Marion County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Marion 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 General Francis Marion, the famous "Swamp Fox" of the Revolutionary War. The County Seat is Yellville and was founded September 25, 1836. It is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Marion County Courthouse Hwy 62 P.O. Box 545 Yellville, AR 72687 Phone: 870.449.6226 Marion County Website County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land  records from 1888. The ARGenweb Project has information on The Burning of the Courthouse, How to Order Copies from the Courthouse and more.

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:


 * Townships - formation and changes:

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


 * 1815-1820 - The first white person believed to have been born in Marion County was A. S. “Uncle Bud” Wood, son of William Wood who moved from Tennessee to Marion County as a young man.
 * 1820s or 1830s - One of the earliest white families of settlers in Marion County was Mike Yocum and his three brothers, Jess, Solomon, and Jake. These four men came to America from Germany and settled at the mouth of the Little North Fork of White River.
 * 1835 - Marion County was created from a portion of the western part of Izard County, although it was immediately renamed Searcy County by the Territorial General Assembly.
 * 1836 September 29 - The First General Assembly of Arkansas received a petition from the county requesting the name be reverted to Marion County.
 * 1861-1865 - As more and more men were recruited and left home, the county saw an influx of men from other areas who sought to evade service and, banding together, began to plunder the largely defenseless homes and farms.
 * 1800s (late) - The population of the county grew dramatically when valuable metal ores began to be mined late in the nineteenth century.
 * 1900-1930 - When the mining industry declined, people began to leave Marion County, seeking jobs elsewhere. The Great Depression increased the exodus from the county.

Additional Information The county is named after "The Swamp Fox" Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion(c1732-1795).

Resources
Link to available resources for Marion Co:

Census Records
Abstracts of Marion Co Census Records:

Land and Property Records
Index to Deed Records:

Original land owners &amp; plats:

Local Histories

 * Family lines &amp; history:
 * Transcription of Earl Berry's "History of Marion County, AR":
 * Photos of individuals, families, unknown people, places, etc:
 * History of Marion Co's Post Offices:
 * A hodge-podge of stories &amp; miscellaneous information about Marion Co:

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Maps: argenweb.net/marion/maps/index.html

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)
 * - 1st Cavalry Battalion (Regiment), Arkansas Cavalry (Stirman's) (Cavalry), Companies A and B
 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Captain James R. Dowd's company
 * - 7th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 14th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Powers') (Confederate)
 * - 27th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies A, E and K

'''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

Newspapers
Abstracts from Mt Echo Newspapers: MARION COUNTY AR NEWSPAPERS

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 1887-1946 Marion County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Bonds and letters 1889-1921; Wills 1887-1946.

Birth

 * 1947 - 1964 - Marion County Birth Index 1947-1964. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * Marriage information taken from old newspapers and those submitted by individuals: argenweb.net/marion/marriage/howtoqry.htm
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1888 - 1957 - Marion County Marriage Books E-P Index 1888-1957 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1888 - 1923 - Marion County Marriage Books F-J Index 1888-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Death
Link to obituaries: Argenweb Includes obituaries or death information found in early newspapers from the 1800s and 1900s, plus current obituaries beginning in 2000.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Societies
Link to Genealogy Society: argenweb.net/marion/historicalsociety.html and society's Newsletter argenweb.net/marion/bramblebush/index.html Marion County Genealogy Society Marion County Library, Yellville, Arkansas

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. 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