Baxter County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas Baxter County

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

County Courthouse
Baxter County Courthouse Courthouse Square 1 E 7th Street Mountain Home, AR 72653 Phone: 870.425.3475 County Clerk has marriage, divorce, land and court records.

Parent County

 * 1873--Baxter County was created 24 March 1873 from Fulton, Izard, Marion, and Searcy Counties.

County seat: Mountain Home

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Fulton •  Howell County, Missouri Izard  •  Marion  •  Ozark County, Missouri  •  Searcy  •  Stone

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1873-1949 Baxter County portion of the collection:
 * Includes Accounts 1874-1889; Administration records 1873-1944; Guardian records 1890-1949; Wills 1873-1931.

Local Histories

 * Cothren, Zac. "Baxter County Courthouse," Baxter County history - v. 31-32 (2005-2006) - v. 31, no. 2 (Apr./June 2005).
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Fleming, Louise. "The good old days in Baxter County," Baxter County history - v. 31-32 (2005-2006) - v. 31, no. 4 (Oct./Dec. 2005).
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Messick, Mary Ann. History of Baxter County, 1873-1973. Mountain Home, Arkansas:Montain Home Chamber of Commerce, c1973.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Andrewson, Jane Messick. "Post offices in Baxter County," Baxter County history - v. 31-32 (2005-2006) - v. 31, no. 2 (Apr./June 2005).
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)
 * Acklin, Emmit Dolan. "Slaves &amp; free blacks in this area 1819-1900" Baxter County history - v. 31-32 (2005-2006) - v. 32, no. 2 (Apr./June 2006).
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)

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 Baxter County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.
 * 1808 - The Osage relinquished their claims to this area to the United States.


 * Most of the pioneers moving into the area before the Civil War were from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.


 * 1819 - The county’s earliest recorded town was Big Clarkridge.


 * Baxter was not yet a county during the Civil War


 * 1873 - March 24 - Governor Baxter formed Baxter County.

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

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 1873-1949 Baxter County portion of the collection:
 * Includes Accounts 1874-1889; Administration records 1873-1944; Guardian records 1890-1949; Wills 1873-1931.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1873-1921 - Baxter County Marriage Index 1873-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1873-1921 - Baxter County Marriage Index 1873-1921 in at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Mountain Home Arkansas Family History Center100 Western Hills DR., Mountain Home, AR 72653 United States

Societies
Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society Baxter County Heritage Center 808 South Baker Street Mountain Home, AR Telephone: 870.425.2551


 * Their website links to: Sheriffs Biographies; Archival Program, which includes County, Township, and Local Government Records, School Records, Birth, Marriage and Death Records and much more.