Little River County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Little River County

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

County Courthouse
Little River County Courthouse 351 N 2nd Street Ashdown, AR 71822 Phone: 870.898.7208

County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1880; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and land records.

Parent County

 * 1867--Little River County was created 5 March 1867 from Hempstead and Sevier Counties. County seat: Ashdown

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
1882 County court records from 1867 to January 1876 were destroyed by fire in 1882. Marriage records from 1867 to December 1880 have been lost.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Bowie County, Texas •  Hempstead  •  Howard  •  McCurtain County, Oklahoma  •  Miller  •  Sevier  •

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


 * Some Caddo settlements existed in the area that would become Little River County, but the Caddo moved south out of the Great Bend area by 1778.
 * 1820-1825 - A Quapaw reservation also included parts of southwest Arkansas but that land eventually was exchanged for lands west of the territorial border.
 * 1800s (early) - Pioneers had already begun settling in the area.
 * 1861-1865 - As they did throughout America, people suffered during the Civil War.
 * 1867 March 5 - Little River County was established.
 * 1889 - The construction of railroads had a definite impact on the development of some towns and the decline of others. Little River County had its first railroad in 1889.
 * 1920-2010 - Little River County population hit its high mark in 1920 at 16,300 and its low mark in 1960 at 9,200. It has been in the 13,000s the last 40 years.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1869-1907 Little River County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Probate records 1869-1875; Wills, letters of administration and guardianship 1872-1907.

Land and Property

 * Little River County, Arkansas Land Records

Local Histories

 * History of Richmond Mrs. Moffett Carolan Gardner


 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Little River County Townships 1970

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only
 * The Original Arkansas Civil War Page

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 1869-1907 Little River County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Probate records 1869-1875; Wills, letters of administration and guardianship 1872-1907.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * 1871-1876 - Little River County Birth Index 1871-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1880-1952 - Little River County Marriage Books B-Z, 2A-3A Index 1880-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1880-1922 - Little River County Marriage Books B-P Index 1880-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives Old Washington
 * Little River County Genealogy Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers