Cross County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Cross County

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

County Courthouse
Cross County Courthouse 705 Union Ave E #8; Wynne, AR 72396 Phone: 870.238.5735 County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1863, tax and county court records from 1865; Clerk Circuit Court has court and land records from 1865; Chancery Circuit Clerk has divorce records from 1866; County Historical Society has newspapers from 1935, cemetery records and family histories.

Parent County

 * 1862--Cross County was created 15 November 1862 from Crittenden, Poinsett, and St. Francis Counties.

County seat: Wynne

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 is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Crittenden • Jackson  •  Poinsett •  St. Francis •  Woodruff

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


 * 1803 - The sparse population of the area consisted of French hunters, Cherokee, and a few English frontiersmen.
 * 1830s - The Cherokee were removed via the Trail of Tear and settlers from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Missouri moved in.
 * 1862 November 15 - The Arkansas General Assembly created Cross County.
 * 1882 - The first railroad was completed across Cross County.
 * 1900-1927 - The growth of Vanndale and Wynne along the railroad balanced the decline of river cities such as Wittsburg. This transfer of population was increased by flooding in the river valley when the St. Francis River broke through its levees in 1912 and 1913, and especially in the Flood of 1927.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1857-1943 Cross County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1863-1921; Administration settlements 1866-1911; Dockets 1874-1922; Probate case files 1898-1930; Probate record index 1866-1878; Probate records 1857-1887; Wills 1863-1943.

Local Histories

 * Chowning, Robert W. History of Cross County, Arkansas, 1955 : a narrative historical edition preserving the record of the growth and development of Cross County, Arkansas, and chronicling the genealogical and memorial records of its prominent families and personages. Wynne, Arkansas : Wynne Progress, 1955.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

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 1857-1943 Cross County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1863-1921; Administration settlements 1866-1911; Dockets 1874-1922; Probate case files 1898-1930; Probate record index 1866-1878; Probate records 1857-1887; Wills 1863-1943.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1863-1952 - Cross County Marriage Books A-Z, A1-G1 Index 1863-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1865-1922 - Cross County Marriage Books A-O Index 1865-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers