Woodruff County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Woodruff County

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

County Courthouse
County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1865; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.

Government and Related Websites

 * PublicRecords.com (unofficial site) Provides links to County officials and public records.

Parent County

 * 1862--Woodruff County was created 26 November 1862 from Jackson and St. Francis Counties.

County seat: Augusta

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
For a list of record loss in Arkansas counties see: Arkansas Counties with Burned Courthouses

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Neighboring Counties
Cross • Jackson • Monroe • Prairie • St. Francis • White •

African Americans

 * 1865-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records,Augusta at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; labor contracts, letters legal papers

Biographies

 * All of the family biographies from Woodruff County, Arkansas included in The Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890 are available free online at My Genealogy Hound.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1861-1935 Woodruff County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration records 1866-1887; Administration, executor and guardian bonds 1861-1903; Dockets 1876-1896; Letters of guardianship 1862-1904; Probate record index 1861-1899; Probate records 1861-1899; Wills 1862-1935.

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

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Map of 1889 Woodruff County, Arkansas (My Genealogy Hound)

Civil War

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

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Woodruff County.


 * July 7, 1862 Hill's Plantation, also known as Cache River, Cotton Plant, or Round Hill


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

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 1861-1935 Woodruff County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration records 1866-1887; Administration, executor and guardian bonds 1861-1903; Dockets 1876-1896; Letters of guardianship 1862-1904; Probate record index 1861-1899; Probate records 1861-1899; Wills 1862-1935.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * 1873-1937 - Woodruff County Birth Index 1873-1937. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1864-1929, 1949 - Woodruff County Marriage Books A-R, 1-3 Index 1864-1929, 1949 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883-1952 - Woodruff County Marriage Books D-Z, 1-3, and AA-EE Index 1883-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * 1894-1899 - Woodruff County Death Index 1894-1899. Batch 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