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United States Arkansas Clay County

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




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County Courthouse
Clay County Courthouse PO Box 306 Piggott, AR 72454 Phone: 870.598.2813  Clerk Circuit Court has land, divorce and court records from 1893. County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1893.

According to History and Traditions of Clay County, compiled by Robert T. Webb, edited and indexed by Frank Cochran, the people moved the county seat from Corning to Boydsville in 1877. Most of the people lived in the eastern part of the county and it was difficult to travel through the bottoms to Corning. Changing the county seat did not change the difficulty of crossing the bottoms, but only transferred it to the people in the Western part. In 1881 the county was divided into two districts with Boydsville the Eastern county seat and Corning the Western county seat. In 1888 the people voted to move the eastern county seat to Piggott.

Early History of Clay County Seats

Western District Courthouse History

Government and Related Websites
 * County-clerk.net (unofficial site) -  Clerks have jurisdiction over birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, land use, land rights, real estate, and other court records. Site provides links to unofficial websites with online records
 * PublicRecords.com (unofficial site) -  Provides links to County officials and public records

Record Loss
The Eastern District courthouse burned on January 11, 1893 with total record loss.
 * For record loss in Arkansas counties, see ARGenWeb

Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog'



Boundary Changes

 * 1873--Clay County was created 24 March 1873 from Randolph and Greene Counties. County seat: Piggott

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.

Cities and Towns
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 * Click and select the link Places within... for cities and towns (most counties)
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 * Corning
 * Piggott
 * Piggott

History Timeline
Events below gleaned from Clay County The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
 * Native American tribes dispersed in northeast Arkansas included the Quapaw as well as Osage who hunted in the area.
 * 1800s - early, European settlement in the Clay County area began with Pierre LeMieux, a Frenchman who settled east of the Black River.
 * 1800s - Veterans of the War of 1812 who were given land grants in Arkansas began to settle in the area.
 * 1849-1850 - Congress passed the Swamp Land Acts of 1849 and 1850. Public swampland was transferred to Arkansas, and then the land was sold cheaply.
 * 1873 - March 24, During Reconstruction, Clayton County was created by the Arkansas legislature taking portions of Greene and Randolph counties.
 * 1875 - Arkansas General Assembly of 1875 changed the name of Clayton County to Clay County.
 * 1883 - Railroads did more than provide a new avenue for export and import of raw and finished products. They also brought more settlers into the area.
 * 1900s - At the start of the twentieth century, the timber industry reached its zenith.

Church Records
Hopewell Baptist Church, near Reyno

Court Records
(Western District) Clay County Clerk's Office Western District 800 W 2nd St Corning AR 72422 870-857-3480
 * Court records began in 1893

(Eastern District) Office of the County Clerk PO Box 306 Piggott AR 72454-0306 870-598-2813

Various Court Records of Clay County

Guardianship

 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Local Histories

 * Goodspeed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeastern Arkansas(1891)
 * Arkansas State Penitentiary Records, Clay County Residents
 * Clay County Home
 * Elected Officials who have served Clay County
 * Pauper Deaths in Clay County
 * Piggott Mayors
 * Road System in Northeastern Arkansas
 * See also Cities and towns for resources in the FamilySearch Catalog

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Township Maps

Civil War
Civil War Battle The following Civil War Battle was fought in Clay County.
 * May 1-2, 1863 = Chalk Bluff
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers

 * Clay County Newspapers
 * Various Excerpts from the Clay County Courier
 * Various Obituaries of Clay County Residents

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; includes guardianships

Birth

 * 1947-1958 - Clay County Birth Index 1947-1958. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1881-1923 - Clay County Marriage Books A-I, 1-11 Index 1881-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1893-1950 - Clay County Marriage Books 1-57, A-U Index 1893-1950 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1837-1957 - at FamilySearch Historical Records - Free; Index

Death

 * 1947-1958 - Clay County Death Index 1947-1958. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Libraries

 * Clay County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society
 * Corning Library 613 Pine St Corning AR 72422 870-857-3453
 * Piggott Library 316 W Main Piggott AR 72454 870-598-3666
 * Rector Library 121 W 4th St Rector AR 72461 870-595-2410


 * Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Clay County
 * - Select Places within... for cities and towns
 * WorldCat -  Click an item for libraries near you. For more information, see WorldCat Online Catalog.
 * Allen County Public Library - Located in Indiana, they are heavily involved in digitizing much of their collection.
 * Arkansas History Commission Select the county - Arkansas state agency involved in organizing, digitizing, and maintaining the records of state and local history.
 * Local libraries and Arkansas Archives and Libraries may suggest other catalogs

Websites
Sites with online indexes or images of records
 * ARGenWeb -  Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives -  Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions

More Clay County genealogy links
 * RootsWeb -  Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * Linkpendium -  Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList -  Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)