. (FHL book 979.2258 A3j; fiche 6031507). These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.

Methodist
North Arkansas Conference Depository Olin C. Bailey Library Hendrix College 1600 Washington Street Conway, AR 72032 Phone: (501) 336-9321 Fax: (501) 336-9001 E-mail: [mailto:arkmethodist@hendrix.edu arkmethodist@hendrix.edu]

Roman Catholic
Diocese of Little Rock 2500 N. Tyler St. Little Rock, AR 72207 Phone: (501) 664-0340

The diocese includes the counties of: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Sebastian, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.

The Drouin Collection Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954 ($) (Ancestry). This database only contains the French Catholic parish records from the United States in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is the U.S. part of the U.S. and French-Canadian Drouin Collection. For more details see "The Drouin Collection: Six Databases"

The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church, and so on. They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian.