Lee County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Lee County

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

County Courthouse
Lee County Courthouse 15 E Chestnut Street Marianna, AR 72360 Phone: 870.295.7715 County Clerk has marriage, probate and tax records from 1873; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, military and court records from 1873.

Parent County

 * 1873--Lee County was created 17 April 1873 from Phillips, Monroe, Crittenden, and St. Francis Counties.

County seat: Marianna

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
For a list of record loss in Arkansas counties see: Arkansas Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog: none as of 10/2014

Neighboring Counties
Crittenden •  Monroe  •  Phillips  •  St. Francis  •  Tunica County, Mississippi  •  Woodruff County

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1873-1950 Lee County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and executor records 1873-1916; Guardian records 1873-1905; Probate records 1873-1895; Wills 1873-1950

History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Arkansas County - The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture


 * The chiefdom of Quiguate, which the Spaniards described as the largest of the fortified Native American towns they visited in La Florida, were probably the earlist inhabitants of what is now Lee County.
 * 1541 - Hernando de Soto and his men were probably the first Europeans to enter what is now Lee County.
 * 1700-1900 - In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, French explorers, hunters, and their American counterparts entered the wilderness via the Mississippi, L’Anguille, and St. Francis rivers.
 * 1790s (late) - Permanent settlers soon replaced hunters; one of the first was Sylvanus Phillips, who moved near the mouth of the St. Francis.
 * 1815 - Growth in the lower St. Francis was made possible by federal surveys that became the basis for the Public Land System.
 * 1838-1848 - Initially, most settlements, such as Walnut Bend and Council Bend, were confined to the Mississippi River, but within a few years, settlers moved into the interior.
 * 1873 April 17 - Lee County was established.
 * 1920-2010 - The population of Lee County peaked in 1920 at 28,800 aand is prsently (2010) at a low of 10,400.

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

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 1873-1950 Lee County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and executor records 1873-1916; Guardian records 1873-1905; Probate records 1873-1895; Wills 1873-1950.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1873-1923 - Lee County Marriage Books A-K Index 1873-1923 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1873-1923 - Lee County Marriage Books A-K Index 1873-1923 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