Jefferson County, Arkansas Genealogy
(Redirected from Jefferson County, Arkansas)
Guide to Jefferson 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
Jefferson County was created on 1 January 1830[2] and was named for President Thomas Jefferson.[3] Its county seat is Pine Bluff.[4] It is located in the central area of the state.[5]
County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse
101 W Barraque Street
Pine Bluff, AR 71601
Phone: 870-541-5360
Jefferson County Website
County Clerk has marriage records from 1830 and probate records from 1845.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, court and land records.[6]
Jefferson 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 | 1830 | 1914 | 1837 | 1830 | 1845 | 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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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 Jefferson County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [10]
- 1818 August 24 - The Quapaw ceded their lands to the U.S. government.
- 1800s (early) - One of the first permanent settlers of record in Jefferson County was Joseph Bonne, who brought his Quapaw family from to live on a pine tree–covered bluff on the Arkansas River.
- 1890s - Jefferson County entered what historian Jim Leslie has referred to as the Golden Era. Because of its prodigious cotton production and location near the Arkansas River, the county attracted many industries, businesses, and public institutions.
- 1927-1930s - The Flood of 1927 is considered Jefferson County’s worst natural disaster, killing dozens of people and destroying tens of thousands of acres of cotton and hundreds of farmsteads and homes. With the Great Depression of the 1930s, it took the county decades to reclaim the economic status it was gaining before the flood.
Resources
Bible Records
- Jefferson County Bible Records at Arkansas USGenWeb Project Archives
Biographies
- Biographies at My Genealogy Hound
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 772 | — |
| 1840 | 2,566 | 232.4% |
| 1850 | 5,834 | 127.4% |
| 1860 | 14,971 | 156.6% |
| 1870 | 15,733 | 5.1% |
| 1880 | 22,386 | 42.3% |
| 1890 | 40,881 | 82.6% |
| 1900 | 40,972 | 0.2% |
| 1910 | 52,734 | 28.7% |
| 1920 | 60,330 | 14.4% |
| 1930 | 64,154 | 6.3% |
| 1940 | 65,101 | 1.5% |
| 1950 | 76,075 | 16.9% |
| 1960 | 81,373 | 7.0% |
| 1970 | 85,329 | 4.9% |
| 1980 | 90,718 | 6.3% |
| 1990 | 85,487 | −5.8% |
| 2000 | 84,278 | −1.4% |
| 2010 | 77,435 | −8.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
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
- 1830-1877 Circuit Court Records, 1830-1877(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1837-1877 County Court Record, 1837-1877(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1876-1920 Chancery Court Records (Jefferson County, Arkansas), 1876-1920(*); 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
African Americans
- 1865-1871 - Jefferson County Colored Marriage Books I-II Index 1865-1871 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1864-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Pine Bluff at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; Copies of marriage certificates, Register of marriages, Register of abandoned property, letters
- 1866-1867 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Pine Bluff (Superintendent of Arkansas River District) at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; persons hired, letters
Funeral Homes
- 1891-1954 Records of McFadden Funeral Home, Pine Bluff, Ark., 1891-1954(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1954-1984 Records of Hale-South Funeral Home, 1954-1984(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Brown Funeral Home in Pine Bluff
- Fuller Hale South Funeral Services in Pine Bluff
- Henson-Holcomb Mortuary in Pine Bluff
Genealogies
- Biographies from The History of Jefferson County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed Publishing Company are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1830-1930 Jefferson 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 1850-1859; Administration bonds and letters 1862-1906; Administration records 1856-1862; Administration, executor and guardian bonds 1859-1862; Dockets 1830-1889; Executor bonds and letters 1862-1930; Probate records 1863-1890; Wills 1839-1927
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 Jefferson 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 the Central Counties of Arkansas. Chicago; St. Louis: Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1889. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). Jefferson County, Ch. XVI, pp124-230.
Maps and Gazetteers
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
Regiments. Men in Jefferson County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company D
- - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Colquitt's) (Confederate)
- - 2nd Battalion, Arkansas Calvalry (Confederate) , Company D
- - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate) , Company G
- - 8th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
- - 15th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Josey's) (Confederate)
- - 18th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate) Companies A, D and K
- - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies C and K
- - Pine Bluff Artillery, Arkansas (Confederate)
Online Records
- 1861-1865 Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1890-1963 Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1891-1939 Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1901-1929 Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Jefferson County:[11]
- October 25, 1863 - Pine Bluff.
- Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Obituary Index from the following from 1866 to current time:
- Pine Bluff Commercial
- Pine Bluff Graphic
- Pin Bluff News
- Pine Bluff Eagle
- White Hall Journal
- Pine Bluff Dispatch
- The Negro Spokesman
- The Jefferson Republican
- Weekly Echo
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Jackson newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Jefferson County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- 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 ($)
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1830-1930 Probate Records (Jefferson County, Arkansas), 1830-1930(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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
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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 ($)
- 1830-1920 Jefferson County Marriage Books 1-8, A-Z, AA Index 1830-1920 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[13]
- 1830-1950 Jefferson County Marriage Books A-Z, I-VIII, AA-ZZ Index 1830-1950 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
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
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Jefferson County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Jefferson County Genealogical Society
Jefferson County Museum
201 E 4th Ave
Pine Bluff, AR 71613
Phone: 870-541-5402
Email: historydirector@cablelynx.com
Facebook
Websites
- ARGenWeb
- USGenWeb
- 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, “Jefferson County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/jeff/
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Jefferson County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_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), Jefferson 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, "Jefferson County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_County,_Arkansas, accessed 18 September 2018.
- ↑ Russell E. Bearden, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=779&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed January 13, 2016), “Jefferson 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/0/0d/Igiarkansasem.pdf.