Arkansas Court Records

Arkansas Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Guardianship Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Occupation & Business Records Online Collections Periodicals Probate Records Taxation Vital Records Voter Records

Arkansas Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Cultural Groups Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a FamilySearch center

United States

U.S. Court Records

Arkansas

Court Records

Online Resources

• Fort Smith, Arkansas, Criminal Case Files Index, 1866-1900 Index only ($)
• Black Sheep Ancestors Arkansas
• State of Arkansas County & City Government Court records by Genealogy Inc.

Major Courts

Major Arkansas courts that have kept records of genealogical value include the following:

• Circuit courts have countywide jurisdiction over criminal cases, naturalization, and major civil cases. The FamilySearch Library has copies of many circuit court records.
• Chancery courts have countywide jurisdiction over equity, divorce, probate, guardianship, and adoptions. The FamilySearch Library has some chancery court records. For Pulaski County, for example, the library has copies of the records from 1839 to 1877.
• Courts of common pleas have countywide jurisdiction over non-real estate civil matters. The FamilySearch Library has some courts of common pleas records.
• County courts have countywide jurisdiction over juvenile matters, taxes, claims, and county expenditures. The FamilySearch Library has some county court records, including Pulaski County files from 1846 to 1878.
• Justice of the peace courts have countywide jurisdiction over preliminary hearings of criminal cases and minor contract matters. The FamilySearch Library has some justice of the peace records, such as the Pulaski County files from 1873 to 1917.
• Original court records are kept by the clerks in each county courthouse. Copies of records at the FamilySearch Library often date from the creation of a county to about 1900, and some indexes are available through the 1970s. Court records are also available at the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.