Boone County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Boone County

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

County Courthouse
Boone County Courthouse 100 N Main Street Harrison, AR 72602 Phone: 870.741.8428

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1869. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

Parent County

 * 1869--Boone County was created 9 April 1869 from Carrol and Madison Counties. County seat: Harrison

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.

Neighboring Counties
Carroll •  Marion  •  Newton  •  Searcy  •  Taney County, Missouri

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


 * Pre 1808 - Although they had no communities in the area, the Osage had claims to what would become Boone County until an 1808 treaty.
 * 1812 - The area was part of Missouri Territory.
 * 1869 - The Arkansas legislature created Boone County from Carroll County.
 * 1875 - A portion of Marion County was taken in by Boone County.
 * 1900s - Change came with the arrival of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad.
 * 1900-1910 - The African-American population, which had shown limited growth in each census since 1870, decreased from 142 to seven.
 * 1920s-1930s - Hard times forced many families to seek jobs outside the county.

Cemeteries

 * List of Boone County CemeteriesBoone County
 * Boone County Cemeteries Online Boone County ARGenweb

Census

 * 1860, 1870, 1930, and more  Boone County ARGenweb

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1869-1970 Boone County portion of the collection: FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1869-1919; Chancery Court records 1870-1891; County court records 1869-1874; Guardian bonds and letters 1869-1914; Probate record index 1869-1970; Probate records 1869-1894; Wills 1872-1926.

Local Histories

 * Ware, Keith. "Boone County hatchery" Boone County historian (Arkansas) - v. 2-3 (2004-2005) - v. 3, no. 4 (Oct./Dec. 2005).
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Crooked Creek Valley, Arkansas before and during the Civil War : ca. 1827-1865.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Logan, Roger V., Jr. Mountain heritage : some glimpses into Boone County's past after one hundred yearsHarrison, Arkansas : Harrison Junior Chamber of Commerce, 1969.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (free)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * 1970 township map Boone Co., Boone County ARGenweb

Civil War

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

World War II

 * Boone County WWII enlistees Boone County ARGenweb
 * WWII Army and Air Force Casualties  Boone County ARGenweb

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 1869-1970 Boone County portion of the collection: FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1869-1919; Chancery Court records 1870-1891; County court records 1869-1874; Guardian bonds and letters 1869-1914; Probate record index 1869-1970; Probate records 1869-1894; Wills 1872-1926.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1867-1904 - Marriages Early index; marriages 1867 forward with some years missing to 1904; and other miscellaneous marriages  Boone County ARGenweb
 * 1869-1923 - Boone County Marriage Books C-O Index 1869-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1869-1951 - Boone County Marriage Books A-Y, 2, BB-GG Index 1869-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * Boone County Library
 * Boone County Historical &amp; Railroad Society ,Inc.
 * Richard Fancher Society of America - information re: Utah Mountain Meadow Masssacre

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Fort Smith Arkansas Family History Center 8712 Horan Drive, Fort Smith, AR 72903-4360 United States
 * Harrison Arkansas Family History Center272 Valley View Rd., Harrison AR 72601 United States

Societies

 * Boone County Genealogical Society (seems to be discontinued Dec 2014)


 * Boone County Heritage Museum by Boone County Historical &amp; Railroad Society 124 South Cherry Street Harrison, AR 72601 Phone (870) 741-3312
 * Under Resources tab, select: cemeteries, historical places, marriage records, local resources and organizations, or railroad resources. Records may/may not be online.