How to Find Arkansas Birth Records: Difference between revisions

From FamilySearch Wiki
VisualWikitext
m (Text replacement - "width="108%"" to "width="99%"")
m (Text replace - "Family History Library Catalog" to "FamilySearch Catalog")
(14 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{breadcrumb
''[[How to Find United States Birth Records|How to Find U.S. Birth Records]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Arkansas]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] '''Arkansas Births'''''
| link1=[[United States Genealogy|United States]]
| link2=[[United States Vital Records|U.S. Vital Records]]
| link3=[[How to Find United States Birth Records|How to Find U.S. Birth Records]]
| link4=[[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records|Arkansas Vital Records]]
| link5=[[How to Find Arkansas Birth Records|How to Find Arkansas Birth Records]]
}}


SEE ALSO [[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records|Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records]]


Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Arkansas with general compliance by the mid-1930s.  
Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Arkansas with general compliance by the mid-1930s.  
Line 40: Line 35:
== '''Births before 1881'''  ==
== '''Births before 1881'''  ==


Before 1881, no births were recorded by county or state officials. Use this chart to get earlier birth information.  
Before 1881, no births were recorded by the county or state. You must search [[Substitute Records For United States Birth Information|substitute records]] to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.
 
In the chart below, find the approximate year of birth for a person, and search the records listed.
 
{| width="99%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="5" border="1"
|-
| width="99%" bgcolor="#E6C2FF" colspan="4" | <center>'''Arkansas Records with Birth Information'''<br>This chart covers the basics. Additions are welcome.</center>
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | <center>'''For people<br>born between'''</center>
| width="20%" | <center>'''Use these records''' </center>
| width="35%" | <center>'''Birth information provided'''</center>
| width="38%" | <center>'''Comments'''</center>
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1750's-1770's
| width="20%" | Revolutionary War pensions, etc. <br>[[Arkansas Military Records#Revolutionary_War_.281775-1783.29|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |
*Name
*Birth date (month, day, year)
*Birth place (town or county and state)
 
| width="38%" |
*None of the men in these records would have been born in Arkansas
*Only men were soldiers, widows could apply
*Some veterans of the Revolutionary War ventured into Arkansas
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1770's-1840's
| width="20%" | Censuses before 1850 [[Arkansas Census#1830-1840|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |  
*Name of head of the household
*Number of males and females in age groups
 
| width="38%" |
*Residence of the parents near the time of birth is clue to birthplace
*Use other censuses, marriages, and additional records to learn more
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1770's-1870
| width="20%" | Censuses 1850-1870<br>[[Arkansas Census#1850-1870|Learn more]]  
| width="35%" |
*Name
*Age
*Birth place (state or nation)
*Gender
 
| width="38%" |
*Birth years calculated for a 70-year-old. Most were younger.
*1870 census indicates if born within the year
*While relationships are not given, they are often implied by order of ages and birth places.
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1780's to present
| width="20%" | Marriage records [[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records#Marriage_Records|Learn More]]<br>
| width="35%" |
*Name
*Age, "of age," or "minor" in early records
*Birth date more common since 1880's
*Place of birth in later records
 
| width="38%" |
*Marriage records are kept by each county clerk, usually from the creation of the county
*Birth years based on first time marriages of people between 16-30. People older than 30 would have been born even earlier.
*Remember that people who married in the earliest years would NOT have been born in Arkansas
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1780's (few); 1820's-1850's (Civil War)
| width="20%" | Military Records 1812 and later<br>[[Arkansas Military Records|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |
*Birth date and place (or only age)
 
| width="38%" |
*Most soldiers were between 18-45 at time of service
*Men only, widows could apply for pensions
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1790's to present
| width="20%" | Church records<br>[[Arkansas Church Records|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |
*Names of members
*Baptism or christening date
*Age at baptism
*For children, names of parents
 
| width="38%" |
*Churches vary greatly in the birth information they record
*Some have no record of children until they reach baptismal age


{| width="70%" border="1" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|-
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1790's to present
| align="center" colspan="3" | &nbsp; '''Records that give birth information:'''
| width="20%" | Cemeteries<br> [[Arkansas Cemeteries#Online_Resources|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |
*Name
*Birth date or age
*Married surname of a woman
*Maiden surname common in later years
 
| width="38%" |
*Most markers that still exist are from the 1850's and later
*Weathering, floods, vandalism and other factors affect the readability of early tombstones
 
|-
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | early 1800's to present
| width="20%" | Obituaries [[Arkansas Obituaries|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |  
| width="35%" |  
*Name
:[[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records#Death_Records|Death Records]]
*Birth date (usually month, day, year)
:[[Arkansas Cemeteries|Cemetery Records]]
*Birth place (usually town or county and state or nation)
:[[Arkansas Newspapers|Newspapers]]
*Names of parents
:[[Arkansas Bible Records|Bible Records]]
*Mother's maiden surname (often)


| width="38%" |
*These were popular since 1870's
*Also includes names of living relatives (spouse, children, siblings)
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1807-1916 and later
| width="20%" | Death records - County (started 1877)<br>[[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records#Death_Records|Learn more]]
| width="35%" |  
| width="35%" |  
*Name
:[[Arkansas Church Records|Church Records]]  
*Age at death or birth date
:[[Arkansas Census|Census]]  
*Place of birth (town or county and state)
:[[Arkansas Military Records|Military Records]]
*Names of parents
*Maiden surname of mother (sometimes)
 
| width="38%" |
*A 70-year-old who died in 1877 was born about 1807. Most were younger than that.
*Infants who lived even a few hours should be included.
*Even in the early years, deaths were likely to be recorded. (Check cemeteries, obituaries, and others created around a person's death)
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1810-1940
| width="20%" | Censuses 1880-1940<br>[[Arkansas Census#1880-1940|Learn more]]  
| width="35%" |
*Name
*Age; 1900 census gives month and year of birth
*Birth place (state or nation).
*Gender
*Relationship to head of household
 
| width="38%" |
*A 70-year-old would have been born in 1810. Most were younger.
*Includes parent's place of birth (state or nation)
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1844-present
| width="20%" | Death records - State (started 1914)<br>[[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records#Death_Records|Learn more]]  
| width="35%" |
*Name
*Exact birth date
*Age at death
*Place of birth (state or nation, often town or county)
*Names of parents (usually maiden surname of mother)
 
| width="38%" |
*A 70-year-old who died in 1916 was born about 1846. Most were younger.
*Also gives informant's name and address (often a spouse, child, or other close relative)
*Records within the last 50 years are not available to the public
 
|-
| width="15%" bgcolor="#FAFOFF" | 1870's-present (some earlier)
| width="20%" | Newspapers<br> [[Arkansas Newspapers|Learn More]]  
| width="35%" |
*Gender of child, sometimes name
*Name of father
*Name of mother (less often)
*Their residence
 
| width="38%" |
*Search for birth announcements and items from nearby communities
*Newspapers started early in more populated areas


|}
|}
Line 226: Line 67:
For births that exist during the time period, try the following database:  
For births that exist during the time period, try the following database:  


{| width="100%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="6" border="0"
{| width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="6"
|-
|-
| align="left" colspan="3" | '''Includes Index Only'''  
| align="left" colspan="3" | '''Includes Index Only'''  
Line 282: Line 123:
=== Related Wiki Articles  ===
=== Related Wiki Articles  ===


*[[How to Find Arkansas Marriage Records|How to Find Arkansas Marriage Records]]  
*[[How to Find Arkansas Marriage Records|How to Find Arkansas Marriage Records]]
*[[How to Find Arkansas Death Records|How to Find Arkansas Death Records]]  
*[[How to Find Arkansas Death Records|How to Find Arkansas Death Records]]
*[[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records|Online Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records]]  
*[[Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records|Online Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records]]
*[[Arkansas Online Genealogy Records]]  
*[[Arkansas Online Genealogy Records]]
*[[How to Find United States Birth Records#Tips_about_Searching_United_States_Birth_Records|Learn more about U.S. birth records]]  
*[[How to Find United States Birth Records#Tips_about_Searching_United_States_Birth_Records|Learn more about U.S. birth records]]  
*[[How to Find United States Marriage Records|How to find U.S. marriage records]]  
*[[How to Find United States Marriage Records|How to find U.S. marriage records]]  
*[[How to Find United States Death Records|How to find U.S. death records]]  
*[[How to Find United States Death Records|How to find U.S. death records]]  
*[[United States Record Finder|United States Record Finder ]]  
*[[United States Record Selection Table|United States Record Selection Table ]]  
*[[U.S. Vital Records Overview|U.S. Vital Records Overview]]  
*[[U.S. Vital Records Overview|U.S. Vital Records Overview]]  
*[[United States Vital Records|United States Vital Records]]  
*[[United States Vital Records|United States Vital Records]]  
Line 295: Line 136:
*[[United States Death Records|United States Death Records ]]  
*[[United States Death Records|United States Death Records ]]  
*[[United States Marriage Records|United States Marriage Records]]
*[[United States Marriage Records|United States Marriage Records]]
{{arkansas|arkansas}}


__NOTOC__  
__NOTOC__  


[[Category:Arkansas_Vital_Records]] [[Category:How-To Articles]]
[[Category:Arkansas_Vital_Records]] [[Category:How_to_articles]]

Revision as of 23:01, 18 July 2014

How to Find U.S. Birth Records Gotoarrow.png Arkansas Gotoarrow.png Arkansas Births

SEE ALSO Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Arkansas with general compliance by the mid-1930s.

Next Step: When did the birth occur? [edit | edit source]
Birth Records
Choose a time period:

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1881[edit | edit source]

Before 1881, no births were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.

  Records that give birth information:
Death Records
Cemetery Records
Newspapers
Bible Records
Church Records
Census
Military Records
Return to top: Choose another birth year


Births from 1881 thru 1913[edit | edit source]

In 1881, some Arkansas counties and cities, such as Little Rock and Fort Smith, began recording births. If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that exist during the time period, try the following database:

Includes Index Only
Arkansas Births, 1812-1965 FamilySearch - Free; incomplete; index only; although a few of the entries are for births before 1881 and after 1913, the majority of the entries are for 1881-1913.
Can't find your ancestor in the online index? Tips for searching online indexes
No birth record for your ancestor? Other records with birth information

Obtain the Record[edit | edit source]

With approximate birth years and places, you can locate birth records by contacting the appropriate county clerk's office, or on microfilm available through the FamilySearch Catalog by searching ARKANSAS [COUNTY] VITAL RECORDS.

Return to top: Choose another birth year


Births after 1913[edit | edit source]

Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Arkansas with general compliance by the mid-1930s. Currently, there are no complete online indexes to Arkansas births from 1914 to the present. A few entries for births between 1914 and 1965 are indexed in the database Arkansas Births, 1812-1965 at FamilySearch.org.

Obtain the Certificate[edit | edit source]

With full names, dates and places of an event, you can order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from the Arkansas Department of Health or VitalChek.


Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:

  • The person on the certificate
  • Specific relatives
  • Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another birth year


Related Wiki Articles[edit | edit source]

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Find_Arkansas_Birth_Records&oldid=1799319"