Perry County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

Description
Perry County was created 18 December 1840 and was named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero in the War of 1812. Its county seat is Perryville. It is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Perry County Courthouse 310 W. Main St P.O. Box 358 Perryville, AR 72126-0358 Phone: 501-889-5126 Perry County Website County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and land records from 1882.

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


 * 1808 - Aaron Price, the first recorded white settler in the area, is purported to have settled on the Fourche La Fave River eight to nine miles downstream from present-day Perryville
 * 1840 December 18 - Perry County was created from Pulaski, Conway, Hot Spring, and Yell counties.
 * 1879 March 3 - Perry County petitioned Congress in 1875 for an appropriation to improve navigation on the Fourche La Fave River. The act was approved on March 3, 1879
 * 1879 - German Catholic families settled in east Perry County, naming their community New Dixie.
 * 1912 - African American families settled in the Toad Suck community, also known as Redemption
 * 1912-1914 - Several Lithuanian families immigrated to the United States from 1904 to 1910 because of the Russo-Japanese War and settled near Bigelow.
 * 1915 - A group of Italian immigrants arrived in the east end of the county, bringing their wine-making skills to a region of Perry County that resembled Italy.
 * 1930s - The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed local citizens for their many county work projects. This encouraged people to stay in the area.
 * 1930s (late)-1940s (early) - Migration to California to find work  was so extensive that the region around Fresno and Dinub in California became known as “Little Perry County.”

Biographies

 * Family Biographies from The History of Perry County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places
 * 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Court Records

 * 1874-1890 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1882-1884 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1896-1972 (*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

Guardianship

 * Probate Records 1882-1955 Perry County portion of the collection: : Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images) - How to Use this Collection
 * Includes Administration bonds 1882-1905; Appraisements 1882-1910; Dockets 1882-1893; Guardian Bonds 1882-1905; Inventories 1882-1944; Letters of administration 1882-1943; Probate records 1882-1902; Wills 1890-1995.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas. Chicago ; St. Louis : Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1889. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Internet Archive;.
 * Living the Times : 1776-1976, a Bicentennial Tribute to Perry County. By Patsy Womack. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by FamilySearch International, 2014. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Digital images of original published: [Arkansas : s.n. 1976?].

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Map of 1889 Perry County, Arkansas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * 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

 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company B
 * - 10th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
 * - 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F
 * - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union), Companies B and C

'''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

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 and images($)
 * 1817-1979 (*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
 * 1882-1951 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & 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 $
 * 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1881-1922 Perry County Marriage Index 1881-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * 1882-1960 Perry County Marriage Books A-G and 17 Index 1882-1960 in  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)

Death

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

Divorce

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

Voter Records

 * 1700-Onward Arkansas Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

FamilySearch Centers

 * Central Arkansas Library System - multiple locations - an affiliate library

Societies
River Valley Genealogy Society Farm Bureau Building 201 E Shady Lane P.O. Box 830 Morrilton, AR Phone: 501-208-4213, 501-354-4428 Email: [mailto:rivervalleygenealogysociety@gmail.com rivervalleygenealogysociety@gmail.com] Website Covers Conway, Faulkner, Perry, Pope, Yell and Van Buren Counties.

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