Lawrence County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Lawrence County

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

County Courthouse
Lawrence County Courthouse PO Box 553, 315 W Main; Walnut Ridge, AR 72476 Phone: 870.886.1111 County Clerk has marriage and probate records.

Parent County

 * 1815--Lawrence County was created 15 January 1815 from New Madrid County, Missouri.

County seat: Walnut Ridge

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
For a list of record loss in Arkansas counties see: Arkansas Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog'



Neighboring Counties
Craighead •  Greene  •  Independence  •  Jackson  •  Randolph  •  Sharp

Cemeteries

 * Lawrence County Cemeteries Lawrence County ARGenWeb
 * Lawrence County Cemeteries Find A Grave
 * Lawrence County Cemeteries Nancy's Lawrence County Corner

Census
1820 is missing


 * 1850 Lawrence County Sharp County ARGenWeb

Land and Property
Lawrence County Federal Land Records USGenWeb Archives


 * Lawrence County Assessor's Searchable Public Records Database
 * Lawrence County Landmarks

Local Histories

 * Early Lawrence County History Nancy's Lawrence County Corner
 * Settlement of Lawrence County and Powhatan 1803-1890 Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
 * Arkansas Territorial Papers Part 1 USGenWeb Archives
 * Arkansas Territorial Papers Part 2 USGenWeb Archives
 * Arkansas Territorial Papers Part 3 USGenWeb Archives
 * Arkansas Territorial Papers Part 4 USGenWeb Archives
 * Arkansas Territorial Papers Part 5 USGenWeb Archives

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


 * Arkansas became United States territory with the Louisiana Purchase.
 * 1800s (early) - White settlers first inhabited the county’s western regions
 * 1815 January 15 - Lawrence County was created. The “Mother of Counties,” Lawrence County once covered a majority of north Arkansas, an enormous stretch of land ultimately forming thirty-one counties.
 * 1816 - The earliest important settlement was at Davidsonville along the Black River. Named for territorial legislator John Davidson, the town served as the first county seat. Yellow fever ended the settlement.
 * 1861-1865 - During the Civil War, Lawrence County escaped damage.
 * 1800s (mid) - Powhatan experienced explosive growth and soon sported mills, shops, and hotels. Because of this growth, it became the county seat in 1869.
 * 1940-2010 - Lawrence County population hit its high mark in 1940 (22,600) and has a slow decline to a prsent (2010) low mark of 17,400.

Maps

 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Arkansas Maps and Atlases

Revolutionary War

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Arkansas, Lawrence County on page 191.]

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company E
 * - 7th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 8th Battalion, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies Cand G
 * - 38th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 45th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate) ,
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Companies C and E


 * Edward Gerdes' Arkansas Civil War Rosters

Newspapers

 * The Times Dispatch
 * Jonesboro Sun

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 1817-1969 Lawrence County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1859-1927; Administration bonds and letters 1839-1866; Administration records 1821-1873; Dockets 1873-1906; Indentures and articles of incorporation 1883-1904; Probate packets 1820-1885; Probate records 1833-1894; Wills 1817-1885.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1821-1967 - Lawrence County Marriage Index (1821-1901), Western District Index (1901-1967), Eastern District Index (1904-1944) in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1821-1926 - Lawrence County Marriage Index 1821-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Lawrence County Arkansas Marriages Lawrence County ARGenWeb

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * Lawrence County Historical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers