Lafayette County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas Lafayette County

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

County Courthouse
Lafayette County Courthouse 2 Courthouse Square Lewisville, AR 71845 Phone: 870.921.4633 County Clerk has marriage records from 1848 and probate records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and land records.

Parent County

 * 1827--Lafayette County was created 15 October 1827 from Hempstead County.  County seat: Lewisville

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
Bossier Parish, Louisiana •  Caddo Parish, Louisiana  •  Columbia  •  Hempstead •  Miller •  Nevada  •  Webster Parish, Louisiana

African Americans

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

Guardianship

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

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

History Timeline
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were gleaned from Arkansas County - The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture


 * Before the arrival of Europeans, the area’s inhabitants were mostly of the Caddo tribe. The last Caddo village on the Great Bend of the Red River was abandoned around 1778.
 * 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

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

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

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

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1828-1952 - Lafayette County Marriage Books 1-2, C-Z, A2-G2 Index 1828-1952 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1828-1921 - Lafayette County Marriage Books 1-2, C-S Index 1828-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * Lafayette County, Arkansas Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. From Various Funeral Homes around Stamps, Lewisville, Bradley, and Buckner, Arkansas.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers