Franklin County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Franklin County

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

County Courthouse
Franklin County Courthouse 211 W Commercial Street Ozark, AR 72949 Phone: 501.667.3607 County Clerk has marriage records from 1850, probate records from 1838 and land records from 1899.

Parent County

 * 1837--Franklin County was created 19 December 1837 from Crawford County. County seat: Ozark

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
There are no known marriage records from Franklin County between 1837 and late in 1849, apparently the first marriage book must have been destroyed. 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
Crawford •  Johnson  •  Logan  •  Madison  •  Sebastian

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


 * 1819-1828 - By treaty, the Cherokee controlled the county
 * 1828 - the Cherokee were removed to Indian Territory and the area was opened to settlement, people came from Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, and surrounding states.
 * 1837 December 19 - was formed from Crawford County.
 * 1875 - The railroad came to Franklin County, and towns grew up along the line.
 * 1880s - The climate and terrain in northern Franklin County were suited to grape growing, and a group of Swiss and German farmers came to Altus and established wineries.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1835-1958 Franklin County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian record index no date; Administration bonds 1866-1918; Administration bonds and letters 1891-1935; Administration settlements 1866-1878; Chancery Court records 1891-1953; County Court records 1847-1860; General index 1852-1890; Guardian bonds and letters 1891-1940; Guardian settlements 1866-1891; Letters of administration 1865-1918; Letters of testamentary 1865-1936; Minutes 1870-1874; Probate packet index 1835-1958; Probate packets 1835-1958; Probate record index 1860-1898; Probate records 1838-1915; Wills 1892-1947.

Genealogy

 * Family biographies from The History of Franklin County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Local Histories

 * History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War

 * - 7th Battalion, Arkansas Infantry (Desha) (Confederate)
 * - 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I
 * - 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company E


 * Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Company G, and the 7th Regiment, Arkansas Militia.

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 1835-1958 Franklin County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian record index no date; Administration bonds 1866-1918; Administration bonds and letters 1891-1935; Administration settlements 1866-1878; Chancery Court records 1891-1953; County Court records 1847-1860; General index 1852-1890; Guardian bonds and letters 1891-1940; Guardian settlements 1866-1891; Letters of administration 1865-1918; Letters of testamentary 1865-1936; Minutes 1870-1874; Probate packet index 1835-1958; Probate packets 1835-1958; Probate record index 1860-1898; Probate records 1838-1915; Wills 1892-1947.


 * Franklin County Probate Records Online

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

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

Marriage

 * 1850-1951 - Franklin County Marriage Books A-Q, 2-4 (including both Ozark and Charleston locations) Index 1850-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1850-1931 - Franklin County Marriage Books A-J Index 1850-1931 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * 1954 - Franklin County Death Index 1954. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Jacksonville Arkansas Family History Center 312 HWY 319 East, Vilonia, AR 72173


 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers