Madison County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Madison County was created on 30 September 1836 and was named for our fourth president, James Madison. Its county seat is Huntsville. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Madison County Courthouse 1 Main Street P.O. Box 37 Huntsville, AR 72740-0037 Phone: 501-738-6721 Madison County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1901.

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


 * 1700s - By the time of European exploration, Madison County was part of the Osage hunting grounds, although they lived further north.
 * 1827 - The earliest white settlers arrived and began to establish farms and towns. Settlers who migrated to the area from Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, named both Huntsville and Madison County. However, the great majority of settlers came from Tennessee, traveling by flatboat and wagon.
 * 1836 September 30 - The state legislature established Madison County.
 * 1861-1865 - the area was hit hard by the bushwhackers who rode throughout the countryside, stealing and pillaging. They burned homes, stole food and possessions, and left most families with little to live on.
 * 1800s (late) - With the coming of the railroads, the timber industry flourished in Madison County.
 * 1930s - Madison County was particularly hard hit by the Depression.
 * 1900-2010 - The population of Madison County hit its high mark in 1900 with over 19800 residents. It had a steady decline and bottoming out at just over 9,000 in 1960. It now (2010) has about 15,700.

Bible Records

 * Madison County, Arkansas Data Lists and Documents at ArGenWeb.net

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

 * 1866-1959 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1867-1889 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1872-1883 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * Brashears Funeral Home and Crematory in Huntsville
 * Madison County Funeral Service in Huntsville

Genealogies

 * Biographies from The History of Madison County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed Publishing Company are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1860-1969 Madison County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Chancery Court record index 1866-1890; Chancery Court records 1866-1890; Guardian bonds and letters 1860-1934; Letters of testamentary 1881-1969; Probate records 1867-1893; Wills 1905-1939.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin & Sebastian Counties Arkansas. Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Madison County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Map of 1889 Madison County, Arkansas with numerous small settlements (My Genealogy Hound)
 * 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

Revolutionary War

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Arkansas, Madison County on page 191.

Civil War

 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company K
 * - 16th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company I
 * - 17th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Griffith's) (Confederate), Company G
 * - 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company K


 * Men from Madison County served in the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union)
 * 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
 * 1852-1969 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1905-1939 (*); 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 $
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1927 Madison County Marriage Index 1901-1927 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1901-1951 Madison County Marriage Books G-M Index 1901-1951 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

 * 1700-Onward Arkansas Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

FamilySearch Centers

 * Pinnacle Mountain Arkansas FamilySearch Center

Societies
Madison County Genealogical and Historical Society P.O. Box 427 Huntsville, AR 72740 Phone: 479-738-6408 Email: [mailto:jrussell44@aol.com jrussell44@aol.com] Webpage Facebook Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society Benton Public Library 405 S Main Street Bentonville, AR 72712 Phone: 479-271-6820 Email: [mailto:genealogy@bentonvillear.com genealogy@bentonvillear.com] Website Facebook Serving Benton, Washington, Carroll, and Madison Counties

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