Perry County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Perry 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
Perry County was created 18 December 1840[2] and was named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero in the War of 1812. Its county seat is Perryville.[3] It is located in the central area of the state.[4]
County Courthouse
Perry County Courthouse
310 W. Main St
P.O. Box 358
Perryville, AR 72126-0358
Phone: 501-889-5126
Perry County Website
County Clerk has marriage, divorce, probate and land records from 1882.[5]
Perry 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 | 1882 | 1914 | 1882 | 1882 | 1882 | 1830 |
Record Loss
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1881 All records except one small chancery volume destroyed by fire.
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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 | ||
| 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 Perry County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [9]
- 1808 - Aaron Price, the first recorded white settler in the area, is purported to have settled on the Fourche La Fave River eight to nine miles downstream from present-day Perryville
- 1840 December 18 - Perry County was created from Pulaski, Conway, Hot Spring, and Yell counties.
- 1879 March 3 - Perry County petitioned Congress in 1875 for an appropriation to improve navigation on the Fourche La Fave River. The act was approved on March 3, 1879
- 1879 - German Catholic families settled in east Perry County, naming their community New Dixie.
- 1912 - African American families settled in the Toad Suck community, also known as Redemption
- 1912-1914 - Several Lithuanian families immigrated to the United States from 1904 to 1910 because of the Russo-Japanese War and settled near Bigelow.
- 1915 - A group of Italian immigrants arrived in the east end of the county, bringing their wine-making skills to a region of Perry County that resembled Italy.
- 1930s - The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed local citizens for their many county work projects. This encouraged people to stay in the area.
- 1930s (late)-1940s (early) - Migration to California to find work was so extensive that the region around Fresno and Dinub in California became known as “Little Perry County.”
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- Family Biographies from The History of Perry County, Arkansas (1889) published by Goodspeed are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 978 | — |
| 1860 | 2,465 | 152.0% |
| 1870 | 2,685 | 8.9% |
| 1880 | 3,872 | 44.2% |
| 1890 | 5,538 | 43.0% |
| 1900 | 7,294 | 31.7% |
| 1910 | 9,402 | 28.9% |
| 1920 | 9,905 | 5.3% |
| 1930 | 7,695 | −22.3% |
| 1940 | 8,392 | 9.1% |
| 1950 | 5,978 | −28.8% |
| 1960 | 4,927 | −17.6% |
| 1970 | 5,634 | 14.3% |
| 1980 | 7,266 | 29.0% |
| 1990 | 7,969 | 9.7% |
| 2000 | 10,209 | 28.1% |
| 2010 | 10,445 | 2.3% |
| 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
- 1874-1890 Circuit Court Records (Perry County, Arkansas), 1874-1890(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1882-1884 County Court Records (Perry County, Arkansas), 1882-1884(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1896-1972 Court Records, 1896-1972(*); 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
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1882-1955 Perry 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 bonds 1882-1905; Appraisements 1882-1910; Dockets 1882-1893; Guardian Bonds 1882-1905; Inventories 1882-1944; Letters of administration 1882-1943; Probate records 1882-1902; Wills 1890-1995.
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 Perry 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 Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas. Chicago ; St. Louis : Goodspeed Pub. Co., 1889. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- Living the Times : 1776-1976, a Bicentennial Tribute to Perry County. By Patsy Womack. Salt Lake City, Utah : Digitized by FamilySearch International, 2014. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. Digital images of original published: [Arkansas : s.n. 1976?].
Maps and Gazetteers
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- Map of 1889 Perry County, Arkansas with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
- 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 Perry County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), Company B
- - 10th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate),
- - 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company F
- - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)[10], Companies B and C
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 Perry newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Perry 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
- 1882-1951 Probate Records, 1882-1951(*); 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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| Father's Occupation |
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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 ($)
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1881-1922 Perry County Marriage Index 1881-1922 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[12]
- 1882-1960 Perry County Marriage Books A-G and 17 Index 1882-1960 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
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 Perry 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
- Conway Arkansas FamilySearch Center
- Central Arkansas Library System - multiple locations - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Perry County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Perry County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
River Valley Genealogy Society
Farm Bureau Building
201 E Shady Lane
P.O. Box 830
Morrilton, AR
Phone: 501-208-4213, 501-354-4428
Email: rivervalleygenealogysociety@gmail.com
Website
Covers Conway, Faulkner, Perry, Pope, Yell and Van Buren Counties.
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, "Perry County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_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), Perry 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, "Perry County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_County,_Arkansas, accessed 7 September 2018.
- ↑ Lynda Suffridge, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=796&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c : accessed January 15, 2016), “PerryCounty.”
- ↑ 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/d/d7/Arkansasnz.pdf.