Hot Spring County, Arkansas Genealogy


 

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

County Facts
County seat: Malvern
Organized: November 2, 1829
Parent County(s): Clark[1]
Neighboring Counties
ClarkDallasGarlandGrantMontgomerySaline
See County Maps
Courthouse
ArkansasHotSpringCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Ar-hot-spring.png

County Information

Description

Hot Spring County was created on 02 November 1829[2] and was named for the hot springs at Hot Springs, Arkansas, which were within its boundaries until Garland County was formed in 1873.[3] Its county seat is Malvern.[4] It is located in the southwestern area of the state.[5]

County Courthouse

Hot Spring County Courthouse
210 Locust Street
Malvern, AR 72104
Phone: 501-332-2291
Hot Spring County Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1825 and probate records from 1834.
Clerk Circuit Court has court and divorce records.[6]

Hot Spring 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 1825 1914 1843 1831 1834 1830
*State birth and death records began in 1914. Limited compliance until the 1920s

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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
  • Donaldson
  • Friendship
  • Magnet Cove
  • Malvern
Unincorporated communities
  • Abco
  • Antioch
  • Beaton
  • Bismarck
  • Bonnerdale
  • Brown Springs
  • Butterfiield
  • Caney
  • Central
  • Cove Creek
  • Cross Roads
  • De Roche
  • Diamondhead
  • Duffie
  • Durian
  • Elmore
  • Etta
  • Faber
  • Fleming
  • Gifford
  • Harp
  • Jones Mill
  • Lambert
  • Landers
  • Lono
  • Mount Moriah
  • Oak Bower
  • Oak Grove
Townships
  • Antioch
  • Big Creek
  • Bismarck
  • Brown Springs
  • Butterfield
  • Clear Creek
  • De Roche
  • Dover
  • Fenter
  • Gifford
  • Harrison
  • Henderson
  • Lone Hill
  • Magnet
  • Midway
  • Montgomery
  • Ouachita
  • Prairie
  • Saline
  • Valley


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

  • 1818 - The Quapaw tribe ceded control of the lands surrounding the forty-three hot springs to the United States.
  • 1829 November 2 - Hot Spring County was established by an act of the territorial legislature with land taken from Clark County.
  • 1865 (and after) - Hot Springs thrived after the Civil War, unlike many other Arkansas towns.
  • 1850s-1870s - River transportation was becoming less important as the railroad moved west.
  • 1879 October 15 - The popularity of river travel yielded to the efficiency of rail, and fast-growing Malvern officially replaced neighboring Rockport as the county seat.
  • 1945 - World War II brought an unprecedented demand for the barite found in Hot Spring County—the solid deposits of barite were useful in oil-well drilling. Following the war, various industries were established in the county.

Additional Information

  • The county was named for the hot springs at Hot Springs, located within the county.
  • The county is a "dry county", no alcohol allowed.

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Hot Spring, 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.
1830 458
1840 1,907 316.4%
1850 3,609 89.3%
1860 5,635 56.1%
1870 5,877 4.3%
1880 7,775 32.3%
1890 11,603 49.2%
1900 12,748 9.9%
1910 15,022 17.8%
1920 17,784 18.4%
1930 18,105 1.8%
1940 18,916 4.5%
1950 22,181 17.3%
1960 21,893 −1.3%
1970 21,963 0.3%
1980 26,819 22.1%
1990 26,115 −2.6%
2000 30,353 16.2%
2010 32,923 8.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

  • Probate Records 1834-1945 Hot Spring 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 and guardian bonds 1866-1869; Administration, executor and guardian records 1858-1945; Guardian bonds and letters 1834-1850; Letters of administration 1862-1871; Probate record index 1883-1887; Probate records 1839-1895; Wills 1879-1930

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Local histories are available for Hot Spring 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

Montgomery CountyGarland CountySaline CountyGrant CountyDallas CountyClark CountyPike CountyAR HOT SPRING.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

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

- 3rd Consolidated Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
- 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company F
- 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate),
- 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company D

Men from this county served in the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)[11] and the 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate).[12]

Online Records

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Hot+Springs 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[13] 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 Hot Spring 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 Hot Spring County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Societies

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

Hot Spring County, Arkansas Historical Society
118 W 2nd St
P.O. Box 674
Malvern, AR 72104
Phone: 501-229-1600
Email: hschistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website
Facebook

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  2. Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/AR_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  3. Genealogy Trails History Group, “Hot Spring County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/hotspring/
  4. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  5. Wikipedia contributors, "Hot Spring County, Arkansas," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hot_Spring_County,_Arkansas&oldid=1168059341 (accessed August 26, 2023).
  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), Hot Spring County, Arkansas. Page 68 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), 66.
  8. The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
  9. Wikipedia contributors, "Hot Spring County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Spring_County,_Arkansas, accessed 15 September 2018.
  10. Jennifer Atkins-Gordeeva, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=774&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed January 13, 2016), “Hot Spring County.”
  11. Desmond Walls Allen, Third Arkansas Union Cavalry, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1987), pp. 33-92. FS Catalog book 976.7 M28dc
  12. Calvin L. Collier, They'll do to Tie To: the story of the Third Regiment, Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.,(Little Rock, Arkansas: Civil War Round Table Associates, 1959) p. 10. FS Catalog book 976.7 M2c
  13. 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)
  14. Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/0/0d/Igiarkansasem.pdf.