Columbia County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Columbia County was created on 17 December 1852 and was named for Christopher Columbus. Its county seat is Magnolia. It is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Columbia County Courthouse 1 Court Sq, #1 Magnolia, AR 71753 Phone: 870-235-3774 Columbia County Website County Clerk has marriage and land records from 1853, divorce and court records from 1860 and probate records. The County Library has cemetery 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 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.

Biographies

 * Biographies at My Genealogy Hound

Church Records

 * 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection

Methodist

'''Barges Chapel Methodist Church

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 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.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1853-1883 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1855-1867 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1860-1956 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

African Americans

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

Funeral Homes

 * Henderson's Mortuary in Magnolia
 * Lewis Funeral Home in Magnolia
 * Marks Funeral Home in Magnolia
 * R.L. Reed Funeral Home in Magnolia

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1849-1931 Columbia County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- How to Use this Collection
 * 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.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. 2 volumes. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Vols. I & II - Ancestry ($); . Columbia County history begins on Page 455 in Vol. 1.
 * History of Columbia County. By Nettie Hicks Killgore. n.p. : Southwest Arkansas Genealogical Society, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
 * Family Maps of Columbia County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives

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

'''Online Records


 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
 * 1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection

World War II

 * Men and women in the Armed Forces from Columbia County, Magnolia, Arkansas.Camden, Arkansas : Southern Pub. Co, 194-? FS Library 976.759 M2s

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1783–1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1817-1979 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1849-1931 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1925 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1853-1926 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1856-1924 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1866-1891 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

 * 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1853-1926 Columbia County Marriage Books D2-Q Index 1853-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1853-1951 Columbia County Marriage Books A-Z, AA-LL Index 1853-1951 in  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)

Death

 * 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
 * 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)

Divorce

 * 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)

Voter Records

 * 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images- How to Use this Collection

FamilySearch Centers

 * El Dorado Arkansas FamilySearch Center
 * Magnolia Arkansas FamilySearch Center
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Adolphine Fletcher Terry Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Dee Brown Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Hillary Rodham Clinton's Children Library and Learning Center - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Sidney S. McMath Library - an affiliate library
 * Central Arkansas Library System - Sue Cowan Williams Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Columbia County Genealogical Society 423 N Jefferson P.O. Box 375 Magnolia, AR 71754-0735 Phone: 870-234-7115 Website Facebook

Websites

 * ARGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Linkpendium
 * Cyndi's List
 * - 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