Howard County, Arkansas Genealogy

United States Arkansas  Howard County

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

County Courthouse
Howard County Courthouse; 421 N Main Street Nashville, AR 71852 Phone: 870.845.7502 County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1873 and some cemetery records; Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records from 1873

Parent County

 * 1873--Howard County was created 17 April 1873 from Pike, Hempstead, Polk and Sevier Counties.

County seat: Nashville

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
Hempstead • Little River • Montgomery • Pike • Polk • Sevier

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


 * 1819 - One of the first settlers was John Tollett, a Methodist minister from Bledsoe County, Tennessee.
 * 1820s - This area was also part of the land given to the Choctaw in exchange for property in Mississippi.
 * 1820s - Choctaw inhabitation of the area discouraged settlement by white people for several years.
 * 1873 April 17 - Howard County was created from portions of Pike, Polk, Hempstead, and Sevier counties.
 * 1880s - The railroads arrived, connecting Howard County to the rest of the state and beyond.
 * 1920-1970 - The decline of the cotton industry had a ripple effect on the community. The county’s population peaked in 1920 and subsequently declined with each census until 1970.

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1873-1970 Howard County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian records 1873-1949; Adminstration and executor bonds 1873-1945; Probate records 1873-1889; Wills 1873-1970.

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

 * - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), The Davis Blues


 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index

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 1873-1970 Howard County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
 * Includes Administration and guardian records 1873-1949; Adminstration and executor bonds 1873-1945; Probate records 1873-1889; Wills 1873-1970.

Vital Records
See also How to order Arkansas Vital Records

Marriage

 * 1873-1952 - Howard County Marriage Books A-X Index (1873-1952) and Card File Index (1941-1994) in at FamilySearch - free.

Genealogy Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers