Van Buren County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Martin Van Buren, President of the United States, who was Vice President at the time of the county's formation. It is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Van Buren County Courthouse Main &amp; Briggs; Clinton, AR 72031 Phone: 501.745.4140 Van Buren County Website County Clerk has marriage, court and land records from 1859, divorce records from 1874 and probate records from 1860

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

Bible Records

 * Van Buren County, ARGenWeb History and Genealogy at ArGenWeb.net
 * Van Buren County Bible Records at Arkansas Geneaolgy
 * Van Buren County Bible Records at Arkansas USGenWeb Project Archives

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1859-1959 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1872-1881 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Funeral Homes

 * Clinton Funeral Service in Clinton
 * Ozark View Funeral Home in Clinton
 * Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Clinton

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Van Buren County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

Civil War

 * - 1st Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Stirman's) (Confederate), Company C
 * - 10th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 16th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F
 * - 31th Regiment, Arkansas Confederate Infantry, Companies B, D, and F
 * - 31st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry
 * - 36th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company D
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Companies B, G, H, I, and M

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1783-1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1817-1979 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1859-1915 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1889-1954 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1860 - 1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1865 - 1951 - Van Buren County Marriage Books [1]-17 Index 1865-1951 in at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1865 - 1895 - Van Buren County Marriage Index 1865-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Death

 * 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
 * 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index and images ($)

Divorce

 * 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)

Voter Records

 * 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Societies
River Valley Genealogy Society Farm Bureau Building 201 E Shady Ln PO Box 830 Morrilton, Arkansas 501-208-4213, 501-354-4428 E-mail:[mailto:rivervalleygenealogysociety@gmail.com rivervalleygenealogysociety@gmail.com] Website
 * Covers: Conway, Faulkner, Perry, Pope, Yell and Van Buren counties.

Websites

 * ARGenWeb. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or complete transcriptions
 * USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
 * RootsWeb resources. 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