Nevada County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Nevada 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 the state of Nevada. The County Seat is Prescott and was founded March 20, 1871. It is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Nevada County Courthouse 215 E 2nd St Street; Prescott, AR 71857 Phone: 870.887.3115 Nevada County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1871 and cemetery records; Clerk Circuit Court divorce and court and land records from 1871.

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


 * 1803 - With the Louisiana Purchase, Euro-American settlers began to move into the region.
 * 1812 - Stephen Vaughan and his wife, Polly, came up the Ouachita and the Little Missouri rivers, settling at a place on the Little Missouri later known as Janes Ferry.
 * 1812 (after) - Vaughan was the first person in the county to be granted a federal land patent.
 * 1850s - The flood of immigration in the 1850s accelerated the trend of land patents, which continued to the brink of the Civil War.
 * 1860s - The area that would become Nevada County had only dirt roads and no towns of any size.
 * 1920-2010 - Nevada County hit its population high mark in 1920 with 21,934 and has had a steady decline until this time (2010) with only 8,997.

Census Records

 * Census Transcriptions

Church Records

 * Churches in Nevada County, AR

Land and Property Records

 * Nevada County, AR Federal Land Records

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Nevada County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * Township and Township/Range Maps - Nevada County, AR

Civil War

 * 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 battles were fought in Nevada County.


 * April 3-4, 1864 = Elkin’s Ferry, also known as Okolona
 * April 9-13, 1864 = Prairie D'Ane, also known as Gum Grove or Moscow


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers

 * Nevada County Picayune

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 1871-1922 Nevada County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Bonds and letters 1872-1916; Probate records 1871-1893; Wills 1871-1922.

Birth

 * 1947 - 1965 - Nevada County Birth Index 1947-1965. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1837 - 1957 - Arkansas Marriages 1837-1957 at FamilySearch.org
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1871 - 1924 - Nevada County Marriage Books A-P Index 1871-1924 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1871 - 1953 - Nevada County Marriage Books A-Z, AA-CC Index 1871-1953 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * Some Nevada County, AR Marriages

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Societies
Nevada County Depot and Museum 403 West First Street South PO Box 592 Prescott AR 71857 Phone: (870) 887-5821 Email:[mailto:Curator@DepotMuseum.Org] Website

Hempstead County Genealogy Society PO Box 756 Hope, AR 71802 Email:[mailto:hempsteadgen@yahoo.com] Nevada County doesn't have a genealogical society at this time, but the Hempstead County Genealogy Society does have information about Nevada County.

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