Cleburne County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Cleburne 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 Patrick Cleburne. It is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cleburne County Courthouse 301 W Main Street; Heber Springs, AR 72543 Phone: 501.362.4620 Cleburne County website County Clerk has marriage, probate, divorce, court, and land records from 1883.

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


 * 1812 - The earliest known Anglo-Americans to settle in what is now Cleburne County were John Benedict and his brothers-in-law, William, Davis, and John Standlee.
 * 1828 - The Arkansas Cherokee agreed to give up their reservation in exchange for lands west of Arkansas Territory.
 * 1850s - By midcentury, there were colonies of families who had traveled together from Kentucky or Tennessee.
 * 1861 - At the time of the Civil War, what was to become Cleburne County had fewer than 1,000 residents.
 * 1870 - The area had lost population.
 * 1880 - The county swiftly recuperated, with the population almost doubling, from 2,210 in 1870 to 4,025 in 1880.
 * 1883 January 27 - The new county was formed from parts of Independence, Van Buren and White counties.
 * 1908 - Construction of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad (M&amp;NA) opened the remote valley to the world.

Federal Census Records
Though the United States purchased Arkansas from the French in 1803, Anglo-American settlement of the area did not began in earnest until after the formal organization of the territory in 1819. Therefore, Arkansas does not appear in Federal Censuses before 1830. For links to federal census indexes, see Arkansas Census.

Territorial and State Census Records
State censuses were taken at the state-level and territorial censuses were taken by the federal government. See Arkansas Census for more information about censuses taken in Arkansas.


 * 1819-1879 Arkansas, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1819-1870 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Church Records

 * 1875-1899 - at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection

Presbyterian

'''Nazareth Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Quitman

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1878-1885 - Nazareth Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Quitman, Baptism Index 1878-1885. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1878-1895 - Nazareth Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Quitman, Marriage Index 1878-1895. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1883-1966 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Funeral Homes

 * Family Funeral Service in Heber Springs
 * Heber Springs Funeral Home in Heber Springs
 * Olmstead Funeral Home in Edgemont and Heber Springs

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1881-1962 Cleburne County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1883-1918; Chancery Court records 1883-1897; Dockets 1883-1893; Probate record index 1881-1962; Probate records 1883-1897; Wills 1901-1923.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Cleburne 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

 * - 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Volunteers (Confederate), Company C
 * - 10th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)

'''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
 * 1881-1962 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1883-1923 (*); 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.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1883 - 1896 - Cleburne County Marriage Books 1-15 Index 1883-1896 in at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1883 - 1923 - Cleburne County Marriage Books 1-8 Index 1883-1923 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

Family History Centers

 * Conway Arkansas Family History Center
 * Mountain View Arkansas Family History Center
 * Quitman Arkansas Family History Center
 * Russellville Arkansas Family History Center


 * Jim G Ferguson Searcy County Library - an affiliate library
 * White County Regional Library System - Searcy Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Cleburne County Historical Society PO Box 794 Heber Springs, AR 72543 501-362-5225 Email: [mailto:cchist@ipa.net cchist@ipa.net] Facebook: The Cleburne County Historical Society

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. 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