Arkansas County, Arkansas Genealogy


 * This article is about a county in eastern Arkansas. For other uses, see Arkansas (disambiguation).

United States Arkansas  Arkansas County

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

County Courthouse
Arkansas County Courthouse 101 Court Square DeWitt, AR 72042 Phone: 870.946.4349

Government and Related Websites
County Clerk has probate records from 1809 and marriage records from 1838; Clerk Circuit Court has land records, divorce and court records from 1803 and military discharge records from 1917.

Parent County
1813--Arkansas County was created 31 December 1813. County seat: DeWitt. Its existence predates the state of Akansas which was admitted to the union in 1836. Arkansas County was created from New Madrid County, Missouri Territory. Arkansas County was part of the Missouri Territory from 1813 to 1819 and part of the Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1836.

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
Desha •  Jefferson  •  Lincoln  •  Lonoke  •  Monroe  •  Phillips  •  Prairie

African Americans

 * 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, South Bend at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters, Proceedings of cases

Census
1810 and 1820 are missing.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1819-1924 Arkansas County portion of the collection: at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration accounts 1826-1839 and 1863; Administration executor and guardian dockets 1867-1902; Dockets 1849-1880; Guardian bonds and letters 1876-1911; Probate records 1819-1906; Wills, miscellaneous probate records 1888-1924.

Local Histories

 * Halli Burton, W. H.. A topographical description and history of Arkansas County, Arkansas from 1541 to 1875. unknown: unknown, 1903.
 * Online at Hathi Trust Digital Library (Free); and at Ancestry.com ($/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


 * Arkansas was home to Native Americans long before Europeans arrived
 * 1541 - The first encounters between Europeans and Indians living in what is now Arkansas.
 * 1541-1543 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto traveled the Mississippi River.
 * 1686 - Henri de Tonti established Arkansas Post at the Quapaw village of Osotouy. It was the first semipermanent French settlement in the lower Mississippi River Valley and the first step in a long struggle between France, Spain, and England over the interior of North America.
 * 1813 - December 13 - Arkansas County was created and comprised about two-thirds of what is now Arkansas and part of eastern Oklahoma. More than half the state’s counties were formed from this original county.
 * 1824 - the dwindling remnant of Quapaw Indians at last yielded their lands for $4,000 and an annuity of $1,000 a year for the next eleven years. Thus, a good deal of what is now fine cotton land changed hands at a figure estimated at one dollar per 1,000 acres.
 * 1862 - June 17 - Civil War naval and land battle that disabled the Union USS Mound City was located at St. Charles.
 * After the war, towns and villages sprang up across the prairie. The people who settled here were largely of German origin, including some who came directly from Prussia, some who came by way of Illinois, and some whose ancestors had lived in Russia..

Military

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Arkansas County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Arkansas County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company H and Company K
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company E
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)
 * - 13th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies E and F
 * - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Arkansas County:


 * June 17, 1862 = Saint Charles
 * January 9-11, 1863 = Arkansas Post also known as Fort Hindman


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

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

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 1819-1924 *Arkansas County portion of the collection: at FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration accounts 1826-1839 and 1863; Administration executor and guardian dockets 1867-1902; Dockets 1849-1880; Guardian bonds and letters 1876-1911; Probate records 1819-1906; Wills, miscellaneous probate records 1888-1924.

Vital Records

 * and at FamilySearch

See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth
SEE ALSO How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

Marriage

 * 1797-1921 - Arkansas County Marriage Books B-S Index 1797-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1882-1947 - Arkansas County Marriage Books F-Z, A1-B1 Index 1882-1947 in at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Libraries

 * Arkansas Libraries -
 * Libraries-listed by City, Colleges, Obituaries, Presidential Libraries, Public Records, US State Libraries
 * Select tabs on top of the library page to see listed libraries


 * Arkansas State Library
 * State Library
 * Genealogy
 * Location
 * Special or Unique Collections (help needed from each branch)