Lafayette County, Arkansas Genealogy
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Guide to Lafayette County, Arkansas ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for or the Marquis de Lafayette, who came from France and fought on the side of the Americans in the Revolutionary war. It is located in the southwest corner of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Lafayette County Courthouse
2 Courthouse Square
Lewisville, AR 71845
Phone: 870.921.4633
Lafayette County Website
County Clerk has marriage records from 1848 and probate records;
Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and land records.[3]
Lafayette County, Arkansas[edit | edit source]
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* | 1828 | 1914* | 1828 | 1828 | 1828 | 1830 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Arkansas county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Arkansas County Boundary Maps" (1813-1925) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website. |
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[6]
| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Emphasis for this timeline is on events that affected migration, records, or record-keeping. Unless otherwise mentioned, the events below were taken from the Lafayette County page on the website, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. [7]
- 1800s (early) - Identification of specific European explorers and settlers in the future Lafayette County area of the Louisiana Purchase is difficult.
- 1815 - The New Madrid Earthquakes and the War of 1812 prompted President James Monroe to survey and offer lands from the Louisiana Purchase to veterans and displaced farmers.
- 1826 - The first years for the settlers on Long Prairie were especially difficult with uncomfortable wilderness conditions afflicting the community. Many pulled up stakes and move 100 miles to the east.
- 1827 October 15 - Lafayette County was organized.
- 1861-1865 - Like most areas in the South, Lafayette County was devastated by the Civil War.
- 1865-1877 - The most significant change during this period may have been the proliferation of family farms.
- 1880s - Another dramatic change of the era was the arrival of the railroad.
- 1900-1940s - The first four decades of the twentieth century saw both prosperity and depression. Banks failed, mortgagers foreclosed, properties were lost, and crop values plummeted.
- 1930-2010 - The population of Lafayettte County hit its high mark in 1930 at 16,900 and is now (2010) at less than half that number at 7,600
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 748 | — |
| 1840 | 2,200 | 194.1% |
| 1850 | 5,220 | 137.3% |
| 1860 | 8,464 | 62.1% |
| 1870 | 9,139 | 8.0% |
| 1880 | 5,730 | −37.3% |
| 1890 | 7,700 | 34.4% |
| 1900 | 10,594 | 37.6% |
| 1910 | 13,741 | 29.7% |
| 1920 | 15,522 | 13.0% |
| 1930 | 16,934 | 9.1% |
| 1940 | 16,851 | −0.5% |
| 1950 | 13,203 | −21.6% |
| 1960 | 11,030 | −16.5% |
| 1970 | 10,018 | −9.2% |
| 1980 | 10,213 | 1.9% |
| 1990 | 9,643 | −5.6% |
| 2000 | 8,559 | −11.2% |
| 2010 | 7,645 | −10.7% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
- 1875-1899 - Nebraska, Church Records, 1875-1899 at FamilySearch — index
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African Americans[edit | edit source]
- 1866-1868 — Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, Lewisville at FamilySearch.org — browsable images only; letters
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
- Probate Records 1828-1925 Lafayette County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration bonds 1859-1905; Letters of administration and guardianship 1859-1906; Miscellaneous probate records 1844-1858; Probate records 1828-1897; Wills 1846-1925.
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for {{{1}}} County. They may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. Click for a brief Timeline History of the county. For more about local histories, see Arkansas Local Histories.
- Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas. Chicago, IL, USA: Goodspeed Publishing, 1890. Online at: Ancestry.com ($)
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Men in Lafayette County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 6th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate)
- - 19th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Dockery's) (Confederate)
- - 20th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company K
- - 26th Regiment, Arkansas Infantry (Confederate), Company G
- - Abraham's Company, Arkansas Mounted Volunteers (State Troops) (Confederate)
- - 3rd Regiment, Arkansas Cavalry (Union)[8], Company I
Online Records
- 1861-1865 - Arkansas Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
- 1890-1963 - Arkansas Confederate Soldier Home,1890-1963 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1891-1939 - Arkansas Ex-Confederate Pension Records, 1891-1939 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1901-1929 - Arkansas Confederate Pensions, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Finding More Arkansas Newspapers Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lafayette County, Arkansas Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat
- FamilySearch. Do a Lafayette County, Arkansas Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see, FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
- Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Fayetteville Daily Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Daily Fayetteville Democrat at Ancestry.com ($)
- Northwest Arkansas Times at Ancestry.com ($)
- Courier Times at Ancestry.com ($)
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1783 – 1998 Arkansas Wills and Probate Records 1783-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1817 – 1979 Arkansas Probate Records 1817-1979 at FamilySearch — images
- Probate Records 1828-1925 Lafayette County portion of the collection: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979: Arkansas Probate Records, 1817-1979 FamilySearch Historical Collections (Free, browse images)
- Includes Administration bonds 1859-1905; Letters of administration and guardianship 1859-1906; Miscellaneous probate records 1844-1858; Probate records 1828-1897; Wills 1846-1925.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Birth[edit | edit source]
| 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[9] 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[edit | edit source]
- 1779-1966 - Arkansas, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1828 - 1952 - Lafayette County Marriage Books 1-2, C-Z, A2-G2 Index 1828-1952 in Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957 at FamilySearch - free.[10]
- 1828 - 1921 - Lafayette County Marriage Books 1-2, C-S Index 1828-1921 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[11]
- 1860 - 1976 - Arkansas Church Marriages, 1860-1976 at FamilySearch — index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- Lafayette County, Arkansas Obituary Collection From GenealogyBuff.com ~ Free. From Various Funeral Homes around Stamps, Lewisville, Bradley, and Buckner, Arkansas.
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Websites[edit | edit source]
- USGenWeb Archives. Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
- RootsWeb . Free. Data may be submitted by individuals or may be complete transcriptions
- Linkpendium. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
- CyndisList. Free. Click links. Some sites they link to may have fees ($)
- 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Lafayette County, Arkansas Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ark/lafayette/
- ↑ 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), Lafayette County, Arkansas. Page 68 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 66.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lafayette County, Arkansas," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_County,_Arkansas, accessed 28 August 2018.
- ↑ Glynn McCalman, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=781&type=Category&item=Counties&parent=Counties%2c+Cities%2c+and+Towns&grandparent= : accessed January 14, 2016), “Lafayette County.”
- ↑ Desmond Walls Allen, Third Arkansas Union Cavalry, (Conway, Arkansas: Arkansas Research, c1987), p. 33-92. FHL 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)
- ↑ FamilySearch Wiki contributors, "Arkansas County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records," in FamilySearch Wiki.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/0/0d/Igiarkansasem.pdf.
