Lawrence County, Arkansas Genealogy
(Redirected from Lawrence County, Arkansas)
Guide to Lawrence County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Lawrence County was created on 1 March 1815[2] and was named for Captain James Lawrence who fought in the War of 1812. Its county seat is Walnut Ridge.[3] It is located in the northeastern area of the state.[4]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Lawrence County Courthouse
P.O. Box 553
315 W Main
Walnut Ridge, AR 72476
Phone: 870-886-1111
Lawrence County Website
County Clerk has marriage and probate records.[5]
Lawrence County, Arkansas[edit | edit source]
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 | 1821 | 1914 | 1816 | 1815 | 1817 | 1830 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[8]
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| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were taken from the Lawrence County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [9]
- Arkansas became United States territory with the Louisiana Purchase.
- 1800s (early) - White settlers first inhabited the county’s western regions
- 1815 January 15 - Lawrence County was created. The “Mother of Counties,” Lawrence County once covered a majority of north Arkansas, an enormous stretch of land ultimately forming thirty-one counties.
- 1816 - The earliest important settlement was at Davidsonville along the Black River. Named for territorial legislator John Davidson, the town served as the first county seat. Yellow fever ended the settlement.
- 1861-1865 - During the Civil War, Lawrence County escaped damage.
- 1800s (mid) - Powhatan experienced explosive growth and soon sported mills, shops, and hotels. Because of this growth, it became the county seat in 1869.
- 1940-2010 - Lawrence County population hit its high mark in 1940 (22,600) and has a slow decline to a prsent (2010) low mark of 17,400.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Biographies at My Genealogy Hound
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 2,806 | — |
| 1840 | 2,835 | 1.0% |
| 1850 | 5,274 | 86.0% |
| 1860 | 9,372 | 77.7% |
| 1870 | 5,981 | −36.2% |
| 1880 | 8,782 | 46.8% |
| 1890 | 12,984 | 47.8% |
| 1900 | 16,491 | 27.0% |
| 1910 | 20,001 | 21.3% |
| 1920 | 22,098 | 10.5% |
| 1930 | 21,663 | −2.0% |
| 1940 | 22,651 | 4.6% |
| 1950 | 21,303 | −6.0% |
| 1960 | 17,267 | −18.9% |
| 1970 | 16,320 | −5.5% |
| 1980 | 18,447 | 13.0% |
| 1990 | 17,457 | −5.4% |
| 2000 | 17,774 | 1.8% |
| 2010 | 17,415 | −2.0% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
1820 is missing
- 1850 Lawrence County Sharp County ARGenWeb
Church Records[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
- 1816-1871 Court Records, 1816-1871(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1830 Lawrence County, Arkansas Circuit Court, 1818 to 1830 and Court of Common Pleas, 1821(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1818-1846 Circuit Court Docket, 1818-1846(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1818-1880 Court Records, 1818-1880(*); County and Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1852-1956 Chancery Records, 1852-1956(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1854-1906 Docket, 1854-1906(*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1876-1883 Criminal Court Records, 1876-1883(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- Bryan Funeral Home in Hoxie and Imboden
- Cox Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge
- House-Gregg Funeral Home in Walnut Ridge
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Lawrence County Federal Land Records USGenWeb Archives
- Lawrence County Assessor's Searchable Public Records Database
- Lawrence County Landmarks
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Lawrence 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 Northeast Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889. Online at: Vol. II - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. I & II - HathiTrust, Internet Archive. Lawrence County, Vol II, Ch XXIV, pp762-831.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- Family Maps of Lawrence County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- Arkansas Maps and Atlases
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Arkansas, Lawrence County on page 191.
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Men in Lawrence County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 1st Regiment, Arkansas Mounted Rifles (Confederate)[10], Company E
- - 7th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)[11]
- - 8th Battalion, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Companies Cand G
- - 38th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
- - 45th Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate)[12],
- - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)[13], Companies C and E
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
- Edward Gerdes' Arkansas Civil War Rosters
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- The Times Dispatch
- Jonesboro Sun
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lawrence newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Lawrence 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 ($)
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1783-1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1817-1927 Wills and Letters Testamentary, 1817-1927(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1919-1969 Probate Records (Lawrence County, Arkansas), 1919-1969(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1820-1885 Probate Packets, ca. 1820-1885(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1821-1873 Administrators Settlements and Abstracts, 1821-1873(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1833-1906 Probate Docket and Court Records, 1833-1906(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1839-1927 Administrators and Guardians Bonds and Letters, 1839-1927(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1845-1859 Court Records, 1845-1859(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1883-1904 Record of Indentures and Articles of Incorporation, 1883-1904(*); 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[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Birth[edit | edit source]
| 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[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.
- 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[edit | edit source]
- 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1800-Onward Arkansas Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1821-1926 Lawrence County Marriage Index 1821-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[15]
- 1821-1967 Lawrence County Marriage Index (1821-1901), Western District Index (1901-1967), Eastern District Index (1904-1944) in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images
- Lawrence County Arkansas Marriages Lawrence County ARGenWeb - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 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 ($)
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1923-1969 Arkansas, Divorces, 1923-1969 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
Voting Records[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Lawrence County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]
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
- Jonesboro Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Lawrence County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Lawrence County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Lawrence County Historical Society
P.O. Box 261
Walnut Ridge, AR 72476
Email: info@lchsar.org
Website
Facebook
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Lawrence 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lawrence County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_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), Lawrence 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, "Lawrence County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_County,_Arkansas, accessed 3 September 2018.
- ↑ John G. Jacobsen, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=782&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=: accessed January 14, 2016), “Lawrence County.”
- ↑ Desmond Walls Allen, First Arkansas Confederate Mounted Rifles, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1988), p. 2. FS Catalog book 976.7 M2a
- ↑ Desmond Walls Allen, The Seventh Arkansas Confederate Infantry, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1988) FS Catalog book 976.7 M22adw
- ↑ Desmond Walls Allen, Forty-fifth Arkansas Confederate Calvary, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1988), p. 1. FS Catalog book 976.7 M2af
- ↑ Desmond Walls Allen, Third Arkansas Union Cavalry, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1987), p. 33-92. FS Catalog book 976.7 M28dc
- ↑ 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.