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United States Arkansas Columbia County

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

County Courthouse
Columbia County Courthouse 1 Court Sq, #1; Magnolia, AR 71753 Phone: 870.235.3774 County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1853, divorce and court records from 1860 and probate records. The County Library has cemetery records.

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

 * For record loss in Arkansas counties, see ARGenWeb

Boundary Changes

 * 1852--Columbia County was created 17 December 1852 from Lafayette, Hempstead, and Ouachita Counties.

County seat: Magnolia

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

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

Populated Places

History Timeline
Events below gleaned from Columbia County The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
 * 1836 - Early white settlers began arriving in significant numbers to the area only after Arkansas achieved statehood.
 * 1852 December 17 - Columbia County was created from portions of Lafayette, Hempstead, Ouachita, and Union counties.
 * 1880 and before - Relative isolation and transportation difficulties have long been a problem for Columbia County. Columbia is the only one of Arkansas’s seventy-five counties not situated on a river.
 * 1880s - The railroad led to the creation of the communities of McNeill (later McNeil) and later Waldo.
 * 1937 - The discovery of producing oil and gas fields led to positive changes almost overnight that continued into the 1950s.
 * 1943 - Columbia County voters banned the sale of beer and wine.. The county remains “dry” to this day.

Church Records
Methodist

Barges Chapel Methodist Church


 * 1820-1872 - Barges Chapel Methodist Church Baptism Index 1820-1872. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1896, 1915 - Barges Chapel Methodist Church Marriage Index 1896, 1915. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Court Records

 * Court records began in 1860

African Americans

 * 1866-1867 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Magnolia at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Letters

Guardianship

 * 1817 – 1979, an at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at : Ancestry.com ($)
 * See also Cities and towns for resources in the FamilySearch Catalog

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Civil War

 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company E
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate)
 * - 33rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies A and G

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1783 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1817 – 1979, an at FamilySearch — images; includes guardianships

Marriage

 * 1853-1951 - Columbia County Marriage Books A-Z, AA-LL Index 1853-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1853-1926 - Columbia County Marriage Books D2-Q Index 1853-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1837-1957 - an  at FamilySearch - Free; Index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers


 * Magnolia Arkansas Family History Center 2504 Pearce St., Magnolia, AR 71753-4368 United States

Libraries
Major catalogs for books, microfilm, or collections pertaining to Columbia 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
 * RootsWeb - Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions

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