Clay County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Clay County

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

County Courthouse
Clay County Courthouse PO Box 306 Piggott, AR 72454 Phone: 870.598.2813  Clerk Circuit Court has land, divorce and court records from 1893. County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1893.

According to History and Traditions of Clay County, compiled by Robert T. Webb, edited and indexed by Frank Cochran, the people moved the county seat from Corning to Boydsville in 1877. Most of the people lived in the eastern part of the county and it was difficult to travel through the bottoms to Corning. Changing the county seat did not change the difficulty of crossing the bottoms, but only transferred it to the people in the Western part. In 1881 the county was divided into two districts with Boydsville the Eastern county seat and Corning the Western county seat. In 1888 the people voted to move the eastern county seat to Piggott.

Early History of Clay County Seats

Western District Courthouse History

Parent County

 * 1873--Clay County was created 24 March 1873 from Randolph and Greene Counties. County seat: Piggott

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Arkansas county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Arkansas County Boundary Maps" (1813-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1893 The Eastern District courthouse burned on January 11, 1893. Will and deed records begin in April, 1881, and are complete to date except deed record E from March 1, 1891 to January 31, 1892. This record was burned.

Records of Clay County from December 1875 to the end of February 1893 were burned at Piggott when the courthouse was destroyed by fire.

Places/ Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Butler County, Missouri • Dunklin County, Missouri •  Greene •  Randolph •  Ripley County, Missouri

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


 * 1800s - early, European settlement in the Clay County area began with Pierre LeMieux, a Frenchman who settled east of the Black River.
 * 1800s - Veterans of the War of 1812 who were given land grants in Arkansas began to settle in the area.
 * 1849-1850 - Congress passed the Swamp Land Acts of 1849 and 1850. Public swampland was transferred to Arkansas, and then the land was sold cheaply.
 * 1873 - March 24, During Reconstruction, Clayton County was created by the Arkansas legislature taking portions of Greene and Randolph counties.
 * 1875 - Arkansas General Assembly of 1875 changed the name of Clayton County to Clay County.
 * 1883 - Railroads did more than provide a new avenue for export and import of raw and finished products. They also brought more settlers into the area.
 * 1900s - At the start of the twentieth century, the timber industry reached its zenith.

Church Records
Hopewell Baptist Church, near Reyno

Court
(Western District) Clay County Clerk's Office Western District 800 W 2nd St Corning AR 72422 870-857-3480

(Eastern District) Office of the County Clerk PO Box 306 Piggott AR 72454-0306 870-598-2813

Various Court Records of Clay County

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1881-1955 Clay County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1881-1955; Guardian bonds and letters 1893-1938; Inventories and appraisements 1881-1919; Minutes 1881-1918; Probate records 1893-1906; Sale bills 1881-1920; Wills 1884-1944.

Local Histories

 * Goodspeed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeastern Arkansas(1891)
 * Arkansas State Penitentiary Records, Clay County Residents
 * Clay County Home
 * Elected Officials who have served Clay County
 * Pauper Deaths in Clay County
 * Piggott Mayors
 * Road System in Northeastern Arkansas

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Township Maps

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1901-1929 - at FamilySearch — images only

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War Battle was fought in Clay County.


 * May 1-2, 1863 = Chalk Bluff
 * Map showing Civil War battles in Arkansas.

Newspapers

 * Clay County Newspapers
 * Various Excerpts from the Clay County Courier
 * Various Obituaries of Clay County Residents

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 1881-1955 Clay County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1881-1955; Guardian bonds and letters 1893-1938; Inventories and appraisements 1881-1919; Minutes 1881-1918; Probate records 1893-1906; Sale bills 1881-1920; Wills 1884-1944.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Birth

 * 1947-1958 - Clay County Birth Index 1947-1958. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

 * 1881-1923 - Clay County Marriage Books A-I, 1-11 Index 1881-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1893-1950 - Clay County Marriage Books 1-57, A-U Index 1893-1950 in at FamilySearch - free.

Death

 * 1947-1958 - Clay County Death Index 1947-1958. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * Clay County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society
 * Corning Library 613 Pine St Corning AR 72422 870-857-3453
 * Piggott Library 316 W Main Piggott AR 72454 870-598-3666
 * Rector Library 121 W 4th St Rector AR 72461 870-595-2410

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers