How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

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U.S. Vital Records

How to Find U.S. Birth Records

Arkansas Vital Records

How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

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

Next Step: When did the birth occur?	Birth Records Choose a time period: Before 1881 1881 thru 1913 After 1913 Birth year unknown

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1881

Before 1881, no births were recorded by county or state officials. Use this chart to get earlier birth information.

In the chart below, find the approximate year of birth for a person, and search the records listed.

Arkansas Records with Birth Information This chart covers the basics. Additions are welcome.
For people born between	Use these records	Birth information provided	Comments
1750's-1770's	Revolutionary War pensions, etc. Learn more	Name Birth date (month, day, year) Birth place (town or county and state)	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
1770's-1840's	Censuses before 1850 Learn more	Name of head of the household Number of males and females in age groups	Residence of the parents near the time of birth is clue to birthplace Use other censuses, marriages, and additional records to learn more
1770's-1870	Censuses 1850-1870 Learn more	Name Age Birth place (state or nation) Gender	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.
1780's to present	Marriage records Learn More	Name Age, "of age," or "minor" in early records Birth date more common since 1880's Place of birth in later records	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
1780's (few); 1820's-1850's (Civil War)	Military Records 1812 and later Learn more	Birth date and place (or only age)	Most soldiers were between 18-45 at time of service Men only, widows could apply for pensions
1790's to present	Church records Learn more	Names of members Baptism or christening date Age at baptism For children, names of parents	Churches vary greatly in the birth information they record Some have no record of children until they reach baptismal age
1790's to present	Cemeteries Learn more	Name Birth date or age Married surname of a woman Maiden surname common in later years	Most markers that still exist are from the 1850's and later Weathering, floods, vandalism and other factors affect the readability of early tombstones
early 1800's to present	Obituaries Learn more	Name Birth date (usually month, day, year) Birth place (usually town or county and state or nation) Names of parents Mother's maiden surname (often)	These were popular since 1870's Also includes names of living relatives (spouse, children, siblings)
1807-1916 and later	Death records - County (started 1877) Learn more	Name Age at death or birth date Place of birth (town or county and state) Names of parents Maiden surname of mother (sometimes)	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)
1810-1940	Censuses 1880-1940 Learn more	Name Age; 1900 census gives month and year of birth Birth place (state or nation). Gender Relationship to head of household	A 70-year-old would have been born in 1810. Most were younger. Includes parent's place of birth (state or nation)
1844-present	Death records - State (started 1914) Learn more	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)	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
1870's-present (some earlier)	Newspapers Learn More	Gender of child, sometimes name Name of father Name of mother (less often) Their residence	Search for birth announcements and items from nearby communities Newspapers started early in more populated areas

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Births from 1881 thru 1913

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

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.

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Births after 1913

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

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.

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