Mississippi County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Mississippi County

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

County Courthouse
Mississippi County Courthouse 200 W Walnut Blytheville, AR 72315 Phone: 870.763.3212 County Clerk has military records from 1850 and probate records from 1865; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court records from 1866 and land records from 1865.

Parent County

 * 1833--Mississippi County was created 1 November 1833 from Crittenden County. County seat: Blytheville

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
1865 A fire burned the courthouse, resulting in some record loss.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Craighead •  Crittenden  •  Dunklin County, Missouri  •  Dyer County, Tennessee  •  Lauderdale County, Tennessee  •  Pemiscot County, Missouri  •  Poinsett  •  Shelby County, Tennessee  •  Tipton County, Tennessee •

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


 * 1800s - The population of the county continued to be sparse through the beginning of the 1800s.
 * 1811-1812 - the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812, which created the “sunk lands” caused by water rushing into the depressions left by the force of the quakes caused population growth to stop.
 * 1833 November 1 - The present Mississippi County was created.
 * 1950-2010 - The population of Mississippi County peaked at over 82,300 in 1950. It is currently (2010) at 46,480.

African Americans

 * 1866-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Osceola at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Letters sent and registers of claims, marriages, contracts and indentures

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1865-1952 Mississippi County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1869-1906; Probate records 1865-1879; Wills 1898-1952; Wills, letters of administration and guardianship 1866-1909.

Local Histories

 * Edrington, Mabel Flanningan. History of Mississippi County, Arkansas.Ocala, Florida : Ocala Star-Banner, 1962.
 * Online at FamilySearch Catalog (Free)

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

Newspapers

 * Courier News. Blytheville, Arkansas, United States Of America. Database created from microfilm copies of the newspaper. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

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 1865-1952 Mississippi County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1869-1906; Probate records 1865-1879; Wills 1898-1952; Wills, letters of administration and guardianship 1866-1909.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1861 - 1921 - Mississippi County Marriage Books A-K Index 1861-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1866 - 1921 - Mississippi County Marriage Books A-K, 3-23 Index 1866-1921 in at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Blytheville Arkansas Family History Center