Craighead County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Craighead County

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

County Courthouse
Craighead County Courthouse 511 South Main Street Jonesboro, AR 72401 Phone: 870.933.4520 County Clerk  has marriage and probate records from 1878 and tax records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce records from 1878 and land records from 1900

Parent County

 * 1859--Craighead County was created 19 February 1859 from Mississippi, Greene, and Poinsett Counties.

County seat: Jonesboro

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
For a list of record loss in Arkansas counties see: Arkansas Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog'

Neighboring Counties
Dunklin County, Missouri • Greene • Jackson • Lawrence • Mississippi • Poinsett

Cemeteries

 * Craighead County Cemeteries - www.gscca.net/cemeteries.htm

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1878-1971 Craighead County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1899-1936; Administration bonds and letters 1878-1923; County Court records 1878-1884; Dockets 1887-1892; Guardian bonds 1878-1938; Letters of administration and guardianship 1884-1903; Probate records 1878-1927; Wills 1886-1930.

Local Histories

 * Stuck, Charles Albert. The story of Craighead County : a narrative of people and events in northeast Arkansas. Jonesboro, Arkansas : C.A. Stuck, c1960.
 * 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 gleaned from Arkansas County - The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture


 * Native Americans who inhabited the region lived both on the highlands of Crowley’s Ridge as well as the surrounding lowlands.
 * 1500s (mid) -, European explorers, starting with Hernando de Soto, came to northeast Arkansas and the high ridge (Crowley’s Ridge).
 * 1803 (pre) - Some groups of Shawnee, Delaware, and Cherokee moved west of the Mississippi River and through the area.
 * 1811-1812 - The New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812 kept many potential settlers away from northeast Arkansas and induced the few Native Americans there to move elsewhere.
 * 1817 - Immigration to the area began increasing due to allayed fears of earthquakes and the attractiveness of the bounties given to veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
 * 1820 - An act of Congress continued the land bounty program.
 * 1850 - The Bounty Land Act in 1850 allowed for veterans of the Mexican War (1846–1848) to obtain land warrants.
 * 1850 - The U.S. Congress granted the state of Arkansas all swamp and overflow lands, many of which were in the region now included in Craighead County.
 * 1859 February 19 - Crighead County was formed.
 * 1869-1885 - A high incidence of courthouse fires in Jonesboro destroyed many of the county’s early documents.
 * 1906 - Jonesboro’s growth was enhanced with the creation of City Water &amp; Light (CWL) as a municipal utility.

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

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

Newspapers

 * Arkansas Online Historical Newspapers - identifies historical archived and digitized newspapers available online on both free and pay-to-access websites. Includes newspapers for Craighead County.

Probate Records

 * Probate Records 1878-1971 Craighead County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1899-1936; Administration bonds and letters 1878-1923; County Court records 1878-1884; Dockets 1887-1892; Guardian bonds 1878-1938; Letters of administration and guardianship 1884-1903; Probate records 1878-1927; Wills 1886-1930.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * 1947-1965 - Craighead County Birth Index 1947-1965. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1878-1934 - Craighead County Marriage Books A-Z, 1-17, A1-A20 Index 1878-1934 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1878-1923 - Craighead County Marriage Books A-S, 1-7 Index 1878-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Jonesboro Arkansas Family History Center 301 E Highland at 1-B Jonesboro AR 72401-6008 United States

Societies
Society Of Craighead County 315 W Oak, Ave, Jonesboro, AR 72401 870.935.5133