Jefferson County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for President Thomas Jefferson. The County Seat is Pine Bluff and was founded November 2, 1829. It is located in the centre of the state.

County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse 101 W Barraque Street Pine Bluff, AR 71601 Phone: 870.541.5360 Jefferson County Website County Clerk has marriage records from 1830 and probate records from 1845; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court 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 Jefferson County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * 1818 August 24 - The Quapaw ceded their lands to the U.S. government.
 * 1800s (early) - One of the first permanent settlers of record in Jefferson County was Joseph Bonne, who brought his Quapaw family from to live on a pine tree–covered bluff on the Arkansas River.
 * 1890s - Jefferson County entered what historian Jim Leslie has referred to as the Golden Era. Because of its prodigious cotton production and location near the Arkansas River, the county attracted many industries, businesses, and public institutions.
 * 1927-1930s - The Flood of 1927 is considered Jefferson County’s worst natural disaster, killing dozens of people and destroying tens of thousands of acres of cotton and hundreds of farmsteads and homes. With the Great Depression of the 1930s, it took the county decades to reclaim the economic status it was gaining before the flood.

African Americans

 * 1865-1871 - Jefferson County Colored Marriage Books I-II Index 1865-1871 in at FamilySearch - free.


 * 1864-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Pine Bluff at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Copies of marriage certificates, Register of marriages, Register of abandoned property, letters
 * 1866-1867 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Pine Bluff (Superintendent of Arkansas River District) at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; persons hired, letters

Genealogies

 * Biographies from The History of Jefferson County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed Publishing Company are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1830-1930 Jefferson County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1850-1859; Administration bonds and letters 1862-1906; Administration records 1856-1862; Administration, executor and guardian bonds 1859-1862; Dockets 1830-1889; Executor bonds and letters 1862-1930; Probate records 1863-1890; Wills 1839-1927

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland, and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1889. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)

Civil War

 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company D
 * - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
 * - 2nd Battalion, Arkansas Calvalry (Confederate), Company D
 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company G
 * - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
 * - 15th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Josey's) (Confederate)
 * - 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate) Companies A, D and K
 * - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies C and K
 * - Pine Bluff Artillery, Arkansas (Confederate)

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1890-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Jefferson County.


 * October 25, 1863 = Pine Bluff


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers
from the following from 1866 to current time:


 * Pine Bluff Commercial
 * Pine Bluff Graphic
 * Pin Bluff News
 * Pine Bluff Eagle
 * White Hall Journal
 * Pine Bluff Dispatch
 * The Negro Spokesman
 * The Jefferson Republican
 * Weekly Echo

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 1830-1930 Jefferson County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds 1850-1859; Administration bonds and letters 1862-1906; Administration records 1856-1862; Administration, executor and guardian bonds 1859-1862; Dockets 1830-1889; Executor bonds and letters 1862-1930; Probate records 1863-1890; Wills 1839-1927.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1830 - 1950 - Jefferson County Marriage Books A-Z, I-VIII, AA-ZZ Index 1830-1950 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1830 - 1920 - Jefferson County Marriage Books 1-8, A-Z, AA Index 1830-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Family History Centers

 * Pine Bluff Arkansas Family History Center 2501 Ridgeway Rd, Pine Bluff AR 71603 United States

Societies
Jefferson County Genealogical Society Jefferson County Museum 4th and State Street Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 71613

Websites

 * ARGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
 * - 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