Crittenden County, Arkansas Genealogy

Guide to Crittenden 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 Robert Crittenden, the first Secretary of the Arkansas Territory. The County Seat is Marion and was founded October 22, 1825. It is located in the northeast of the state.

County Courthouse
Crittenden County Courthouse 100 Court Street Marion, AR 72364 Phone: 870.739.4434 Crittenden County Website County Clerk has marriage and probate records. Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, military and court records. County Assessor has 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 Crittenden County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.


 * Artifacts found in Crittenden County—including effigy pipes, stone ear plugs, and ornaments—testify to a long habitation of the area by Native Americans.
 * 1795 - Its first resident of note was a Spanish sergeant named Augustine Grande, who was the commander of Fort Esperanza, built by the Spanish on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
 * 1825 October 22 - Crittenden County was organized.
 * 1850 - Because of the county’s location, levees and drainage districts have been essential to its development
 * 1874 - Reconstruction in Arkansas had ended.
 * 1990 - Crittenden County had a population of 28,259; in that year, an estimated 2,000 people were employed in a variety of jobs by West Memphis processing and manufacturing industries.

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Crittenden County, Arkansas (1890) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

African Americans

 * 1867-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Marion at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1837-1919; Administration and guardian records 1853-1876; County Court records 1830-1852; Dockets 1857-1898; Probate records 1826-1889; Wills 1826-1946.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Map of 1889 Crittenden County, Arkansas

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), 2nd Company E
 * - 6th Battalion Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company C

'''Online Records


 * 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

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 1826-1946 Crittenden County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian bonds and letters 1837-1919; Administration and guardian records 1853-1876; County Court records 1830-1852; Dockets 1857-1898; Probate records 1826-1889; Wills 1826-1946.

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1837 - 1921 - Crittenden County Marriage Books A, C-Z, A1-B29 Index 1837-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1860 - 1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

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