Lincoln County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Lincoln County was created on 28 March 1871 and was named for President Abraham Lincoln. Its county seat is Star City. It is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Lincoln County Courthouse 300 S Drew Street Star City, AR 71667 Phone: 870-628-5114 Lincoln County Website County Clerk has marriage, probate and land records from 1871 and tax 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 Lincoln County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * 1827 - The McLain, Lee, and Douglass families, established homes in a community called Auburn.
 * 1836 - Thomas Griffis bought land at what is now Griffith Springs and built a cotton gin.
 * 1846 - John S. Hall and his family arrived from South Carolina and established Hall’s Station.
 * 1847 May - Elias King Hays arrived from Tennessee and established Cornerville in southwestern Lincoln County.
 * 1871 March 28 - Lincoln County was established.
 * 1930-2010 - The population of Lincoln County hit a high mark of 20,200 in 1930, a low of 12,900 in 1970 and is now (2010) at 14,100.

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

 * 1871-1873 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1871-1960 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Funeral Homes

 * Griffin Services Inc. in Star City

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1871-1936 Lincoln County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Guardian bonds and letters 1875-1910; Probate records 1871-1887; Wills 1871-1936.

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. II  - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. I & II -  Ancestry ($). Ashley County, Vol II, Ch XXXIII, pp974-996.

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

 * 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
 * 1869-1900 Index to Wills - 1869 to 1900  ARGenweb
 * 1871-1936 (*); 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

Birth

 * 1876-1927 Lincoln County Birth Index 1876-1927. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1882-1885 Lincoln County Birth Index 1882-1885. Batch  at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1871-1953 Lincoln County Marriage Books A-X Index 1871-1953 in  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1871-1922 Lincoln County Marriage Books A-K Index 1871-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 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

 * Pine Bluff Arkansas FamilySearch Center
 * Pine Bluff / Jefferson County Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Lincoln County Heritage and Historical Society 300 S Drew Star City, AR 71667 Facebook

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