Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Cleveland County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Cleveland County was created on 17 April 1873[2] and was named for President Grover Cleveland.[3] Its county seat is Rison.[4] It is located in the south-central area of the state.[5]
County Courthouse
Cleveland County Courthouse
Main and Magnolia Streets
P.O. Box 348
Rison, AR 71665
Phone: 870-325-6521
Cleveland County Website
County Clerk has marriage records from 1880, along with divorce, probate and court records.[6]
Cleveland 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1914 | 1880 | 1914 | 1873 | 1873 | 1873 | 1830 |
Record Loss
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Although specific courthouse disasters are not known, it is reported that the records are incomplete and some are not in good condition. Several tax books, one marriage record, and one or more court records are missing.
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Boundary Changes
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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 | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
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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 Cleveland County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [10]
- 1834 - The third Quapaw Treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate was the beginning of the end of the Indians treaty lands in Arkansas.
- 1864 April 25 - The most important event in what became Cleveland County during the Civil War was the Battle of Marks’ Mills.
- 1873 April 17 - Cleveland County was established.
- 1910 - The high point for population of the county.
- 1970 - The low point for population of the county.
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- Biographies at My Genealogy Hound
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1890 | 11,362 | — |
| 1900 | 11,620 | 2.3% |
| 1910 | 13,481 | 16.0% |
| 1920 | 12,260 | −9.1% |
| 1930 | 12,744 | 3.9% |
| 1940 | 12,570 | −1.4% |
| 1950 | 8,956 | −28.8% |
| 1960 | 6,944 | −22.5% |
| 1970 | 6,605 | −4.9% |
| 1980 | 7,868 | 19.1% |
| 1990 | 7,781 | −1.1% |
| 2000 | 8,571 | 10.2% |
| 2010 | 8,689 | 1.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
- 1875-1899 Nebraska, Church Records, 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
- 1873-1882 County Court Record, 1873-1882(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1873-1885 Circuit Court Record, Book A, 1873-1885(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1889-1952 Court Records, 1889-1952(*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- Buie Funeral Home in Rison
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1873-1974 Cleveland County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)- How to Use this Collection
- Includes Administration records 1876-1908; Guardian records 1877-1909; Inventories 1877-1974; Letters of guardianship 1909-1938; Probate records 1873-1893; Wills 1877-1947.
Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
Local histories are available for Cleveland County. They may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more about local histories, see Arkansas Local Histories.
- Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. 2 volumes. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat). Cleveland County history begins on Page 592 in Vol. 2.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- Family Maps of Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). 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
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
- 1890-1963 Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
- 1891-1939 Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
- 1901-1929 Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Cleveland County:[11]
- April 25, 1864 - Marks' Mill.
- Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Cleveland newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Fayetteville Daily Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Daily Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Northwest Arkansas Times at Ancestry.com ($)
- Courier Times at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1818–1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1818-1998 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1873-1974 Probate Records, 1873-1974(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index 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 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Vital Records
Birth
| Y | M | |
| Name of Child | 
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| Birth Date and Place |
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| Parent's Names |
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| Mother's Maiden Name |
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| Parent's Ages |
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| Father's Occupation |
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| Current Residence |
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| Name of Doctor or Midwife |
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In 1877, a few county and city clerks[12] started keeping birth and death records.
In 1914, the state law required all county clerks to record births and forward them to the state.
- Arkansas Births and Christenings, 1812-1965 at FamilySearch. (Free, index only)
- Small file, but worth searching. Most entries were user-submitted.
See also: • Arkansas Online Genealogy Records, • How to Find Arkansas Birth Records and • Arkansas Vital Records—Birth.
Marriage
- 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1800-Onward Arkansas Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
- 1873-1922 Cleveland County Marriage Books 3-6 Index 1873-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[13]
- 1873-1956 Cleveland County Marriage Books A, 1, 3-12 Index 1873-1956 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
Death
- 1812-Onward Arkansas Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1914-1969 Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
- 1935-1961 Arkansas, Death Index, 1935-1961 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
Divorce
- 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
Voting Records
- 1700-Onward Arkansas Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1868-1910 Arkansas, County Voter Registration Records, 1868-1910 at FamilySearch — index & images- How to Use this Collection
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Cleveland 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
- Hot Springs Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Pine Bluff Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Pine Bluff/ Jefferson County Library - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Cleveland County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Cleveland County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Websites
- ARGenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives
- Linkpendium
- Cyndi's List
- FamilySearch Catalog - 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
Research Guides
References
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Arkansas: Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/AR_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Cleveland County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/cleve/.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cleveland County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_County,_Arkansas.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Cleveland 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.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cleveland County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_County,_Arkansas, accessed 2 September 2018.
- ↑ Louise Mitchell, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=757&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c : accessed January 12, 2016), “Cleveland County.”
- ↑ National Park Service, Civil War Battles. Filter by state or battle name.
- ↑ 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)
- ↑ 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.