Monroe County, Arkansas Genealogical Records Information

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SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS IN THESE Arkansas GENEALOGICAL DATABASES:

AR Court, Land & Wills

AR Public Records

AR Birth, Marriage & Death

Monroe County History and Information

Monroe County Facts

Click HERE to see full size D.O.T. County Map

Monroe County was created on 2 November 1829 and was formed from Phillips and Arkansas Counties. It was named for James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. The first seat of government was at Lawrenceville until 1856 when it moved to Clarendon on the White River. Monroe County is bordered by Woodruff County (north), St. Francis County (northeast), Lee County (east), Phillips County (southeast), Arkansas County (southwest), Prairie County (west). Cities, Towns & Communities include Brinkley, Clarendon, Fargo, Holly Grove, Roe

Parts of Monroe County was used to form the following counties: Lee 1873. Other county boundry changes occured when Boundaries defined 25 December 1840, line with Prairie changed 7 December 1850, 12 April 1869, 26 April 1873 and 27 May 1874.

The Official County Website is located at ? . See Extended History for More information. Most county records appear to be extant.

Monroe County, Arkansas History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Monroe County Court Records

See Also Arkansas Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Most county records appear to be extant.

Monroe County Clerk of Circuit Court has Court Records from 1829 and Land Records from 1829 and is located at 123 Madison Street, Clarendon, 72029; (870) 747-3615 .
The circuit clerk is the clerk of the circuit, chancery court, and juvenile court and usually acts as the ex-officio recorder of the county. The administrative duties of the clerk are to maintain a record of all proceedings of the circuit, chancery and juvenile courts and to prepare the dockets for these courts. They are also the ex-officio county recorder; and is responsible for recording deeds, mortgages, liens, and surety bonds, and many other orders and instruments which involve property within the county

   Monroe County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1850 and Probate Records from 1829 and is located at 123 Madison Street, Clarendon, 72029; (870) 747-3632 .
   Although probate court is a court of equity and is presided over by the chancery judge, prior to 1937 it was a function of the county court, and under the amended procedure, the county clerk still operates ad the clerk of the probate court.
   As clerk to the probate court, the clerk files all instruments making them a matter of record in descendent estate cases, and swears in all witnesses in contested estates. The clerk, also in this capacity, maintains all records relative to adoptions and guardianship cases within the county.
   Although probate court is a court of equity and is presided over by the chancery judge, prior to 1937 it was a function of the county court, and under the amended procedure, the county clerk still operates ad the clerk of the probate court

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Arkansas Marriages, 1779-1992, Arkansas Marriages, 1820-1949, Arkansas Marriages to 1850, Arkansas Marriages, 1851-1900 and Arkansas Divorce Index, 1923-1939. You may also search the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) which does not cover Arkansas but does cover surrounding states. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.

Click Here to Search Arkansas Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Monroe County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Monroe County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Monroe County, Arkansas Court Books at Amazon.com
Arkansas Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Monroe County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Arkansas

Click Here to Search Arkansas Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!

Vital Records, 4815 West Markham St Little Rock, AR 72205, Please allow up to approximately 4-6 weeks for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:

Birth Certificates: Birth records maintained by Arkansas Vital Records start with February 1, 1914 through the present. Vital Records does have a limited number of birth records prior to 1914. The birth records dated prior to 1914 were filed with Arkansas Vital Records after 1914. They have original copies of Little Rock and Fort Smith births dating from 1881.
- Cost: The cost of a birth record is $12.00 for the first copy and $10.00 for each additional copy ordered of the same record at the same time. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $12.00 for a searching fee. The customer may request a refund of any amount paid over the required $12.00 search fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Death Certificates: Death records maintained by Arkansas Vital Records start with February 1, 1914 through the present. Arkansas Vital Records does have a limited number of deaths occurring prior to 1914 for Little Rock and Fort Smith dating from 1881. The Arkansas History Commission has a death index of deaths occurring in Arkansas from 1914 through 1949. This is only an alphabetical listing of deaths occurring in Arkansas. The History Commission does not have copies of the death records.
- Cost: The cost of a certified death certificate is $10.00 for the first copy and $8.00 for each additional copy issued at the same time for the same certificate. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $10.00 for a searching fee. The customer may request a refund of any amount paid over the required $10.00 search fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
- Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
- Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Marriage records maintained in Arkansas Vital Records begin with January 1917. Arkansas Vital Records does not have any marriage records prior to 1917.
Divorce records maintained in Arkansas Vital Records begin with January 1923. Arkansas Vital Records does not have any divorce records prior to 1923. Records of marriage & divorce proceedings are available from the Monroe County clerk of Probate Court that granted the decree.You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificates . You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates much quicker by ordering HERE
- Cost: Arkansas Vital Records maintains a file of marriage and divorce coupons. These coupons are acceptable with organizations that require a certified record. The cost of a marriage or divorce coupon is $10.00 for each copy. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $10.00 for a searching fee. The customer may request a refund of any amount paid over the required $10.00 search fee.
- Processing Time: 4-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY

Order In Person: The certificates may be ordered by coming into this office. If you want the copy the same day, our hours for same day service are 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Monday – Friday. The office is located at 4815 West Markham St Little Rock, AR 72205.
Directions to Vital Statistics Office
Order By Mail: Mail a check or money order (no cash) payable to the "Vital Records " along with the necessary information to the following address: Vital Records, PO Box 8184, Little Rock AR 72203-8184. Please include return address on envelope and application form.
Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek.

There are a few online marriage databases which include:Arkansas Marriages, 1779-1992, Arkansas Marriages, 1820-1949, Arkansas Marriages to 1850, Arkansas Marriages, 1851-1900 and Arkansas Divorce Index, 1923-1939

Below is a list of online resources for Monroe County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Monroe County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Monroe County Census Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Tax records are available at the respective county courthouses and in the Arkansas History Commission. Nearly 600 tax books, original or microfilmed, for Arkansas counties are included in the collection at the Commission. Legislation was enacted in Arkansas which required that copies of early county tax records be sent to the state auditor in Little Rock. Where county records were lost, the state auditor's copies are especially valuable.
Personal property tax records have been published for a few counties. Tax lists, along with other sources, are being used to reconstruct the lost 1890 federal population census.

Below is a list of online resources for Monroe County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Monroe County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Monroe County, Arkansas Tax Books at Amazon.com

Monroe County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Arkansas Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Monroe County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Monroe County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Local Arkansas Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Arkansas History Commission, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201; 501.682.6900
Arkansas Genealogical Society, 1411 Shady Grove Road, P.O. Box 908, Hot Springs, AR 71902-0908; Phone: 501-262-4513
Arkansas Historical Society, 422 South Sixth Street, Van Buren, AR 72201
Arkansas Family History Association, 609 Colynwood, Sherwood, Arkansas 72120; 501-835-7502
Arkansas Historical Association, 416 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; 479-575-5884, 479-575-2775 FAX
Arkansas Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Arkansas Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Monroe County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Arkansas Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Monroe County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Monroe County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Some church records for Arkansas churches are available at the Arkansas History Commission. These include published church histories, church records, newspapers, and manuscript collections.

Local county genealogical and historical organizations have copied, cataloged, and published records of local cemeteries. Most of these are in the collection at the Arkansas History Commission; many are in the DAR Library. Most of those in the DAR collection have been microfilmed by the FHL.

Below is a list of online resources for Monroe County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Monroe County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Arkansas Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Monroe County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Monroe County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Monroe County, Arkansas Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Monroe County was created on November 2, 1829, by the Territorial Legislature from portions of Arkansas and Phillips counties and named for James Monroe, fifth President of the United States and author of the “Monroe Doctrine.” Clarendon is the County Seat. The landscape is rich, flat, delta farmland. The economy is agriculture, soybeans, cotton, rice and wheat with some small manufacturing. Interstate 40 passes through the county. Lake Greenlee, a rectangular lake enclosed by a four-sided levee, Green and East lakes, backwater lakes, and Maddox Bay offer excellent fishing. The Cache River runs through the county with Dagmar Wildlife Management Area providing hunting for several species. In the southwestern part of the county, the scenic White River runs through the White River National Wildlife Management Area and provides great boating and fishing and is home to virtually every wild bird and animal found in the southern United States. Clarendon, known until 1837 as Mouth-of-the-Cache or White River Crossing, has 22 structures listed in the National Historical Register. The town square has been used several times as a movie set. The Courthouse, which holds lots of early history dating back to 1829, was a sanctuary for hundreds of persons who sough refuge in the upper floors while awaiting rescue by boats. After the flood, church services and community activities were held in the courthouse while community flood damage was repaired. In spite of the flood, the original oak furniture remains in the elegant courtroom that has a dome skylight of richly colored stained glass.

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