Hot Spring County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Hot Spring County was created on 02 November 1829 and was named for the hot springs at Hot Springs, Arkansas, which were within its boundaries until Garland County was formed in 1873. Its county seat is Malvern. It is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hot Spring County Courthouse 210 Locust Street Malvern, AR 72104 Phone: 501-332-2291 Hot Spring County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1825 and probate records from 1834. Clerk Circuit Court has court 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 taken from the Hot Spring County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * 1818 - The Quapaw tribe ceded control of the lands surrounding the forty-three hot springs to the United States.
 * 1829 November 2 - Hot Spring County was established by an act of the territorial legislature with land taken from Clark County.
 * 1865 (and after) - Hot Springs thrived after the Civil War, unlike many other Arkansas towns.
 * 1850s-1870s - River transportation was becoming less important as the railroad moved west.
 * 1879 October 15 - The popularity of river travel yielded to the efficiency of rail, and fast-growing Malvern officially replaced neighboring Rockport as the county seat.
 * 1945 - World War II brought an unprecedented demand for the barite found in Hot Spring County—the solid deposits of barite were useful in oil-well drilling. Following the war, various industries were established in the county.

Additional Information
 * The County was named for the hot springs at Hot Springs, located within the county.
 * The county is a "dry county", no alcohol allowed.

Biographies

 * Biographies at My Genealogy Hound

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

Court Records

 * 1847-1953 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1862-1880 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * Atkinson Funeral Home in Malvern
 * Brandon's Mortuary, Inc in Malvern
 * J.A. Funk Funeral Home in Malvern
 * Regency Funeral Home in Malvern
 * Samuel L. Vance and Sons Funeral Directors in Malvern

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1834-1945 Hot Spring County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1866-1869; Administration, executor and guardian records 1858-1945; Guardian bonds and letters 1834-1850; Letters of administration 1862-1871; Probate record index 1883-1887; Probate records 1839-1895; Wills 1879-1930

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Central Counties of Arkansas. Chicago; St. Louis: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1889. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). Hot Spring County is in Ch. XVIII, pp. 319-360.

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

 * - 3rd Consolidated Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company F
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate),
 * - 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company D

Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union) and the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate).

'''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

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
 * 1834-1930 (*); 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 $
 * 1825-1947 Hot Spring County Marriage Books A-J, 4-6 Index 1825-1947 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1825-1951 Hot Spring County Marriage Books 1-6, A-W Index 1825-1951 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

 * Hot Springs Arkansas FamilySearch Center

Societies
Hot Spring County, Arkansas Historical Society 118 W 2nd St P.O. Box 674 Malvern, AR 72104 Phone: 501-229-1600 Email: [mailto:hschistoricalsociety@gmail.com hschistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website Facebook

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