Arkansas County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Arkansas 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 Information

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Description
The county was named after the Arkansas Indian tribe. The County Seats are Stuttgart (north district); De Witt (south district) and was founded December 13, 1813. It is located in the southeast central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Arkansas County Courthouse 101 Court Square DeWitt, AR 72042 Phone: 870.946.4349 Arkansas County Website County Clerk has probate records from 1809 and marriage records from 1838; Clerk Circuit Court has land records, divorce and court records from 1803 and military discharge records from 1917.

Arkansas County, Arkansas Record Dates

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 * width="77%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" colspan="7" | Known Beginning Dates for Major Records
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Birth
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Marriage
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Death
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Court
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Land
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Probate
 * width="11%" bgcolor="#e4d8e5" align="center" | Census
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1914
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1838
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1914
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1803
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1803
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1809
 * width="11%" align="center" | 1830
 * colspan="7" | *State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until 1920's
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 * width="11%" align="center" | 1830
 * colspan="7" | *State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until 1920's
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Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes
1813--Arkansas County was created 31 December 1813. County seat: DeWitt. Its existence predates the state of Akansas which was admitted to the union in 1836. Arkansas County was created from New Madrid County, Missouri Territory. Arkansas County was part of the Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1819 and part of the Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1836.

. 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.

Populated Places

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


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


 * 1686 - Henri de Tonti established Arkansas Post at the Quapaw village of Osotouy. It was the first semipermanent French settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley and the first step in a long struggle between France, Spain, and England over the interior of North America.
 * 1813 - December 13 - Arkansas County was created and comprised about two-thirds of what is now Arkansas and part of eastern Oklahoma. More than half the state’s counties were formed from this original county.
 * 1824 - the dwindling remnant of Quapaw Indians at last yielded their lands for $4,000 and an annuity of $1,000 a year for the next eleven years. Thus, a good deal of what is now fine cotton land changed hands at a figure estimated at one dollar per 1,000 acres.
 * 1862 - June 17 - Civil War naval and land battle that disabled the Union USS Mound City was located at St. Charles.
 * After the war, towns and villages sprang up across the prairie. The people who settled here were largely of German origin, including some who came directly from Prussia, some who came by way of Illinois, and some whose ancestors had lived in Russia..

Census Records
1810 and 1820 are missing.

Court Records

 * Court records began in 1819

African Americans

 * 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, South Bend at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters, Proceedings of cases

Guardianship

 * 1817 – 1979 at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Local Histories

 * Halli Burton, W. H.. A topographical description and history of Arkansas County, Arkansas from 1541 to 1875. unknown: unknown, 1903.
 * Online at Hathi Trust Digital Library (Free); and at Ancestry.com ($/Free )
 * See also Cities and towns for resources in the FamilySearch Catalog

Military Records

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company H and Company K
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company E
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 13th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies E and F
 * - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I

Online Records
 * 1890-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

Civil War Battle The following Civil War battles were fought in Arkansas County:


 * June 17, 1862 = Saint Charles
 * January 9-11, 1863 = Arkansas Post also known as Fort Hindman


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers
Arkansas Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites. Includes newspapers for Arkansas County.

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

Vital Records

 * and at FamilySearch

Birth
See Also How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1797-1921 - Arkansas County Marriage Books B-S Index 1797-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860-1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1882-1947 - Arkansas County Marriage Books F-Z, A1-B1 Index 1882-1947 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1837-1957 - at FamilySearch Historical Records — Free; Index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Libraries

 * Arkansas Libraries -
 * Libraries-listed by City, Colleges, Obituaries, Presidential Libraries, Public Records, US State Libraries
 * Select tabs on top of the library page to see listed libraries


 * Arkansas State Library
 * State Library
 * Genealogy
 * Location
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)


 * Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Arkansas 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 Arkansas County - Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives Arkansas County - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * resources at RootsWeb - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions

More Arkansas County genealogy links


 * Linkpendium - Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList - Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * - 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