Lafayette County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Lafayette County was created on 1 February 1828 and was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero of the American Revolutionary War. Its county seat is Lewisville. It is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Lafayette County Courthouse 2 Courthouse Square Lewisville, AR 71845 Phone: 870-921-4633 Lafayette County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1848 and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and land records.

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


 * 1800s (early) - Identification of specific European explorers and settlers in the future Lafayette County area of the Louisiana Purchase is difficult.
 * 1815 - The New Madrid Earthquakes and the War of 1812 prompted President James Monroe to survey and offer lands from the Louisiana Purchase to veterans and displaced farmers.
 * 1826 - The first years for the settlers on Long Prairie were especially difficult with uncomfortable wilderness conditions afflicting the community. Many pulled up stakes and move 100 miles to the east.
 * 1827 October 15 - Lafayette County was organized.
 * 1861-1865 - Like most areas in the South, Lafayette County was devastated by the Civil War.
 * 1865-1877 - The most significant change during this period may have been the proliferation of family farms.
 * 1880s - Another dramatic change of the era was the arrival of the railroad.
 * 1900-1940s - The first four decades of the twentieth century saw both prosperity and depression. Banks failed, mortgagers foreclosed, properties were lost, and crop values plummeted.
 * 1930-2010 - The population of Lafayettte County hit its high mark in 1930 at 16,900 and is now (2010) at less than half that number at 7,600

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

 * 1828-1875 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1838-1875 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1840-1878 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1879-1955 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

African Americans

 * 1866-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Lewisville at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters

Funeral Homes

 * A.O. Smith Funeral Homes, Inc in Stamps
 * Hamilton-Davis Funeral Home in Stamps

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1828-1925 Lafayette County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration bonds 1859-1905; Letters of administration and guardianship 1859-1906; Miscellaneous probate records 1844-1858; Probate records 1828-1897; Wills 1846-1925.

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 ($). Lafayette County, Vol I, Ch XX, pp. 347-376.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * 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

 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate)
 * - 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company K
 * - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company G
 * - Abraham's Company, Arkansas Mounted Volunteers (State Troops) (Confederate)
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Company I

'''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
 * 1828-1905 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1846-1925 (*); County 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 $
 * 1828-1921 Lafayette County Marriage Books 1-2, C-S Index 1828-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1828-1952 Lafayette County Marriage Books 1-2, C-Z, A2-G2 Index 1828-1952 in  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - 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 ($)
 * Lafayette County, Arkansas Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. From Various Funeral Homes around Stamps, Lewisville, Bradley, and Buckner, Arkansas.
 * 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)

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

 * Magnolia Arkansas FamilySearch Center

Websites

 * 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