Ouachita County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Ouachita County was named for the Ouachita River. It is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ouachita County Courthouse 145 Jackson Street Camden, AR 71701 Phone: 870-837-2220 Ouachita County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1875. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land 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 Ouachita County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * 1803 - The county was inhabited by only a few hunters, trappers and traders at the time of the Louisiana Purchase.
 * 1820s (late)-1830s (early) - The population of the area consisted of approximately 150 Choctaw, along with white settlers and slaves.
 * 1830s - As more white settlers came to the area, the French left, returning to New Orleans or moving farther west.
 * 1842 November 29 - Ouachita County was established.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places
 * 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Court Records

 * 1874-1959 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1876-1878 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1876-1878 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1941-1953 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

African Americans

 * 1865-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Camden at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only;  Register of school children and register of attendance of school children, labor contracts, letters

Funeral Homes

 * Benton Funeral Home in Bearden
 * Proctor Funeral Home in Camden
 * Reddick Funeral Home in Camden
 * Williams Funeral Home in Camden

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1876-1946 County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Guardian records 1876-1911; Letters of administration 1876-1922; Letters of testamentary 1876-1946; Probate record index 1876-1880; Probate records 1880-1890; Wills 1876-1901.

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. 2 volumes. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry ($); . Ouachita County history begins on Page 640 in Vol. 2.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Ouachita County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company C
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Companies G and H
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 11th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate)
 * - 33rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies B, D, F and K

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Ouachita County:
 * April 18, 1864 - Poison Spring.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1783–1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images($)
 * 1817-1979 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1876-1890 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1876-1946 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1875-1921 Ouachita County Marriage Books B-Z Index 1875-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1875-1952 Ouachita County Marriage Books B-Z, AA-YY Index 1875-1952 in  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images($)

Death

 * 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images($)
 * 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index & images($)

Divorce

 * 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)

Voter Records

 * 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

FamilySearch Centers

 * El Dorado Arkansas FamilySearch Center
 * Magnolia Arkansas FamilySearch Center

Websites

 * ARGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Linkpendium
 * Cyndi's List
 * - 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