Arkansas Vital Records

United States Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Introduction to Vital Records  Template:Adoption ARGenWeb Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Arkansas Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. See also Arkansas Statewide Indexes and Collections at the Family History Library.

Marriage Records  Grooms 1838 - 1939 Brides 1838 -1939 1779 - 1992

Arkansas Birth, Marriage & Death Records Online

The following online resources will be useful for locating Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Check Arkansas Vital Records Online for more information about the resources listed below. Nearly all of the searchable databases for Arkansas Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an online index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.

• 1837-1957 - Arkansas County Marriages, 1837-1957 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• 1837-1944 - Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1944 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• 1880-1893 - Arkansas Births and Christenings, 1880-1893 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• 1882-1929, 1945-1963 - Arkansas Deaths and Burials, 1882-1929, 1945-1963 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• 1914-1950 - Arkansas, Death Index, 1914-1950 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• 1923-1939 - Arkansas, Divorce Index, 1923-1939 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• 1933-1939 - Arkansas, Marriage Index, 1933-1939 - free, courtesy: FamilySearch. Description.
• Arkansas Links from the fhlfavorites.info for the world - Free
• Arkansas Databases listed on Rootsweb.com - Free
• USGenWeb.org Arkansas Site - Free
• The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for Arkansas - Free/$
• Wee Monster Links for Arkansas Birth & Marriage and Death Records - Free/$
• Linkpendium Links for Arkansas Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$ 
• Progenealogists Links for the United States. Press Ctrl + F on the keyboard to search for Arkansas or AR - Free/$
• Search the Arkansas Birth, Marriage & Death Records at Ancestry.com - $ 
• Arkansas Vital Records and Probate Records
• Arkansas Online Birth & Marriage Records Indexes
• Arkansas Online Death Records & Indexes
• Order Arkansas Certificates online -  $ 
• State of Arkansas Obituary and Death Notices Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. From Various Funeral Homes around the State of Arkansas.
• Death Records Search. A guide for finding death records on the internet.
  
• Wikiprocedure - Procedures to get birth, death, marriage and divorce certificate

Birth Records

1881 - 1914

Statewide birth records in Arkansas did not begin until 1 February 1914. Copies of pre-1914 birth records may be obtained by contacting the county clerk's office of the county of birth. Little Rock and Fort Smith have birth records from 1881 which are available from the state. See also Substitute Records below.

1914 - Present

Arkansas began statewide birth registration 1 February 1914, however, it was the mid 1930's before widespread compliance was achieved. Due to a 100 year privacy law, the Division of Vital Records only issues copies to a family member or the individual named on the record unless the information is going to be used for family history. You must specifically state the purpose for which the certificate will be used. Delayed registrations of births are available since 1914. For copies of state records write to:

Division of Vital Records
Arkansas Department of Health
Slot #44
4815 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72205-3867
Phone: 501-661-2174

TheFamily History Library Catalog has microfilms of original indexes and birth records for most Arkansas Counties. After selecting the appropriate County, click on the Vital Records topic to see available microfilms that may be ordered and viewed at a nearby Family History Center.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Arkansas Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Information in Arkansas Birth Records

Types of Information	1881 - 1914	1914 - present
Name of Child
Sex
Race
Date and Place of Birth
Parents' Names & Ages
Midwife or Doctor
Occupation of Father
Number of Birth for Mother
Residence of Family

Adoption Records

Adoption files include the original birth certificate with identifying information to parties of the adoption. These files may be accessed through an Adoption Registry with the State of Arkansas. The State Department of Human Services has an adoption registry. It is a mutual consent registry in which both parties must be registered before identifying information can be released. Adopted adults age 21 or older, birth parents, and individuals related within the second degree may register. Before release of information, parties requesting information are required to have 1 hour of counseling.

Marriage Records

Early - 1917

Earlier records must be obtained from the respective county clerk where the license was issued, which is frequently the county of the bride's residence. Be aware that some counties in Arkansas have two courthouses where the documents could have been filed. The Arkansas Department of Health has indexes to marriages from 1820 to the present. 

1917- Present

The Arkansas Department of Health has marriage records beginning 1917 and indexes to marriages from 1820 to the present. The Family History Library Catalog has microfilms of original indexes and birth records for most Arkansas Counties. After selecting the appropriate county, click on the Vital Records topic to see available microfilms that may be ordered and viewed at a nearby Family History Center.

Wiki articles describing online collections are found a

• Arkansas County Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
• Arkansas Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Information in Arkansas Marriage Records

Types of Information	Early - 1917	1917 - present
Name of Bride/Groom
Date of Marriage
Location of Marriage
Age of Bride/Groom
Presiding Official
Parents' Names
Date of Birth of Bride/Groom
Place of Birth of Bride/Groom
Residence of Bride/Groom
Occupation of Bride/Groom
Number of Marriages for Bride/Groom

Divorce Records

Certified copies of divorce records are available from the clerk of the circuit or chancery court in the county where the divorce was granted. In addition, the Division of Vital Records has divorce records filed since 1923.

Death Records

Early - 1914

No deaths were recorded by government agencies prior to 1914. See Substitute Records below. Additional information on the history and availability of Arkansas vital records may be found in the Guide to Vital Statistic Records in Arkansas.

1914 - present

Beginning 1 February 1914, Arkansas State Law required the registration of all deaths occuring within the state of Arkansas. Information found on a death certificate is reported by an informant (usually a relative) and may or may not be accurate. To obtain copies of original death records, contact the Arkansas Department of Health. The Arkansas History Commission has an index of deaths occurring in Arkansas from 1914 through 1949. This is only an alphabetical listing of deaths for the time period; the History Commission does not have copies of the death records.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Arkansas Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Information in Arkansas Death Records

Types of Information	early - 1914	1914 - present
Name of Deceased
Date and Place of Death
Age at Death
Date and Place of Birth
Marital Status
Name of Spouse
Parents' Names
Name of Informant
Occupation and Education of Deceased
Whether Deceased was a Veteran
Deceased's Social Security Number
Cause of Death
Date and Place of Burial
Funeral Home

Minorities

African American Research

When searching for birth, marriage, or death records for African Americans after the Civil War, check the record types listed above. Birth, marriage, and death information for African Americans prior to the Civil War can be found in other African American resources.

Arkansas Indian Research

To locate birth, marriage, or death information on Native Americans living in Arkansas you must know which tribe the individual belonged to.  Indians of Arkansas has more specific information about tribes in the State.

Substitute Records

Where better records do not exist, use substitute records to verify and enrich knowledge about an event or establish evidence of the birth, marriage or death of your ancestor.

• Arkansas Church Records
• Arkansas Cemetery Records
• Arkansas Census Records
• Arkansas History
• Arkansas Newspapers
• Arkansas Military Records
• Arkansas Peiodicals

Discontinued Counties 

They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government, however these Arkansas Counties no longer exist. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century.

• Dorsey County: Renamed Cleveland County in 1885
• Lovely County: Formed on October 13, 1827, from Crawford County and the Lovely Purchase. Lovely County included more of present day Oklahoma than present day Arkansas. The Oklahoma portion of the County was lost to Arkansas in 1828 with the Cherokee Treaty of that year. Most of the remainder became Washington County on October 27, 1828. Parts of Lovely County were used to form Washington County. Other county boundry changes occured when according to D.Y. Thomas, "In 1816, William and Peter Lovely purchased a tract of land from the Osage Indians, which was included within the western boundary of Arkansas, as laid down in 1824, and was a large part of the county of Lovely, created in 1827. Unfortunately, this same region had been granted to the Cherokee Indians in 1818, creating difficulties which were not settled until 1828, when the present boundary of the State was established, and most of Lovely County made a part of the Indian Territory. Such land as was left by this decision was included in Washington County, October 27, 1828, and the county officials were directed to take over the affairs and moneys of Lovely County."
• Old Miller County: Formed on 1 April 1820 from Hempstead County. In 1828 a boundry change left Old Miller County entirely in Texas. In 1838, it was abolished to create Red River County, Texas. Extant records that are at Arkansas History Commision include Probate (1830-1838), Circuit Court (1830-1835), and Tax records (1832-1837). There was a courthouse fire in 1828. Available records for Old Miller County are in the George T. Wright Collection, Miller County Records, Territory of Arkansas, July 20, 1835 - March 17, 1838, University of Texas, Austin. Probate records have been published - see Old Miller County under books for sale www.ArkansasResearch.com
• New Madrid County: Now located in Missouri
• Sarber County: Formed on 22 March 1871 as Sarber County. Name changed to Logan in 14 December 1875

Tips

• Information listed on vital records is given by an informant.  Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
• If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial.  A family Bible may have been used to record family births,marriages and deaths.
• Records for African Americans are often recorded in separate files with separate indexes.
• Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records.  Copies of vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except direct descendants and/or ancestors.
• If the survival of a baby was in question, the birth may not have been recorded.
• Search for Vital Records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records.  Search for Arkansas to locate records filed by the state then search the name of the county to locate records kept by that county.

Archives, Libraries & Societies

Statewide archives, libraries, historical and genealogical societies of Arkansas have collections that can be of great value in Arkansas research. Individual counties usually have historical and genealogical societies as well. Contact the Arkansas Archives, Societies and Libraries for specific information on availability of records and how to access their collections online, in person or through a local agent that will search the records for a fee.

Arkansas Archives and Libraries
Arkansas History Commission, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201

Arkansas Genealogical Society

Websites

• My Arkansas Genealogy. Genealogy, Inc, 2008.
  

• Adoption.com. Adoption Media, LLC, 1995 - 2009.