Howard County, Arkansas Genealogy
(Redirected from Howard County, Arkansas)
Guide to Howard 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
Howard County was created on 17 April 1873[2] and was named for State Senator James Howard.[3] Its county seat is Nashville.[4] It is located in the southwestern area of the state.[5]
County Courthouse
Howard County Courthouse
421 N Main Street
Nashville, AR 71852
Phone: 870-845-7502
Howard County Website
County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1873 and some cemetery records.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records from 1873.[6]
Howard 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 | 1873 | 1914 | 1873 | 1873 | 1873 | 1830 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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]
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| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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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 Howard County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [10]
- 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.
Resources
Bible Records
- Conway County Bible Records at Arkansas Geneaolgy
Biographies
- Biographies at My Genealogy Hound
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 9,917 | — |
| 1890 | 13,789 | 39.0% |
| 1900 | 14,076 | 2.1% |
| 1910 | 16,898 | 20.0% |
| 1920 | 18,565 | 9.9% |
| 1930 | 17,489 | −5.8% |
| 1940 | 16,621 | −5.0% |
| 1950 | 13,342 | −19.7% |
| 1960 | 10,878 | −18.5% |
| 1970 | 11,412 | 4.9% |
| 1980 | 13,459 | 17.9% |
| 1990 | 13,569 | 0.8% |
| 2000 | 14,300 | 5.4% |
| 2010 | 13,789 | −3.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1890 1890 census of Howard County, Arkansas. 1985. by Lucille Westbrook. n.p.: L. Westbrook. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- FamilySearch Places
- 1875-1899 Nebraska, Church Records, 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
Court Records
- 1873-1882 County Court Records, vol. A-B, 1873-1882(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1873-1905 Circuit Court Records, 1873-1905(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1885-1910 Jury Lists, 1885-1910(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1888-1889 Blue Ridge and Blackland Townships Court Records, 1888-1889(*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1891-1951 Chancery Court Records, 1891-1951(*); Chancery Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 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
- Latimer Funeral Home in Nashville
- Wilkerson Funeral Homes in Dierks
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1873-1970 Howard 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 records 1873-1949; Adminstration and executor bonds 1873-1945; Probate records 1873-1889; Wills 1873-1970.
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 Howard 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. Chicago, IL: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890. Online at: Vol. I - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vols. I & II Ancestry ($).
- History of Howard County, Arkansas. Howard County Heritage Club. Nashville, AR: Nashville News, 1973. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; At various libraries (WorldCat). Howard County is in Vol I, Ch XVIII, pp. 238-304.
Maps and Gazetteers
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- Family Maps of Howard County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). 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
Regiments. Men in Howard County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 5th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), The Davis Blues
Online Records
- 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
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Howard newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Howard 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 ($)
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1783-1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1873-1970 Probate Records, 1873-1970(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1884-1968 Arkansas, Howard County, Probate Court Case Files, 1884-1968(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — 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
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In 1877, a few county and city clerks[11] 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 ($)
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1873-1952 Howard County Marriage Books A-X Index (1873-1952) and Card File Index (1941-1994) in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
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 Howard 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 Howard County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Howard County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Websites
- Howard County, 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).
- ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/AR_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Howard County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/howard/
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ 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), Howard 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.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Howard County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_County,_Arkansas, accessed 17 September 2018.
- ↑ Lauren White, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=775&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed January 13, 2016), “Howard County.”
- ↑ 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)