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Benton County, Arkansas Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Bentonville
Organized: September 30, 1836
Parent County(s): Washington[1]
Neighboring Counties
Adair (OK) • Barry (MO) • Carroll • Delaware (OK) • Madison • McDonald (MO) • Stone (MO) • Washington
See County Maps
Courthouse
ArkansasBentonCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Ar-benton.png
War Eagle Mill in Benton County, Arkansas

County Information

Description

Benton County was created on 30 Sep 1836[2] and named for United States Senator Thomas Hart Benton.[3] Its county seat is Bentonville.[4] It is located in the northwestern area of the state.[5]

County Courthouse

Benton County Courthouse
215 E. Central, Suite 217
Bentonville, AR 72712-0699
Telephone: 479-238-0120
Benton County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1861 and probate records from 1859
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court, and land records.[6]

Benton County, Arkansas

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[7]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1914 1861 1914 1837 1837 1859 1830
*State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until the 1920s

Record Loss

  • 1865 - A courthouse fire destroyed many early records.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes

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:[9]

Cities
Towns
Census-designated places
Townships


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 Benton County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [10]

  • Late 1700's to early 1800's - The Osage Indians in Missouri made forays into the area for seasonal hunting.
  • 1808 - 1825 - The U.S. government obtained major land cessions from the Osage.
  • 1828 - The Arkansas Cherokee no longer occupied the area and opened it to settlement.
  • Late 1820's - Settlers increasingly moved into the area.
  • 1836 - September 30 - Benton County was formally established as a separate county.
  • Many early county settlers came from Tennessee and other states of the upper South.
  • During the Civil War, many Benton County residents were caught between strongly Confederate Arkansans to the south and Union-supporting Missourians to the north.
  • During the Civil War years, much of Benton County suffered destruction and severe food shortages.
  • 1870's - The county’s population grew, but the number of African American citizens decreased rapidly

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Benton, Arkansas online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Arkansas Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 2,228 —
1850 3,710 66.5%
1860 9,306 150.8%
1870 13,831 48.6%
1880 20,328 47.0%
1890 27,716 36.3%
1900 31,611 14.1%
1910 33,389 5.6%
1920 36,253 8.6%
1930 35,253 −2.8%
1940 36,148 2.5%
1950 38,076 5.3%
1960 36,272 −4.7%
1970 50,476 39.2%
1980 78,115 54.8%
1990 97,449 24.8%
2000 153,406 57.4%
2010 221,339 44.3%
Source: [1]

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

    • Includes Administration bonds 1858-1888; Chancery Court records 1843-1882; Dockets 1869-1897; Gurdian bonds 1858-1887; Minutes 1857-1874; Probate records 1884-1908.

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Local histories are available for Benton County. They may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more about local histories, see Arkansas Local Histories.

Maps and Gazetteers

Benton CountyCarroll CountyWashington CountyMadison CountyTaney CountyStone CountyBarry CountyMcDonald CountyNewton CountyOttawa CountyDelaware CountyAdair CountySequoyah CountyCherokee CountyChristian CountyDouglas CountyOzark CountyLawrence CountyMayes CountyCraig CountyHaskell CountyMuskogee CountyNewton CountyJohnson CountyFranklin CountyCrawford CountyARBenton2.JPG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Revolutionary War

  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Arkansas, Benton County on page 191.
  • Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include"an Added Index to States." FS Catalog Collection 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans from this county; Arkansas section begins on page 439.

Civil War

Monument, built 1908, Bentonville, Benton, County, Arkansas

Regiments. Men in Benton County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:

- 2nd Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company D
- 34th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F
- 35th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F

Men from Benton County served in the 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Union)[11] and the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)[12], Companies E and M

Online Records


Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battle was fought in Benton County:[13]

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Benton newspapers in online catalogs like:


Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Vital Records

Birth

Birth Records reveal
Yes or Maybe ⇒
 Y M
Name of Child Green check.png
Birth Date and Place Green check.png
Parent's Names Green check.png
Mother's Maiden Name Green check.png
Parent's Ages Green check.png
Father's Occupation Green check.png
Current Residence Green check.png
Name of Doctor or Midwife Green check.png

In 1877, a few county and city clerks[14] started keeping birth and death records.

In 1914, the state law required all county clerks to record births and forward them to the state.

ArrowGreen.svg.png

See also: • Arkansas Online Genealogy Records, • How to Find Arkansas Birth Records and • Arkansas Vital Records—Birth.

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Voting Records

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Benton County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Benton County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.

Bella Vista Public Library
11 Dickens Place
Bella Vista, AR 72714
Phone: 479-855-1753
Email: library@bellavistaar.gov
Website
Facebook

Bentonville Public Library
405 S Main St
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: 479-271-3192
Email: library@bentonvillear.com
Website
Facebook

Rogers Public Library
711 S Dixieland Rd
Rogers, AR 72758
Phone: 479-621-1152
Email: rplaskalibrarian@rogersar.gov
Website
Facebook

Museums

Rogers Historical Museum
Key Wing Education Center & Historic Hawkins House
322 South Second Street
Rogers, AR 72756
(479) 621-1154
Email: museum@rogersar.gov
Website
Facebook

Societies

Listed below are societies in Benton County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.

Benton County Historical Society
306 NW 2nd St
P.O. Box 1034
Bentonville, AR 71712
Phone: 479-273-3561
Email: bentoncountyarhs@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
Benton Public Library
405 S Main St
Bentonville, AR 72712
Phone: 479-271-6820
Email: genealogy@bentonvillear.com
Website
Facebook
Serving Benton, Washington, Carroll, and Madison Counties

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. ↑ Arkansas: Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/AR_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Benton County, Arkansas," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benton_County,_Arkansas&oldid=1169853280 (accessed August 18, 2023).
  4. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  5. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Benton County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/benton/.
  6. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  7. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Benton County, Arkansas. Page 67 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 65.
  8. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  9. ↑ Wikipedia contributors,"Benton County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benton_County,_Arkansas#Communities, accessed 29 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Allyn Lord, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=748&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed 2016 01 07), “Benton County.”
  11. ↑ Arkansas. Adjutant General's Office. Report of the Adjutant General of Arkansas, for the period of the late rebellion, and to November 1, 1866 (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1990).
  12. ↑ Allen, Desmond Walls. Third Arkansas Union Cavalry (Desmond Walls Allen, Conway, Arkansas) 1987, pp. 33-92.
  13. ↑ National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.
  14. ↑ such as Sebastian County (Fort Smith) and Pulaski County (Little Rock) (No entry in FamilySearch Catalog found for Pulaski County nor for Little Rock, Aug 2014)
  15. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/5/5c/Igiarkansasad.pdf.
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