Columbia County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Columbia County

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

County Courthouse
Columbia County Courthouse 1 Court Sq, #1; Magnolia, AR 71753 Phone: 870.235.3774 County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1853, divorce and court records from 1860 and probate records. The County Library has cemetery records.

Parent County

 * 1852--Columbia County was created 17 December 1852 from Lafayette, Hempstead, and Ouachita Counties.

County seat: Magnolia

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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places/Localities
Town/city records in the FamilySearch Catalog



Neighboring Counties
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana •  Lafayette •  Nevada  •  Ouachita  •  Union  •  Webster Parish, Louisiana

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


 * 1836 - Early white settlers began arriving in significant numbers to the area only after Arkansas achieved statehood.
 * 1852 December 17 - Columbia County was created from portions of Lafayette, Hempstead, Ouachita, and Union counties.
 * 1880 and before - Relative isolation and transportation difficulties have long been a problem for Columbia County. Columbia is the only one of Arkansas’s seventy-five counties not situated on a river.
 * 1880s - The railroad led to the creation of the communities of McNeill (later McNeil) and later Waldo.
 * 1937 - The discovery of producing oil and gas fields led to positive changes almost overnight that continued into the 1950s.
 * 1943 - Columbia County voters banned the sale of beer and wine.. The county remains “dry” to this day.

African Americans

 * 1866-1867 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Magnolia at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Letters

Methodist
Barges Chapel Methodist Church


 * 1820-1872 - Barges Chapel Methodist Church Baptism Index 1820-1872. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1896, 1915 - Barges Chapel Methodist Church Marriage Index 1896, 1915. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1849-1931 Columbia County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1853-1925; Dockets 1866-1891; Executor and guardian bonds and letters 1856-1924; Probate record index 1854-1926; Probate records 1853-1886; Wills 1849-1931.

Local Histories

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

Maps

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Civil War

 * - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company E
 * - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate)
 * - 33rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies A and G

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 1849-1931 Columbia County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration bonds and letters 1853-1925; Dockets 1866-1891; Executor and guardian bonds and letters 1856-1924; Probate record index 1854-1926; Probate records 1853-1886; Wills 1849-1931.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1853-1951 - Columbia County Marriage Books A-Z, AA-LL Index 1853-1951 in at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1853-1926 - Columbia County Marriage Books D2-Q Index 1853-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * List of Arkansas Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers


 * Magnolia Arkansas Family History Center 2504 Pearce St., Magnolia, AR 71753-4368 United States