Woodruff County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Woodruff 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 William E. Woodruff, founder of the state's first newspaper, the Arkansas Gazette. It is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Woodruff County Website 500 North 3rd Street Augusta, AR 72006-0356 Phone: 870-347-5206 Woodruff County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1865; 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 Woodruff County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.

Bible Records

 * Woodruff County Family Bibles at Genealogy Trails History Group

Biographies

 * All of the family biographies from Woodruff County, Arkansas included in The Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1890 are available free online at My Genealogy Hound.

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

Court Records

 * 1865-1879 (*); Arkansas. County Court (Woodruff County) at FamilySearch Catalog — Index and images
 * 1865-1954 (*); Arkansas. Circuit Court (Woodruff County) at FamilySearch Catalog — Index and images
 * 1880-1893 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

African Americans

 * 1865-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records,Augusta at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; labor contracts, letters legal papers

Funeral Homes

 * Bradford Memorial Funeral Home in Bradford
 * Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Augusta
 * Thompson-Wilson Funeral Homes in McCrory

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1861-1935 Woodruff County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration records 1866-1887; Administration, executor and guardian bonds 1861-1903; Dockets 1876-1896; Letters of guardianship 1862-1904; Probate record index 1861-1899; Probate records 1861-1899; Wills 1862-1935.

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Eastern Arkansas. 1890. Chicago, St. Louis : The Goodspeed Publishing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Map of 1889 Woodruff County, Arkansas (My Genealogy Hound)
 * 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 D

'''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

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Woodruff County.


 * July 7, 1862 Hill's Plantation, also known as Cache River, Cotton Plant, or Round Hill


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

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
 * 1861-1899 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1861-1904 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1862-1935 (*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1865-1889 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1876-1896 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1909-1930 (*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1918-1930 (*); County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — 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.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * 1873 - 1937 - Woodruff County Birth Index 1873-1937. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1864 - 1929, 1949 - Woodruff County Marriage Books A-R, 1-3 Index 1864-1929, 1949 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1883 - 1952 - Woodruff County Marriage Books D-Z, 1-3, and AA-EE Index 1883-1952 in at FamilySearch - free. - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Death

 * 1894 - 1899 - Woodruff County Death Index 1894-1899. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 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
Woodruff County Historical Society Facebook

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