Arkansas Church Records

Historical Background
Arkansas, like most other Southern states, is part of the Bible Belt and is predominantly Protestant. The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 661,382; the United Methodist Church with 158,574; non-denominational Evangelical Protestants with 129,638; the Catholic Church with 122,662; and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 31,254.

Information Found in the Records
To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Look for online records.
Some records have been digitized and posted online, where they are easily searched. These are listed at the top of this page and on the Alabama Online Genealogy Records page.

'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Consult available finding aids.
These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.
 * A Directory of Churches and Religious Organizations in the State of Arkansas. Little Rock: Historical Records Survey 1942.
 * Guide to Vital Statistics Records in Arkansas: Volume II, Church Archives. Little Rock: Historical Records Survey, 194-. and.

Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where the records are located:

Correspond with or visit the actual churches.
Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
 * Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.
Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for

Baptist


Arkansas Baptist State Convention Collection Riley Library Ouachita Baptist University 410 Ouachita Arkedelphia, AR 71998 Phone: (870) 245-5000 Fax: (870) 245-5500

Jacynda Ammons OBU Box 3729 Arkadelphia, AR 71998 Phone: (870) 245-5332 E-mail: [mailto:ammonsj@obu.edu ammonsj@obu.edu]

Methodist
Arkansas United Methodist Archives Olin C. Bailey Library Hendrix College 1600 Washington Street Conway, AR 72032 Phone: (501) 336-9321 Fax: (501) 336-9001 E-mail: [mailto:arkmethodist@hendrix.edu arkmethodist@hendrix.edu]

Roman Catholic
Diocese of Little Rock 2500 N. Tyler St. Little Rock, AR 72207 Phone: (501) 664-0340

The diocese includes the counties of: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Sebastian, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.