Polk County, Arkansas Genealogy
Guide to Polk 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
Polk County was created 30 November 1844[2] and was named for President James K. Polk.[3] Its county seat is Mena.[4] It is located in the west-central area of the state.[5]
County Courthouse
Polk County Courthouse
507 Church Avenue
Mena, AR 71953
Phone: 501-394-8123
Polk County Website
County Clerk has marriage records from 1885, probate records from 1900 and cemetery records.
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce, land and court records from 1885 and military records.[6]
Polk 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 | 1885 | 1914 | 1885 | 1885 | 1900 | 1830 |
Record Loss
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1883 A courthouse fire destroyed all records prior to 1883, except one probate record dating from September 1876, one county court record dating from July 1876, and one circuit court record dating from February 1877.
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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:[9]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| 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 Polk County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [10]
Resources
Bible Records
- Polk County Bible Records at Arkansas USGenWeb Project Archives
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 1,263 | — |
| 1860 | 4,262 | 237.5% |
| 1870 | 3,376 | −20.8% |
| 1880 | 5,857 | 73.5% |
| 1890 | 9,283 | 58.5% |
| 1900 | 18,352 | 97.7% |
| 1910 | 17,216 | −6.2% |
| 1920 | 16,412 | −4.7% |
| 1930 | 14,857 | −9.5% |
| 1940 | 15,832 | 6.6% |
| 1950 | 14,182 | −10.4% |
| 1960 | 11,981 | −15.5% |
| 1970 | 13,297 | 11.0% |
| 1980 | 17,007 | 27.9% |
| 1990 | 17,347 | 2.0% |
| 2000 | 20,229 | 16.6% |
| 2010 | 20,662 | 2.1% |
| 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
- 1876-1883 Court Record, 1876-1883(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1877-1882 Circuit Court Record, vol. G, 1877-1882(*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
- 1879-1904 Justice of the Peace Docket, 1879-1904(*); Justice of the Peace Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1885-1951 Court Records, 1885-1951(*); 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
- Beasley Wood Funeral Home in Mena
- Bowser Family Funeral Home in Mena
Genealogies
Guardianship
- Probate Records 1883-1957 Polk County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration bonds 1883-1919; Guardian bonds 1883-1921; Probate records 1876-1888; Wills 1901-1957. - How to Use this Collection
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 Polk 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 Western Arkansas. Chicago : Southern Publishing Co., 1891. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Arkansas (1813-1925)
- Family Maps of Polk County, Arkansas Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Arkansas State Archives State Maps Collection at Arkansas Digital Archives
Migration
Military Records
Civil War
Regiments. Men in Polk County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dawson's) (Confederate)
- - 33rd Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
- - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union) [11] Company E
Online Records
- 1861-1865 Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
- 1890-1963 Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1891-1939 Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1901-1929 Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Arkansas, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Polk newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Polk County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- 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 ($)
- 1817-1979 Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979(*) at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images
- 1876-1957 Probate Court Records, 1876-1957(*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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
| 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[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 ($)
- 1860-1976 Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index & images - How to Use this Collection
- 1881-1923 Polk County Marriage Books A-N Index 1881-1923 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.[13]
- 1881-1952 Polk County Marriage Books A-W Index 1881-1952 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1901-1905 Polk county Marriages, 1901-05 at Ancestry ($)
- 1906-1910 Polk county Marriages, 1906-10 at Ancestry ($)
- 1917-1969 Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969 at Ancestry.com - index & images ($)
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 Polk 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 Polk County. For state-wide library facilities, see Arkansas Archives and Libraries.
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Polk County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Arkansas Societies.
Polk County, Arkansas History and Genealogy
P.O. Box 1525
Mena, AR 71953
Facebook
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
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Polk County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/polk/
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Polk County, Arkansas," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polk_County,_Arkansas&oldid=1166319368 (accessed September 14, 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), Polk County, Arkansas. Page 70 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), 67.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Polk County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_County,_Arkansas, accessed 13 September 2018.
- ↑ Roy Vail, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=800&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent=+%3a+accessed+January+6%2c+2016)%2c : accessed January 15, 2016), “Polk County.”
- ↑ 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.