Howard County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Howard County was created on 17 April 1873 and was named for State Senator James Howard. Its county seat is Nashville. It is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Howard County Courthouse 421 N Main Street Nashville, AR 71852 Phone: 870-845-7502 Howard County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1873 and some cemetery records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records from 1873.

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 Howard County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * 1819 - One of the first settlers was John Tollett, a Methodist minister from Bledsoe County, Tennessee.
 * 1820s - This area was also part of the land given to the Choctaw in exchange for property in Mississippi.
 * 1820s - Choctaw inhabitation of the area discouraged settlement by white people for several years.
 * 1873 April 17 - Howard County was created from portions of Pike, Polk, Hempstead, and Sevier counties.
 * 1880s - The railroads arrived, connecting Howard County to the rest of the state and beyond.
 * 1920-1970 - The decline of the cotton industry had a ripple effect on the community. The county’s population peaked in 1920 and subsequently declined with each census until 1970.

Bible Records

 * Conway County Bible Records at Arkansas Geneaolgy

Biographies

 * Biographies at My Genealogy Hound

Census Records

 * 1890 1890 census of Howard County, Arkansas. 1985. by Lucille Westbrook. n.p.: L. Westbrook. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

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

Court Records

 * 1873-1882 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1873-1905 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1885-1910 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1888-1889 (*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1891-1951 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * Latimer Funeral Home in Nashville
 * Wilkerson Funeral Homes in Dierks

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1873-1970 Howard 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 records 1873-1949; Adminstration and executor bonds 1873-1945; Probate records 1873-1889; Wills 1873-1970.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vols. I & II Ancestry ($).
 * History of Howard County, Arkansas. Howard County Heritage Club. Nashville, AR: Nashville News, 1973. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; . Howard County is in Vol I, Ch XVIII, pp. 238-304.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), The Davis Blues

'''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
 * 1873-1970 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1884-1968 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 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 $
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1873-1952 Howard County Marriage Books A-X Index (1873-1952) and Card File Index (1941-1994) in  at FamilySearch - 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
 * Mena Arkansas FamilySearch Center

Websites

 * Howard County, 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