Washington County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Washington 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 George Washington. The County Seat is Fayetteville and was founded October 17, 1828. It is located in the northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Washington County Courthouse 280 N College Ave #300 Fayetteville, AR 72701 Phone: 501.444.1711 Washington County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1845 and probate records from 1828; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records; City Librarian has cemetery records

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

Biographies

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

Census Records

 * 1830 Census -  Tripod  Mika Jackson
 * 1840 Census -  Tripod  Mika Jackson
 * 1850 Census with Index - USGenWeb Washington County Archives

Church Records

 * Churches in Fayetteville AR -  ChurchAngel
 * Churches in Springdale, AR -  ChurchAngel

Court Records

 * Records Inventory &amp; Retention Schedule Circuit Clerk &amp; Recorder

Genealogies

 * Biographies from The History of Washington County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed Publishing Company are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Land and Property Records
Federal Land Patents, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents Before 1908 -  USGenWeb Washington County Archives,  Land Records 1834-1991, Fayetteville Public Library Land Index, 1830-1903

Washington County Archives Land Records

Local Histories

 * Penny Postcards from Washington County -  USGenWeb Washington County Archives
 * National Register of Historic Places for Washington County AR
 * American Memory for Washington County - Library of Congress
 * St. John's College of Arkansas -  Washington County ARGenWeb
 * School Records Indexcovers early 1900s and is courtesy of the Fayetteville Public Library
 * History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Washington County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Gold Bug Historic Maps - reflect changes in county boundaries
 * Interactive Battle Map for Arkansas
 * Map of 1909 Washington County, Arkansas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)

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, Washington County on page 191.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Arkansas section begins on page 439.]

Mexican War

 * Fayetteville Roster Mexican War -  Washington County ARGenWeb

Civil War
Civil War service men from Washington County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Washington County.


 * - 1st Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Stirman's) (Confederate), Companies D and E
 * - 16th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company G
 * - 17th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Griffith's) (Confederate), Companies D and E
 * - 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies A, B, C, H and K
 * - Witherspoon's Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union) Company C

'''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
 * Confederate Soldiers Buried in Washington County - Washington County ARGenWeb
 * Arkansas Civil War Biographies - Washington County ARGenWeb
 * United Daughters of Confederacy - Prairie Grove, Arkansas

Also see Arkansas in the Civil War

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battles were fought in Washington County.


 * November 28, 1862 = Cane Hill also known as Canehill, Boston Mountains
 * December 7, 1862 = Prairie Grove also known as Fayetteville


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas

Newspapers
'''Historical online newspapers
 * Northwest Arkansas Times, July 1937 - December 1977 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Fayetteville Democrat, August 1917 - October 1923 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Daily Fayetteville Democrat (Fayetteville, Arkansas), July 1915 - July 1916 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Fayetteville Daily Democrat (Fayetteville, Arkansas), February 1921 - July 1936 at Ancestry.com ($)

'''Current online newspapers
 * Northwest Arkansas Times and others Online
 * Northwest Arkansas Times
 * Fayetteville Free Weekly

Obituaries

 * Obituaries submitted to Washington County ARGenWeb
 * Obituary Records: 1868-2010 | Courtesy of the Fayetteville Public Library | This index covers three newspapers: Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville Weekly Democrate and the Fayetteville Daily Democrate

Probate Records
'''Online Probate Records
 * 1783 - 1998 - Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1829 - 1931 - Washington County Arkansas list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills - free
 * 1817 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — free images
 * Probate Records 1829-1931 Washington County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections - free images
 * Includes:
 * 1840 - 1905 - Letters of administration
 * 1841 - 1905 - Letters testamentary
 * 1837 - 1886 - Probate records
 * 1889 - 1931 - Will Books

Birth

 * 1900 - 1953 - Washington County Birth Index 1900-1953. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1845 - 1941 - Washington County Archive Marriage Record Search, 1845-1941
 * 1845 - 1922 - Washington County Marriage Books D-R Index 1845-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1887 - 1949 - Washington County Marriage Books I-Z, A1-C1 Index 1887-1949 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * Washington County Marriages - submitted to Washington County ARGenWeb
 * Arkansas Marriage Records -  GenWed.com

Death

 * Obituaries submitted to Washington County ARGenWeb

Washington County Death Records Index 1914-1923

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Springdale Arkansas Jones Family Center Family History Center

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 resources. 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