Lonoke County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Lonoke County

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

County Courthouse
Lonoke County Courthouse 3rd &amp; N Center Street PO Box 431 Lonoke, AR 72086-0431 Phone: 501.676.2368

County Clerk has marriage and probate records.

Parent County

 * 1873--Lonoke County was created 16 April 1873 from Pulaski and Prairie Counties. County seat: Lonoke

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Neighboring Counties
Arkansas • Faulkner • Jefferson • Prairie • Pulaski • White

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


 * 1821 - The first known white settlement was on Moss Prairie, founded by Sampson Gray from Williamson County, Tennessee.
 * 1849 August 9 - To encourage more people to settle in Brownsville, an ad was placed in the Arkansas Gazette. It read, “The site is a beautiful and elevated situation and persons wishing to make an investment in town prosperity will do well to attend this sale."
 * 1865 - As the soldiers returned home from the Civil War, they found that land, homes, and businesses had been destroyed. They began the task of rebuilding homes and businesses and getting the land ready to plant crops for the next year.
 * 1873 April 16 - Governor Elisha Baxter signed the act creating Lonoke County from the parent counties Prairie and Pulaski.
 * 2010 - Lonoke County has had a steady increase in population from its very beginning and now (2010) tops 68,300.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1861-1949 Lonoke County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration records 1873-1884; Administration, executor and guardian dockets 1861-1886; Executor bonds and letters 1873-1949; Guardian records 1873-1892; Probate records 1873-1891; Wills 1873-1939.

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland, and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Volunteers (Confederate), Company B


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

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 1861-1949 Lonoke County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration records 1873-1884; Administration, executor and guardian dockets 1861-1886; Executor bonds and letters 1873-1949; Guardian records 1873-1892; Probate records 1873-1891; Wills 1873-1939.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1868-1921 - Lonoke County Marriage Books A-U Index 1868-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1873-1951 - Lonoke County Marriage Books A-Z, 27-41 Index 1873-1951 in 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