Chicot County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Chicot County was created on 25 October 1823 and the name of the county is of French origin and translates to "stumpy" or "knobby". Its county seat is Lake Village. It is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Chicot County Courthouse 108 Main Street Lake Village, AR 71653 Phone: 870-265-8000 Chicot County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1839. Clerk Circuit Court has court records from 1824, along with land and divorce 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 gleaned from Chicot County on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture


 * 1823 - October, The county was carved out of Arkansas County by the territorial legislature.
 * 1900 - Before this time, none of the towns in the county experienced much growth.
 * 1900-1910 - The population of Chicot County significantly rose, however, from 1900 to 1910. This was due in large part to the coming of the Memphis, Helena, Louisiana Railroad to Lake Village in 1903.
 * 1927 - The economic growth was cut short by the Flood of 1927, which put nearly thirteen percent of the state under water. Since most people in the county were farmers, they were hurt most by the flood.
 * 1942, October-1944, June - During World War II, two of the ten internment camps in the nation for Japanese Americans were located in southeast Arkansas, and one of these was located in Chicot County.

Biographies

 * Biographies at My Genealogy Hound

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes- How to Use this Collection
 * 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1819-1828 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1824-1939 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1830-1883 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1839-1951 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

African Americans

 * 1865-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Lake Village and Luna Landing at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Accounting books,register of contracts and land holders, letters

Funeral Homes

 * Bishop King Funeral Home in Lake Village
 * Dillard Funeral Home Dermott and Eudora

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1839-1931 Chicot County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Dockets 1874-1878; Executor and guardian bonds 1878-1915; Administration bonds 1839-1877; Administration bonds and letters 1840-1931; Letters of administration 1869-1926 ; Letters of guardianship 1865-1913; Minutes 1839-1860; Probate records 1860-1893; Wills, miscellaneous probate records 1840-1930.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. 2 volumes. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); . Chicot County history begins on Page 1058 in Vol. 2.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Civil War

 * - 8th Battalion, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company B

Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Calvary (Union), Company C; and the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate) , Company A.

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
 * 1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Chicot County:
 * June 6, 1864 - Old River Lake, also known as Ditch Bayou, Lake Chicot, Lake Village, Furlough, Fish Bayou, or Grand Lake.
 * Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1783–1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1817-1979 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1840-1931 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1840-1920 Chicot County Marriage Books B-U Index 1840-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1840-1951 Chicot County Marriage Books B-Z, 27-40 Index 1840-1951 in  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)

Death

 * 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
 * 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)

Divorce

 * 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)

Voter Records

 * 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection

FamilySearch Centers

 * El Dorado Arkansas FamilySearch Center
 * Greenville Mississippi FamilySearch Center
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Dee Brown Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Hillary Rodham Clinton's Children Library and Learning Center - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Sidney S. McMath Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Sue Cowan Williams Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * ARGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Linkpendium
 * Cyndi's List
 * - 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