Sebastian County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Sebastian 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 United States Senator and Judge William K. Sebastian. The County Seats are Fort Smith and the other is Greenwood and was founded January 6, 1851. It is located in the west central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Sebastian County Courthouse 35 S 6th; Fort Smith, AR 72901 Phone: 501.782.5065 Sebastian County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1865 and probate records from 1866; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

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:

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

Biographies

 * Biographies from The History of Sebastian County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed Publishing Company are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Cemeteries

 * Fort Smith National Cemetery at Ancestry.com ($)

Church Records
Episcopal

'''St. John's Episcopal Church, Fort Smith


 * 1860-1886 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Fort Smith Baptism Index 1860-1886. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860-1895 - St. John's Episcopal Church, Fort Smith Marriage Index 1860-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Lutheran

'''First Lutheran Church, Fort Smith


 * 1868-1885 - First Lutheran Church, Fort Smith Baptism Index 1868-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1868-1895 - First Lutheran Church, Fort Smith Marriage Index 1868-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Court Records

 * Criminal Case Files, 1866-1900 at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Criminal Case Files Index, 1866-1900 at Ancestry.com ($)

African Americans

 * 1865-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Fort Smith at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; register of marriages, labor contracts, letters

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1851-1922 County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration accounts 1870-1892; Administration and guardian bonds 1891-1904; Administration and guardian dockets 1865-1885; Administration bonds 1861-1868; Bonds and letters 1872-1883; Dockets 1861-1864 and 1875-1886; Executors bonds and letters 1883-1910; Probate records 1851-1888; Wills 1902-1922.

Local Histories

 * Friends of the Fort Smith Public Library (Arkansas). The Goodspeed histories of Sebastian County, Arkansas. Columbia, Tennessee : Woodward & Stinson, 1977.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Sebastian County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War

 * - 11th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 17th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Griffith's) (Confederate), Companies A, B, C and F
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dawson's) (Confederate)
 * - 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies D and G
 * - 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies A, B, C and D
 * - 51st Regiment, Arkansas Militia (Confederate)
 * - Witherspoon's Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 4th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union)

'''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

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Sebastian County.


 * September 1, 1863 = Devil's Backbone, also known as Backbone Mountain


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

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 1851-1922 County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration accounts 1870-1892; Administration and guardian bonds 1891-1904; Administration and guardian dockets 1865-1885; Administration bonds 1861-1868; Bonds and letters 1872-1883; Dockets 1861-1864 and 1875-1886; Executors bonds and letters 1883-1910; Probate records 1851-1888; Wills 1902-1922.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * 1877 - 1963 - at FamilySearch. Index only (Free)
 * 1877 - 1913 - Sebastian County Birth Index 1877-1913. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1865 - 1922, 1952 - Sebastian County Marriage Books B-Q Index 1865-1922, 1952 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1884 - 1947 - Sebastian County Marriage Index, Greenwood District Books B-M Index (1882-1949), Fort Smith District Books C-Q, S-Z, 2-52 Index (1889-1951) in at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * 1877 - 1963 - at FamilySearch. Index only (Free)
 * 1881 - 1919 - Sebastian County Death Index 1881-1919. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1919 - 1929 - Sebastian County Death Index 1919-1929. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States

Websites

 * ARGenWeb for Sebastian County]. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * RootsWeb - Sebastian Co, Arkansas. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * Sebastian County Births and Deaths, 1877-1963. Free. Search indexed information; images are not available.
 * 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