Nevada County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Nevada 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
Nevada County was created 20 March 1871[2] and was named for the state of Nevada. Its county seat is Prescott.[3] It is located in the southeastern area of the state.[4]
County Courthouse
Nevada County Courthouse
215 E 2nd St Street
Prescott, AR 71857
Phone: 870-887-3115
Nevada County Website
County Clerk has marriage and probate records from 1871 and cemetery records.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and court and land records from 1871.[5]
Nevada 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 | 1871 | 1914 | 1871 | 1871 | 1871 | 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:[8]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| 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 Nevada County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [9]
- 1803 - With the Louisiana Purchase, Euro-American settlers began to move into the region.
- 1812 - Stephen Vaughan and his wife, Polly, came up the Ouachita and the Little Missouri rivers, settling at a place on the Little Missouri later known as Janes Ferry.
- 1812 (after) - Vaughan was the first person in the county to be granted a federal land patent.
- 1850s - The flood of immigration in the 1850s accelerated the trend of land patents, which continued to the brink of the Civil War.
- 1860s - The area that would become Nevada County had only dirt roads and no towns of any size.
- 1920-2010 - Nevada County hit its population high mark in 1920 with 21,934 and has had a steady decline until this time (2010) with only 8,997.
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- Biographies at My Genealogy Hound
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1880 | 129,259 | — |
| 1890 | 14,832 | −88.5% |
| 1900 | 16,609 | 12.0% |
| 1910 | 19,344 | 16.5% |
| 1920 | 21,934 | 13.4% |
| 1930 | 20,407 | −7.0% |
| 1940 | 19,869 | −2.6% |
| 1950 | 14,781 | −25.6% |
| 1960 | 10,700 | −27.6% |
| 1970 | 10,111 | −5.5% |
| 1980 | 11,097 | 9.8% |
| 1990 | 10,101 | −9.0% |
| 2000 | 9,955 | −1.4% |
| 2010 | 8,997 | −9.6% |
| 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
- Churches in Nevada County, AR
Court Records
- 1871-1876 County Court Records, 1871-1876(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1871-1953 Circuit Court Record, v. A, 1871-1879; Circuit Court in Chancery Records, v. A-O, 1871-1953(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1872-1914 Justice of the Peace Docket, 1872-1914(*); Justice of the Peace 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
- 1910-1977 Records of Cornish Funeral Home, 1910-1977(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Brazzel-Cornish Funeral Homes in Prescott
- Herndon-Fuqua Funeral Homes in Prescott
Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Nevada County, AR Federal Land 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 Nevada 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. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry. Nevada County, Vol 2, Ch XXIV, pp. 550-591.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- Family Maps of Nevada County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- Township and Township/Range Maps - Nevada County, AR
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1890-1963 Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1891-1939 Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1901-1929 Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Nevada County:[10]
- April 3-4, 1864 - Elkin’s Ferry, also known as Okolona.
- April 9-13, 1864 - Prairie D'Ane, also known as Gum Grove or Moscow.
- Battles of the American Civil War maps - filter by state or by battle name.
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- Nevada County Picayune
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Nevada newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Nevada County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- 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 ($)
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1871-1922 Probate Records, 1871-1922(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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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| 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[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.
- 1947-1965 - Nevada County Birth Index 1947-1965. Batch C748988 at FamilySearch.
Marriage
- 1779-1966 Arkansas, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1800-Onward Arkansas Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1837-1957 Arkansas Marriages 1837-1957 at FamilySearch
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1871-1924 Nevada County Marriage Books A-P Index 1871-1924 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[12]
- 1871-1953 Nevada County Marriage Books A-Z, AA-CC Index 1871-1953 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
- Nevada County, AR Marriages at ARGenWeb
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 Nevada 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 Nevada County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Nevada County Depot and Museum
403 W 1st St S
Prescott, AR 71857
Phone: 870-887-5821
Email: TheDepotMuseum@gmail.com
Website
Facebook
Societies
Listed below are societies in Nevada County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Hempstead County Genealogy Society
115 SE Lawrence St
Washington, AR
Phone: 870-703-8256
Email: hempsteadhistory@gmail.com
Facebook
Nevada County doesn't have a genealogical society at this time, but the Hempstead County Genealogy Society does have information about Nevada County.
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).
- ↑ 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, "Nevada County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_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), Nevada County, Arkansas. Page 69 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, "Nevada County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_County,_Arkansas, accessed 6 September 2018.
- ↑ Peggy S. Lloyd, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=794&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c: accessed January 15, 2016), “Nevada 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/d/d7/Arkansasnz.pdf.