Arkansas, Sebastian County Births and Deaths - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes birth and death records from the Sebastian county clerk’s office in Fort Smith, Arkansas and the Fort Smith city clerk’s office, for the years 1877 to 1963. The records are generally handwritten on pre-printed pages.

County and city officials began keeping records from the time the county was formed and the city was incorporated. Birth and death records were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens, to safeguard their legal interests, and for public health reasons.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Birth
 * Child’s name
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Sex
 * Race
 * Parents' names
 * Parents' ages
 * Birthplace of parents
 * Occupations of parents
 * Number of other children in the family

Death
 * Name of deceased
 * Age
 * Sex
 * Race
 * Social Status (Married, divorced, single, widowed)
 * Occupation
 * Birth Place
 * Last Residence


 * How long in this state
 * Death place
 * Death date
 * Father’s name
 * Mother’s name
 * Cause of Death
 * Duration of illness
 * Burial place

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The location or date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

 * If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the Fort Smith Library

I Found the Person I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the census records
 * Search for obituaries and cemetery records
 * Search for the actual birth and death certificates

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index or at Find A Grave
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching a nearby locality
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Arkansas.
 * Arkansas Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1880-Present

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.